Gift Basket Business Blog

Selling Sympathy Baskets

March 25th, 2006 at 04:24pm Lorie Obernauer

I spoke with a friend this week who owns a floral shop and who does quite a bit of funeral work. While flowers are still the traditional tribute sent to grieving families, my friend told me that more and more, her customers are sending gourmet gift baskets as an expression of sympathy.

Moreover, my friend told me about a very large funeral home in her neighborhood that has their own gift shop so that mourners can stop and buy a gift for the family when they arrive at the funeral home.

Many cultures share the age old tradition of sending food to a grieving family. Food is a welcome gift. If sending gourmet sympathy baskets is a growing trend, this may be a great opportunity to expand your business.

Make a visit to your local funeral home and introduce yourself to the funeral director. Take a “gift”: a sample of your work. Leave your business cards. Although the director deals most frequently with family members of the deceased, he often gets calls from others who want to send something to the funeral home, but need a suggestion for a local florist. Maybe you can convince the director to suggest that they send a gift basket. Who knows, you may be able to convince the director to find a place in the funeral home where your baskets can be displayed!

I talked to several basket packers and florists and got some suggestions about what products are appropriate for a sympathy basket.

• Funerals often mean that a lot of family and friends are around. Send foods that can be easily shared: boxes of cookies, cakes, bags of nuts or candies. Boxes of teabags or bags of ground coffee that can be used to make a full pot are also appreciated.
• Add a candle or a picture frame to your design. These gifts can be a soothing way to help the bereaved remember their loved one.
• Seasonal fresh fruits can be included with a selection of gourmet gift foods. When packing fruit, use a waxed shredded tissue for fill (not a paper shred) to absorb any moisture that might appear when the basket is wrapped in cellophane or shrink wrap. Also, include instructions for care and handling: open the basket immediately, store fruit at room temperature, then refrigerate when ripe.
• Use some ribbon to tie a beautiful bow on your basket. Or add some silk ivy or seasonal flowers. The person who receives the basket will appreciate the thoughtful gift at a difficult time.

Some resources for you if you’re thinking about expanding your sympathy basket business:

• Apex Gift Foods carries shredded wax tissue, wicker baskets, and ribbons that are perfect for sympathy designs. Call 800-348-2369 for fruit basket care and handling tags. Apex’s customer service staff will also suggest gourmet products that would work will for your sympathy designs.
• Gift Basket Review’s online archive include photos of sympathy designs by Pam Valdez.
• Search the internet for more information about funeral etiquette and customs. Wikipedia is a good starting point with links to many more resources.

Entry Filed under: Basket Enhancements, Business Tips, Gift Basket Supplies, Gourmet Gift Foods, New Products & Trends