Christmas is just a week and a day away, and Belizean small businesses have been busier than ever to get you that unique, handmade gift. So there's no need to pull out that credit card, or even take a trip into the merchants downtown, when you can go right online and find everything from locally made skin care products, to jewelry, and even wine for your loved one.
And with every dollar a small entrepreneur gets, it goes a long way in helping them sustain their business.
So if you're still looking for creative and unique gifts to put under your tree, consider shopping locally this year. Courtney Menzies put together a few of the Belizean made products you might be interested in. Here is her story.
In a little over a week, families across the world will be tearing open Christmas presents, which means that you've got about 7 days to finish up your holiday shopping.
But luckily you don't have to look far, since that special present you're looking for could be made right here in Belize.
Maybe you're trying to find something for that spice lover in your life - and Sweet Dolly's Habanero Pepper Jelly is here to help. Their peppers are home grown and each batch of jelly takes about 4 hours to carefully curate with the perfect mix of sweet and spicy.
The co-owner, Idolly Castillo, explained she and her husband launched the business during the pandemic.
Idolly Castillo, Sweet Dolly's Habanero Pepper Jelly
"My husband he's into gardening, has a lot of habaneros, and one time I told him, Michael, why don't you make a pepper sauce? And he says no, everybody makes pepper sauce, I want to do something different. I said okay, so he did try this pepper jelly and we went to this friend who was the one who was pushing him to do it and they loved it when they tasted it, they said, oh you should more, he said no, it's just out of fun, this and that, but during COVID, we had a lot of habaneros and he decided to do another batch, but we do small batches, and they insisted come on, let's do it."
"So we decided to try it and we did it, we took some to San Pedro, because I'm originally from San Pedro, we took it to Wine Divine and they loved it, they're using it in their wine platters, and they sell it there also for us."
"This is the ingredients that we use, most of them, but it's a sweet pepper jelly, it goes good with all these things we have here, it goes very good with cream cheese, wings, poppers, fritters, you can use it with almost everything, it goes good with everything."
Chelsea Perrera, Marketing, Sweet Dolly's Habanero Pepper Jelly
"I think it makes a wonderful Christmas gift because lately, all the rage is Charcuterie Boards, when you're hanging out with your family and friends, it's Christmas, you'll have your Charcuterie boards with your rumpopo and your wine, Sweet Dolly's, the pepper jelly goes great with your cheeses and your meats, additionally, during the Christmas time you're either traveling to the states or you have family coming in, and Sweet Dolly's is a Belizean made product and when you're traveling abroad it's a good gift."
But you're thinking of along the lines of jewelry, why not help clean up the beach at the same time? Ale's Beach Treasures specializes in sea glass jewelry - gifts from the sea that she turns into that perfect gift for your loved one.
Alejandra Cho has been in the business for almost a decade, and though she's relocated to The Netherlands, she still has her online store here in Belize, and is ready to introduce you to your next statement piece.
Alejandra Cho, Ale's Beach Treasures
"What is sea glass? They are basically pieces of broken glass and bottles that ended up in the sea and then over the years, they got naturally tumbled. Then I go and walk the beach and bring them back home and turn them into unique jewelry and arts."
"Sea glass is not an everyday thing, it's not an everyday item that you can find in every corner, store, it's unique, they are one of a kind and they have a huge significance on just life on a whole because they go through a process before they become sea glass, they are literally trash, manmade trash, and then the sea takes them and turns them into really unique gems. It's just the sizes, the colors, it's just amazing what the sea does to the sea glass, and it's the same with us in real life, like we go through a lot and at the end of the day, we come out on the other end winning."
"Once I collected the sea glass at the beach, I go through a cleaning process of washing them, soaking them in bleach, and then sun drying them and then I literally don't do anything, I don't alter them, I just work with them the way I find them at the beach. The only thing I do to them is drill and wire wrap, it requires a special drill but then I make them in for example, 14k gold filled materials, or 925 sterling silver materials, or stainless surgical steel, it depends on what a customer would ask for."
But maybe your loved one is more of a plant lover, and that's where Green Gallery has your back. What started off as a therapeutic hobby for Gloria Martinez has transformed into a small business of providing various different plants - from ferns to succulents - to anyone who wants to add a bit of nature in their home.
We caught up with her at a popup shop at Belize Bank.
Gloria Martinez, Green Gallery
"My business is going on for five years now, I started my business due to like a therapy, helping me with stuff I've been going through, and it's something I like doing so I continue doing house plants, herbs, floral arrangements like cactus and stuff like that."
"A mix of everything really, but succulents, they don't water every time like that, like once a week, cactus can live inside for a month without water. So stuff like that, or like this one, it's good as well."
"They're not hard to grow, once you have a green thumb, or you don't have to have a green thumb, but I take care of my plants every time like a baby."
Courtney Menzies:
"Why do think that plants like these make good Christmas gifts?"
Gloria Martinez, Green Gallery
"Because it filters the air in our home, and it's a beautiful decor home."
And these small businesses all agree that supporting local entrepreneurs is the way to go this Christmas.
Gloria Martinez, Green Gallery
"It helps supports other families with stuff for their kids and stuff like that too. It helps their home, and stuff like that."
Chelsea Perrera, Marketing, Sweet Dolly's Habanero Pepper Jelly
"I think that supporting the small businesses help to put back money into the economy, but at the same time, it's here, it's readily available, you don't need to order it, you don't need to wait for it, and it's just, I think we're moving into the direction where we want to buy Belizean products, we have it here, so why not support the small businesses?"
Alejandra Cho, Ale's Beach Treasures
"There's a meme, a thing that goes around on Facebook that says support small businesses because the corporations don't make happy small dances. It's 100% true, like there's nothing against them, it's just that the small businesses appreciates the sales more. They are looking forward to it, it's their lives, it's their bread and butter, it's what supports their family, so the more we support small businesses, they more we support local entrepreneurs, the more we are giving them the opportunity to stay in business."
We'll have part two of our Belizean made gifts on Monday.
