5 Locally-Owned Subscription Boxes To Try
From carefully-curated teas to Louisiana food products—delivered to your doorstep
One of the great enduring pleasures of online shopping, even beyond its convenience, is the joy of coming home to a package on the doorstep. Whether it be a pair of shoes or a bottle of toilet cleaner, for a minute it is just a box—a symbol of consumerism and nostalgia that combines in a potent surge of serotonin.
Over the last decade, one of the more innovative ways businesses have maximized the power of this effect is through the subscription box. Extending the sentimentality of opening a present to yourself, subscription boxes offer wholly-curated niche experiences organized around a product, a place, or a cause.
And, in Louisiana, it can also be a fun way to support and celebrate local businesses. Check out these locally-created and -curated subscription boxes, dropping custom care packages on their customers’ porches on the reg.
(Pro tip: These also make great Mother’s Day Presents!)
Camellia Bean Krewe
Just launched in February, the Camellia Bean Krewe subscription box was created by Camellia Brand as a way to share the spirit of New Orleans cuisine via America’s oldest dried bean company. In its first Spring Box of goodies, Camellia sent out a package of its signature Red Kidneys and a package of its Great Northerns—along with boxes of Cajun White Bean Seasoning and Creole Red Bean Seasoning, setting you up for a Monday night to look forward to. As a bonus: a cute canvas bag and a signature Camellia Bean Krewe parade throw.
Future boxes, delivered quarterly for $39.95 per box, promise surprises of classic and heirloom beans, specialty ingredients (sometimes delivered before they are available to the general public), exclusive access to recipes and discounts, and other “lagniappe” items.
Subscribe by May 15 to get the Spring Camellia Bean Krewe Box as your first box; on May 16, you can sign up to receive the Summer Box. shop.camelliabrand.com
Anchor of Hope Box
Originally founded by Adrienne McCann in North Carolina in 2015, the Anchor of Hope Box is a monthly subscription that employs women all across the globe who are refugees and survivors of human trafficking. After partnering with the business for some time, earlier this year Baton Rouge’s Rebecca Gardner, owner of The Hope Shop, took over the Anchor of Hope Box, and is now running it as a sister business to her nonprofit Hands Producing Hope.
Anchor of Hope partners with organizations around the world that provide ethical work opportunities to women in vulnerable situations. Each box ($32–$36 per month) contains three products handmade by these women; the items ranging from jewelry and home goods, to ceramics and artwork, to exotic spices and more. Each product is accompanied by an information card that gives details about the products and the artisans who make them. Through its association with Hands Producing Hope, often these women include refugees who are currently living and working in Baton Rouge.
Subscribe by May 14 to get the May Anchor of Hope Box; or by June 14 to receive the June box. Use the code COUNTRYROADS to receive 15% off your first order. anchorofhopebox.com.
Lagniappe Box
Created in 2016 by Meredith Waguespack and Sarah Guidry, owners of Sweet Baton Rouge and Local Supply, the Lagniappe Box partners with other Louisiana businesses to send out a distinctly local collection of goods every month. Waguespack curates each box according to a seasonal theme (March’s, for instance, was Crawfish Season, and included a Sweet Baton Rouge “Corn & Potatoes” tee, a crawfish-decaled glass by Moneauxs, a bag of “Boiled Crawfish”-flavored Cajun Pop, and crawfish-shaped earrings from New Orleans jewelry artist Isabelle De Joya Vea). Each box ($37–$45) contains five or more products made exclusively by Louisiana small businesses, including a first-access Sweet Baton Rouge tee in each box.
[Read about Waguespack and Guidry's newest venture, Local Supply, here.]
For folks who prefer to choose their own adventure, the Lagniappe box can also be customized thanks to a new Build Your Own Box option—from which customers can select their own Sweet Baton Rouge tee shirt or shirts, along with a selection of Louisiana-made products offered from the Local Supply curated gift shop.
Subscribe soon to receive the June Lagniappe Box, and keep an eye out for the soon-to-launch quarterly option—which kicks off with the July Game Day Lagniappe Box, available until July 22. sweetbatonrouge.com/pages/lagniappe-box.
Free Your Tea
The distinct pleasure of sipping specialty tea found an apostle in New Orleans entrepreneur Knud Berthelsen, who founded his personalized tea subscription service in 2017. Sourcing loose tea leaves from all over the globe, Berthelsen has found a way to deliver the “magic brewed between people over a pot of tea” straight to people’s doorsteps. After asking about your tea preferences (with caffeine or without, iced or hot), the service starts you off with a set of samples to try. After rating them on the Free Your Tea website, your next delivery will include two 2 oz. packages of tea tailored to your taste. Shipping is free, and the service offers deliveries both monthly and quarterly, with various payment options at rates ranging from $15 per box to $25.
Subscribe for your personalized subscription at freeyourtea.com, and use the code COUNTRYROADS to receive a 10% discount on your order.
Cajun Crate
Born from the desire of Louisiana transplants’ longing for a taste of home, this Cajun care package is all about Louisiana-made food products, especially those that can’t be found anywhere else. Curated by locals, each month the box features seven or more products from businesses large and small, along with recipes and product guides to ensure you’re making the most of your groceries. A must for anyone who has had to move out of the Bayou State, but a treat for locals, too—the Cajun Crate is a great way to keep up with the latest endeavors of local chefs and entrepreneurs and to keep your cooking skills in check. Prices range from $36–$39 per month depending on payment schedule.
Subscribe to receive the monthly Cajun Crate subscription box at cajuncrate.com, and use the code CountryRoads to receive 30% off of your order.