Maker | Crateful

The art of giving, that's what Keira Guez and Brit Woodward of Crateful are redefining. Carefully crafting special, meaningful gift for your someone special. We all suffer from the 'busy bug' and these two are helping people rediscover the art of thoughtful gifting. We recently were gifted a beautifully created package from them so we asked them to tell us more about Crateful, read more in their Q&A below.

How did you get started with Crateful? 

With strong generous spirits and an appreciation for delicious food, we had been toying with different ideas when we agreed on crateful. It was the perfect combination of our individual talents/passions. The name encompassed our desire to send the message that gratitude is vital in gift giving/receiving. We believe in the heart of a giver – we know how busy life can get, so we wanted to create a way for people to show their gratitude amidst their busy lives, without compromising the quality of the gift. Every order is custom made!

What inspired you to start making the packaged crates? 

We both love the IDEA of giving a package full of small gifts, body products, baked goods etc, but the standardized gift basket options are far from original or thoughtful, in our opinion. We wanted to fill the gap where we saw a need and make it desirable. We knew we wanted to use wooden crates because they are environmentally friendly, reusable, recyclable,useful & gender neutral.

How did you start finding products that you loved and paired? 

I have a background in baking / skincare / cosmetology – all of our handmade recipes were specifically designed utilizing that background knowledge. Keira’s business background in fashion is key in being knowledgeable on what people want, trend and longevity. 

Were you always interested in food and lifestyle products? 

I have been working as a private chef for almost 9 years and Keira has an extensive background in fashion/lifestyle design – before we started crateful we were just really good friends. We love the same things but have unique tastes to bring forth. What Keira didn’t know about the food world, I was able to educate her on and what I didn’t know about the branding/business world, Keira taught me about. Keira has great taste, it’s refreshing to be able to try something new and bring it to her and know I’m going to get an honest, sophisticated opinion on whether it makes the crateful cut or not! 

How do you get ideas for each crate?

We pay attention to our environments. We both love to travel and are fortunate to do quite a bit of it. By maintaining this sponge-like mentality when we travel, we really get to absorb our surroundings and take what we love and think others will love also. Being from Los Angeles, we both really enjoy being outdoors. The beach, the mountains, the desert… such different ecosystems so close to our own backyards- these places we’ve visited our entire lives have a scent or flavor and we incorporate that nostalgia into our products. My passion for camping around California inspired our signature S’Moreskewers. Keira’s North African heritage led us to use Moroccan blue chamomile in our body products… we take pieces of what make our lives richer and pour them into the brand.

What are you inspired by?

Again, our environment is really inspiring. I think my affinity for salty/sweet flavors comes from a life spent on the Pacific. The textures of the Southern Californian landscape inspire a lot of our palettes. The industrial feel of Downtown LA inspired raw wood for our crates. We are also inspired by humanity. After all, we are a gift company… whether you’re gifting yourself, or someone else, it’s special and we want it to feel special because giving is a special ritual; for the giver and the receiver. That transaction itself is inspiration enough to really put love into each crate. 

How do your hobbies influence what you do?

Hobbies are personal & inspire pretty much our entire brand. My love of art and the outdoors both equally inspire me to come up with new recipes and combinations for body products- whether it’s Monet’s Water Lillies or a campfire in Big Sur, something crateful will come from it. I think the fact that everything about crateful can be customized is an opportunity for both of us to draw endless inspiration for from all areas of our lives. Keira is probably the most giving friend you may ever meet, I think that intense selfless nature has really inspired her to take customization to another level. To make the crates really special for the recipients, that’s what we’re about.

What has been your biggest lesson?

Always check the weather when shipping long distance with a deadline and never let the customer doubt how much they’re appreciated.

What's your favorite thing about sharing your packages?

The joy we get to offer someone’s day! It’s a blessing to US to be able to be the cause for someone’s smile. 

What's been your best advice you've been given?

Don’t be afraid to fail a few times. 

What's been your biggest challenge?

Sorting out how to maintain freshness with baked goods without any preservatives… while SHIPPING! WOW! We failed a few times there… we sent a LOT of mock cratefuls to family members to taste test for freshness. 

To learn more about Crateful or to buy your own specially crafted package, visit their website at www.crateful.com, or follow their adventures on Instagram at @getcrateful.