'Tis the Season to Shop Local
Check out some festive and fun gift ideas from some of our local UCalgary Alumni Built Businesses.
By Ryan Ohashi, MBA'21
Whether you are tracking down the perfect gift or you find yourself seeking inspiration, there is truly no better time to acquaint yourself with our vibrant and diverse local UCalgary Alumni Built Businesses. This year, we invite you to celebrate the spirit of the season by exploring this collection of gifts and offerings from a few of the talented and passionate UCalgary graduates nestled right here in our community.
We are always looking to celebrate our strong entrepreneurially minded community of graduates. We have 118 businesses in our Alumni Built Business Directory and are always looking to add more.
If you are UCalgary Alumni with a business be sure to sign up today!
For Holiday Treats and Eats
The holiday season is the perfect time to celebrate the culinary enthusiasts in your life by gifting them something special. Whether they're a connoisseur of fine dining, or simply someone who has a total sweet tooth, this short list has something for every palate.
Maybe you start things off at Bridgeland Market (Yousef Traya, BCR'02) where they are celebrating “Christmas at the Market” with holiday special on gifts, cheese trays, festive flowers and more. Bessie Box (Shanika Abeysinghe, BA’16) delivers meal kits including naturally raised meat and seafood directly to your front door.
Then you can fuel up for a big shopping day with some caffeine at Calgary Heritage Roasting Company (Jamie Parker, BSc’15), Monogram Coffee (Justin Eyford, BA’07, MA’13 and Jeremy Ho, BHSc’09), or Phil & Sebastien Coffee Roasters (Phil Robertson, BSc’00, and Sebastian Sztabzyb, BSc’00). In fact, while you’re at Phil & Sebastien’s grab a Hoopla Donut (Hint: The Crème Brulee Donut is a must have)
You could also snag a digital gift card from Sidewalk Citizen (Aviv Fried, BSc'04, MSc'08,) or Park By Sidewalk Citizen for amazing breads, pastries, lunch and breakfast. For something a little more tropical be sure to check out Paper Lantern (Nhi Tran, BComm’10) where you can even try an order of whatever the kitchen is having for family meal that night.
Of course when we start to talk about treats we need to talk about our friends at Crave (Jodi Willoughby, BCR’01) and Swirl Custom Cakes and Desserts (Lynnette MacDonald, BN’10). If you haven’t googled “cupcake sandwich technique” yet then make that a new year’s resolution! Plus the amazing cōchu chocolatier (Anne Sellmer, BA’98) and The Sugar Cube (Alyssa Tilston, BComm'12) a mobile candy store - sweetening up events throughout the city with a Candy Truck and Cotton Candy Carts!
For the Adventurers
For those people in your life who cherish experiences over material possessions, why not give the gift of unforgettable memories and incredible moments? Instead of traditional presents, consider gifting experiences that spark joy, excitement, and a sense of adventure.
Start off by booking a dream vacation with 10 Adventures (Richard Campbell, BComm’99), a multi-day tour marketplace that allows active and adventure travelers to book custom and private trips in over 75 countries. Bolder Climbing Community (Regan Kennedy, BEd’14) is Calgary's first bouldering-specific climbing gym! With a wide variety of difficulty in the climbs, there is something here for everyone whether you are an experienced climber or want to try out climbing for the first time. If you’re looking for something a little more conventional; Sirocco Golf Club (Tim Duffin, BComm’73) is a classic links course that has been open on Calgary’s Southside since 2005. Finally, if you were out for Alumni All-Access this year you might have already been to the Yamnuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary (Georgina De Caigny, BSc (Eng)’11) this non-profit sanctuary is open for tours and dedicated to driving awareness and education surrounding wolfdog ownership.
While you’re at it a great brand to gear up for some of those activities could be Wild Life Outdoor Adventures (Jenelle Peterson, BComm’09) an outdoor brand providing wilderness inspired activities, apparel, and gear to families.
For the Person That Has Everything
Aside from unique experiences, unique items can be great gifts for those who claim to have everything. Consider Milk Jar (Holly Singer, BSc’12) where they not only sell unique one of a kind candles, they also offer candle making workshops.
If you’re looking support a great cause while also finding the perfect unique item there are a pair of Alumni Built Businesses led by UCalgary nursing graduates to consider. The first is Lubdub Apparel (Luz Alvizurez, BSc’08, BN’10) who create apparel for health-care professionals. This month they are doing gift boxes for a cause with 100% of profits being donated to Médecins Sans Frontiéres, in solidarity with their Health Care Worker colleagues abroad. Blia Co (Laura Giovanetto, BN’20) is a social enterprise that sells handmade polymer clay earrings and 10% of every sale made is donated to partner organizations that help empower women worldwide.
Bonus: Don’t Forget Self Care!
The holiday season can be both joyous and hectic, making it crucial to prioritize self-care amid the festivities. Embrace the holiday season with a focus on your well-being, and don't hesitate to prioritize yourself amidst all the hustle and bustle of the celebrations!
For more traditional relaxation one could hit up Soma Hammam & Spa (Lourdes Juan, BGS’05, MEDes’10) which offers a health spa, traditional aesthetics, registered massage therapy and body treatments or drop by Auburn Bay Physio Chiro Massage (Kerrin Maroti, BKin’10) a boutique multidisciplinary clinic offering physiotherapy, chiropractic care and massage.
Lastly, for some, self care could be as simple as unwinding with friends and some drinks from Cold Garden Beverage Company Ltd. (Dan Allard, BComm’09 and Blake Belding, BComm'10), the 2023 Alberta Brewery of the year: The Establishment Brewing Co. (Mike Foniok, BSc (Eng)’09 and Brandon Hart, BSc (Eng)’08) or Romero Distilling Co. (Tomas Romero, BSc’04). For some libations with a twist (depending on the weather) there is always Pedal Pub Calgary (John Reid BKin’09).
If you are looking for something non-alcoholic and a little more on the healthier side True Büch Kombucha (Luiza Ferrel, BComm’04) is a Calgary based kombucha company which only uses the best quality organic and local ingredients and by reinvests a portion of their profits into local projects in the community.
So Get Out and Support Your UCalgary Community!
From thoughtfully crafted goods to one-of-a-kind experiences, our UCalgary Alumni community is brimming with exceptional options that make for unforgettable gifts and delightful moments. This holiday season can be a celebration of both giving and supporting the alumni community, where every gift purchased becomes a story, a connection, and a cherished memory shared among friends and family.
Join our Alumni Built Business Directory!
We want to celebrate our strong entrepreneurially minded community of graduates. The Alumni Business Directory showcases the amazing range of products and services UCalgary alumni have to offer.
Please complete the form to help us learn about your business. In order to be featured in the directory, businesses must be founded, owned and/or operated by a graduate of the University of Calgary. We will review your submission and if you meet the qualifications above, we will be in contact with you shortly.