Rising trend of healthy and sustainable Dutch Christmas hampers
Christmas hampers are part of a centuries-old Dutch tradition centred around employers giving a hamper of gifts to their employees just before Christmas. What started as a tradition of farmers giving their workers a few food items to take home has grown into a beloved yearly custom of giving and receiving hampers with luxury food items, electronic gadgets, wellness products and other gifts. Even now, new Christmas hamper trends emerge every year
The newest trend concerns healthy and sustainable gift baskets. More and more companies want to promote healthy living and sustainability amongst their staff. And the demand for Christmas hampers that support these values is rising. We spoke to experts from different Christmas hamper companies in the Netherlands and Belgium about how they respond to this trend.
Fruits and vegetables replace unhealthy snacks
One of the new types of Christmas hampers we see often is the healthy Christmas hamper. Many Christmas hamper shops already list the 'Gezond kerstpakket', or 'Healthy Christmas hamper' under its own category on their websites.
One of these is the Christmas hamper producer and distributor Kerstpakketten Idee. Luke from Kerstpakketten Idee shows us some of his healthy Christmas hampers in his Christmas hamper showroom. “There is a general trend of employers encouraging healthy living amongst their employees”, says Luke. “Companies replace unhealthy snacks in their lunch rooms with healthy snacks or offer their employees gym memberships. Another way to promote healthy living is giving out healthy Christmas hampers.”
Luke saw the trend of healthy Christmas hampers emerge around 2015 and gain popularity ever since then. “We started offering Christmas hampers with nuts instead of crisps, fruit juices instead of beer and vegetable dips instead of buttery dips. They've really taken off.”
Sustainability increasingly popular as a Christmas hamper theme
Danae from the Christmas hamper company Kerstpakket Webshop tells us about 'Duurzame kerstpakketten' or 'Sustainable Christmas hampers'. “Businesses are becoming more aware of their responsibility when it comes to sustainability. That is why some of our customers started asking for sustainable Christmas hampers. With these gift baskets, businesses can be more sustainable when giving out the yearly Christmas hampers and they can remind their employees of the company values surrounding sustainability.”
Sustainable Christmas hampers usually contain food products that are biological, Fair Trade or locally produced. Other non-food items are also usually locally produced to mitigate the strain that transporting items internationally puts on the environment.
Healthy lifestyle Christmas hampers
Healthy lifestyle Christmas hampers are also on the rise. Heleen from Kerstpakketten Expert tells our reporter about the changes she noticed within this trend. “The healthy lifestyle Christmas hamper is not one of our most popular Christmas hampers. But we do notice a steady increase in the demand for Christmas hampers that promote exercise and wellness.” The 'Sportieve kerstpakket' or 'Sporty Christmas hamper' is one of their most popular healthy lifestyle Christmas hampers. These Christmas hampers usually contain healthy snacks and exercise products such as water bottles and sports equipment.
Whether you live in the Netherlands or not, it is always a good idea to reward your employees with a festive and healthy Christmas hamper. Scour the websites of Christmas hamper companies and visit their showrooms to pick the Christmas hamper that best suits your team. And don't forget to choose one that proudly supports and shows your business values.