This gift guide is designed to inspire unique ideas for the special people in your life (that means you too). The most sustainable gifts are often second-hand, upcycled, and experience-based—and San Diego offers an amazing array of planet-friendly gifts.

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For the Kitchen Lover

Tools and pantry items for the sustainable foodist in your life

Kismet Refining Vinegars and Hot Sauces

Family owned and operated, Kismet Refining offers craft vinegars and sauces highlighting local and upcycled ingredients to create delicious and unique flavors. 

Personal favorites: Black Garlic Balsamic Vinegar, Caramelized Apple Vinegar, and Hibiscus Rimming Sugar.

Leucadia Custom Knives

Father and son team, Anthony and Scott started Leucadia Custom Knives as a project in their garage. The beautiful craftsmanship of their culinary collection would make a wonderful addition to any kitchen.

Recommended items: Redwood Planter Box and Reclaimed Wood Cutting Board.

A Refillery Bundle

San Diego refill shops offer amazing varieties of kitchen gifts and goodies. Put together a personalized basket for your cuisine-loving friends. See the Shop Shoutout list below for local refill shops.

Items to look for: organic olive oils and spices, beeswax wraps, Swedish dishcloths, and olive wood utensils.

Refilleries

Sonora Refillery, Oceanside

The Nada Shop, Encinitas

Earthwell Refill

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For the Foodie

Gifts for people that love local food

Revessel

ReVessel USA makes safe, sustainable food wares that can be used for any situation. Bring your reVessel to the market to make your order plastic-free or to your favorite restaurant and pack up your leftovers with zero waste.

Hot tip: The Plot in Oceanside offers a zero-waste to-go program utilizing reVessel containers—check it out here.

Seed and Trellis

From garden design to composting kits, Seed and Trellis offers so many options for starting your own kitchen garden and growing food beautifully. No matter where you are in your planting journey, Stacey from Seed and Trellis can help you cultivate your gardening goals.

Must get item: a Bokashi Starter Kit.

For the Craft Beer Lover

Gifts for people who love local brews

The Bountiful Bag

The Bountiful Bag founders, and sisters, Romi and Fio find creative upcycling solutions for plastic waste from the craft beer and event industries. Their innovative and eye-catching designs are perfect for the craft beer lover—and check out awesome collections like SD Pride, Brewbies Fest, and Vans Warped Tour.

SF favorites: The Bountiful Beer Traveler and the Bountiful Mini Backpack.

Boozy Bones

Boozy Bones offers sustainable, small-batch dog treats made from local spent grains sourced from craft breweries. Give your pup or pup-owner a delicious, nutritious and planet-friendly gift this year.

ReBru Spirits

Located in Barrio Logan, ReBru spirits is reimagining creating with less waste. Their innovative libations are crafted from excess, local craft beer, keeping it out of the drain and repurposing itinto delicious spirits. Their distillery tours and tastings are a unique gift idea for someone who enjoys a conscious cocktail.

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For the Business Place

‍Amai Edible Cups

Amai’s zero-waste Z Cup is an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic cups. Made from highly nutritious, upcycled, spent grains, the Z Cup is good for you and for the planet. You can eat it or compost it after use with hot or cold beverages, soups, snacks, and desserts. It’s the perfect switch for your coffee shop, office, or event.

Pick on Us

Located in Vista, Pick on Us offers compostable alternatives to single-use table wares. You can find sugarcane plates, bamboo cutlery and so much more. With organics recycling now available across San Diego for homes and businesses, choosing these biodegradable alternatives to plastic are a great way to gather sustainably.

The Beverage Botanist

Experiences often make the best gift and The Beverage Botanist in San Diego offers unique mixology experiences for private events. With hands-on workshops, tastings, and pairings, you can bring a garden-to-glass adventure to your next gathering.

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Special Shops

The Mighty Bin

San Diego’s first zero-waste grocery store, The Mighty Bin in North Park offers a plastic-free, refill shopping experience. They are also stocked with local produce, products, and goodies.

Kitchens For Good Shop

You will find delightful, second-hand kitchen items at Kitchens for Good shop in Pacific Beach. This inviting, culinary emporium is filled with gently-used kitchen and dining items to help you find the perfect gift for the cooking connoisseur in your life.

Home Ec

Sustainable foodies will love the items at Home Ec in Little Italy. This little shop is filled with pantry items, cookbooks, kitchen tools and more – you’re guaranteed to find something for everyone at Home Ec. 

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About the Contributor
Liz Murphy
‍Liz Murphy is a local plant-based chef and sustainability warrior. Find her  cookbook, Kitchen Contentment at santoshanutrition.com or look for it at local San Diego shops. Santosha Nutrition offers a plant-based cooking class with Chef Liz, a unique and fun gift for cooks of any level. Certificates include an interactive virtual or in-person cooking experience, with three recipes in a digital recipe packet with instructions. Her cookbook Kitchen Contentment: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking with Plants contains over 50 vegan and gluten-free recipes.
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