Christmas Hampers 2014

Way back in 1988, Hunter Valley Hampers started with Charity Christmas hampers for corporate and business to business gifts.

Christmas Gift Baskets

Since then, we have sold tens of thousands of hampers and our business enjoys an enviable reputation both in Australia and Overseas.  Each Christmas we ship gourmet hampers across Australia for delivery as Christmas presents, and it is a privilege we don't take lightly. 

We are still just as thrilled to receive an order for Christmas Gift baskets  in 2014 as we were back in 1988 - and we can proudly say we pay as much attention to detail and the little things that go into making your Christmas that bit extra special as we did back then.

Gourmet Hampers Australia

Just last year we celebrated our twenty fifth Christmas - and it has been an amazing journey watching the business evolve to the position it enjoys today.  From a hobby through a sheltered workshop and then back into our hands, Hunter Valley Hampers is an established authority brand when it comes to Christmas Hampers in Australia.

Hi, My name is Brendan and with my wife Kacy we own and operate Hunter Valley Christmas Hampers from the Hunter Valley wine country in New South Wales.  We'd love the opportunity to share with you and your colleagues, workmates and staff the delights that the Hunter Valley has on offer.  But first, I'd like to share with you three things that we offer that you might not find anywhere else when you are looking to buy Christmas hampers in 2014.

1- Handmade to Order

Every single gift basket and hamper we sell each Christmas is hand assembled to order.  We work along the lines of a restaurant - where once you place your order we get to work making your hampers exactly as specified - so if you want your steak medium rare - or in our case with the hampers you want a particular relish in place of the balsamic - it's not a problem to replace the product as we put it together. 

It's something that might make it take a bit longer to make - but we know you appreciate the attention to detail and personal service that goes into every single hamper we make.  (You won't see this at the bigger, corporate hamper businesses, where the pre-made hampers have often been sitting ready for shipping for months.)

2- We're Here for You

Here's how it works - if you pick up the phone right now and dial 1300 284 684 - guess what - you'll talk direct to either myself or Kacy, my wife.  Just like that!  We don't have layers of admin  stopping your call - so you can talk direct with the business owner to get exactly what you want!  Try it right now - see for yourself!

3 - Local and Regional and Australian Made

Since way back we have had a strong preference for supporting local independent businesses - just like ourselves.  You won't find ordinary, supermarket stuff in our hampers!  It such a massive point of difference - like who would really want some crackers you can buy at Coles in a Christmas Hamper? 

I remember talking about this with a customer and the customer said something like - "So you're going to put a packet of biscuits in the hamper and then ship it halfway across Australia - only for me to open it and see a product I can go buy myself down at the local shops?" It just doesn't make sense! 

Keep this in mind when you are looking at our competition out there - you'll notice decided plain bottles of plonk you probably wouldn't want to even cook with - let alone share with your valued friends at Christmas!  It's all about getting the moment right and making an impression of quality, abundance and

4 - Here's the final point - and the most important one

Ever since the beginning a hamper has been a symbol of plenty, of abundance and of sharing.  It just doesn't make sense that you can get a hamper for say, under $100 and adequately convey that feeling of generosity and giving when you are looking at such a low price-point.  It just doesn't make the hamper look good - it does it a real disservice to be seen as something budget and affordable. 

In the olden days a hamper was a big hulking thing crammed to bursting with all sorts of condiments and treats and food - and that is the very nature of what we are trying to share with you at Hunter Valley Hampers.

So here's to a Merry Christmas and making a meaningful and generous impression with your recipients.  And from all of us at Hunter Valley Hampers - the makers, the artisans, the handmade, the providores - please enjoy our products and all the best for the season and the New Year.!!

Newcastle Gift Baskets

Fruit Hampers Sydney

Edible Arrangements and Bouquets

Gift Baskets + Gift Hampers

This weeks round up of the best of the web in relation to picnic basket and fruit bouquet suggestions showcases an article on fruit reducing your wellness risks, the strength of refrigeration educing fresh fruit spoilage and some handy tips on conserving and keeping your fresh fruit over summer.

Among the best and most powerful ideas for edible bouquets is distributing hampers for men when they are sick or ill or in the course of a healthcare facility stay. We create so many gift baskets for shipping to hospital for every event and specifically when individuals are searching for a flower alternative.

Birthday Gifts

Heart disease is the primary cause of death and disability in Australia in 2014. Each year, around 65,000 men and women suffer from heart disease and 13,000 sustain a stroke. But a new study finds that the risk of contracting cardiovascular disease could be reduced by up to 40 %, just by eating fresh fruit everyday.

I know this may not be nes to many of you, however it simply highlights the energy of the fruit basket and fresh birthday gifts when you want to send healhty gifts. It's not a big deal to send baby gift baskets made of fresh fruit to celebrate the arrival of a newborn - or in the very same breath to share your condolences and sympathy when a friend dies.

Eating fruit daily could reduce the risk of CVD by 25-40 %, according to researchers.

The fresh fruit basket study team, led by Dr. Guaidonk Duko from the College of Oxbridge in the UK, recently offered their findings at the International Community of Cardiology Congress 2014. The findings were definite in favor of edible bouquets and get well soon gifts being made of fresh fruits which eating and sharing healthy gifts makes a difference in manifesting good lifestyles.

Hampers for Men

The results of their send a basket of fruit research study came from an analysis of 351,992 people from 5 non-urban and five urban areas of Asia who were a part of the China Chinoodir Biobank - a study established to investigate genetic and environmental causes of chronic illness. It showed that fruit has a remarkable effect of restoring gift choices less difficult.

Dr. Duker notes that numerous research studies have shown that improvements in diet and lifestyle, like sharing a free shipping fruit hamper are crucial to minimizing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But she explains that the majority of these research studies have originated from Western countries, with very few from China. In China giving gift baskets and chocolate covered strawberries as thank you gifts is common.

"China has a different pattern of CVD," details Dr. Dupre, "with stroke as the main trigger compared to Western countries where ischemic heart illness is more widespread. Former studies have integrated ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, most likely due to the limited number of stroke instances in their datasets.".

Chocolate Gift Baskets
She adds that provided the variation in threat factors and physiology between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, the group was particularly curious about how fruit ingestion influenced the problem of these stroke subtypes.

The more fruit taken each day, the lower the risk of CVD - specifically when integrated with the prosperous and generous giving quality of fruit basket delivery Sydney. Truffles and chocolate bouquets may not motivate in you among the most healthy state of mind - but when balanced with edible arrangements and thank you gifts, they perform.

At the beginning of the research study, the scientists asked the people how much fresh fruit these guys ate. Fruit intake was broken down into 5 categories: never, monthly, 1-3 days a week, 4-6 days a week or so as well as daily.

Gift Baskets + Get Well Gifts

The research study displayed that eating more fruit led to low amounts of disease and more popularized feelings of wellness and health and well being. Get well gifts and fruit basket elivery is not just out the gift box - it's also concerning the pamper hamper, the get well soon gifts and the hampers for men.

Whilst our team suggest delivering fresh fruit same day for delivery, fruit basket delivery sydney is still not possible without refrigeration and cool room storage. When looking for thank you gifts and chocolate fruit baskets remember the systems made use of for free shipping and same day delivery.

A giant English superstore chain is spending $ 31 million  to hasten its fresh produce quantity with a multi-store operation to boost chilling systems, while also establishing its assembly and strategies sites. This helps supply christmas hampers and gifts for delivey acoss the UK.

A spokeswoman mentioned to www.fruitbaskets.net.au the financial investment formed part of the merchants three-point plan; speeding up, prioritizing and chilling out fresh fruit for fantastic edible arrangements.

Personalised Baby Gifts
The main aim is to extend the service life of fresh fruit for gift baskets and vegetables by keeping them cool for much longer, and decreasing waste in the process. The spokeswoman claimed that for every hour an item was un-chilled, it shed eight hours of life in the home - this is really crucial when you imagine birthday gifts for delivery.

Saving and Preserving fresh fruit for eating later.

The next fruit I freeze on a routine basis is bananas. I purchase them weekly for the household. Sometimes they consume all of them quickly and in some cases not at all. When the bananas start to get the dark areas, I don't like them. This is especially crucial when you re sending a basket for delivery. So, equally as they are, peeling and all, in the fridge these guys go. Keep in mind they will turn black in the freezer but it's only the peeling that changes color. The interior is still ideal. The bananas thaw out quickly. But bear in mind when they thaw, they aren't solid but are ideal for banana bread and smoothies.

Strawberries are simple to prepare and freeze. I just wash, pluck the, stalk, cut and drop into the fridge bag. It's a quick and straightforward method. Now I have strawberries ready anytime for smoothies or strawberry pretzel salad when requested. Strawberries are a perfect gift box addition to make your pamper hamper look just right.

Apples are a varied story for me. I tend not to chill them raw. I don't like exactly how quickly these guys become brownish. I understand lemon juice will certainly keep them from turning brown, but, in my opinion, they still turn color. I prefer to prepare them to begin with, then freeze them in my freezer bags. Take some of the many fruits in your picnic basket and freeze them.

Thank You Gifts + Picnic Basket

It takes a little longer in order to prepare and cook them, but it is worth it to have the far better apple flavor and to keep a good coloration. This pre-cooking procedure will save time later on whenever you fix an apple pie or cobbler. The pieces offruit only have to melt out and included in the recipe.

Another easy fruit is actually grapes. Just rinse and pop them in the freezer. Now you have a terrific treat and natural sugar for smoothies and also a terrific way to keep your white wine chilled without diluting it. Every fruit hamper has grapes and they are so easy to eat as a snack.

What process do you make use of to freeze fresh fruit which you have obtained in a fruit gift basket? My favorite is peaches. I love in order to open up the freezer and see a bag of peaches ready to use. These guys taste so much better fresh compared to from a tin. It is the little things that make us happy.

Seinding baby hampers and baby gift baskets is everything about fresh fruit and the varieties of fruit you get in the basket. Baby shower gift ideas are exactly perfect celebrations for sharing a fruit hamper. Keeping in mind how strongly healthy and fresh fruit is - you are in the right place for sending a great fruit basket for delivery.

Hospital Fruit Gifts

Delicious Fruit Gift Hampers

In comparison to Japanese chain store and unique providers like Senbokiyu, Australians do not value their fruit as incredibly or place such an appreciation on luxury fruit gifts.

In Japan, luxury fruit belongs to a special product category that presents almost exclusively for providers of fruit gifts. Gift fruit-- which can include grapes, cherries, peaches and pears-- is nourished in a significant way, unique from average, normal fruit. And because of this it dictates a greater cost, whether it be in a fruit hamper or not.

Gourmet Gift Hamper

"Japan is probably the only nation in the world where you have fruit as a gift concept," said Ushio Ooshima, a director at Senbikiya, whose main store in Nihonbashi alone sells 40 to 50 high-priced melons a day and as many as 200 a day in the course of the mid-year and end-year gift-giving seasons. At Senbikiya, "99 percent of the transactions here are for gift," Ooshima said.

In the historic culture of get well gift giving, a melon may be provided as a special present to an important client, a business acssociate, to a professional to whom a financial obligation of gratitude is owed, or to an ill friend as a #get-well-soon gesture. Providing a fruit gift basket in Sydney is a completely different concept - where the focus is on cost and fruit share sizes.

The exceptional prices mirror exceptional strategies used in growing the fruit basket fruits. While an ordinary melon in grocery stores rarely costs more than $5, the high-priced version, usually a variety of musk melon, is nurtured by unique growers in certain locations, of which Shizuoka prefecture and Hokkaido are two of the best known. In Australia, we are most likely to be impressed with a tantalisingly fruit bouquet or edible bloom that features fresh fruit with free delivery.

Edible Fruit Gifts

Fruit Gifts for #discerning Friends

In Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, the hospital fruit gift melons are harvested in sophisticated green houses, complete with air-conditioners that fine-tune the temperate to optimal levels day and night. Melon vines are cultivated and farmed in a soil bedding that is separated from the ground, said Tsuneo Anma, general executive secretary of a growers' association based in Fukuroi city that produces the "Crown" brand of melons. Producing 3.5 million melons each year, the agricultural cooperative is the biggest specialty-melon grower in Japan. It is no wonder that hospital fruit and sympathy fruit are popular reason for sending a get well soon fruit hamper.

The soil separation is imperative to regulate moisture levels. "The moisture uptake by the tree roots must be optimized to promote proper amount of photosynthesis," Anma said. "If fruit gifts trees are raised in the ground, the roots will grow unregulated," making water absorption difficult to control. This is another reason free delivery fruit baskets are in a completely different league to thises prized luxury fruit presents.

Growers trim the vines so that only three melons will grow on each tree. When the baby melons grow to the size of a human fist, two are chopped off to allow the most promising one to monopolize all the nourishment from the vine. That one melon is counted on to mature into the juicy, beautiful and revered $100 dollar fruit. Imagine if we were to give fresh fruit at prices like this on FruitBaskets.net. au?

How diverse does the high-priced melon taste from a commonplace one? "They are absolutely different, from the scent of it to the texture of it," said Shigeko Hoshi who lives in Tokyo and occasionally eats the expensive get well fruit when her friends and family receives one in a fruit gift basket. "The sweetness is exquisitely balanced with the sourness of it.".

Many Japanese consider the exclusive melon, like the exclusive grape, cherry or pears, to be the perfect fruit gift, set apart by its aura of high-class and added value from what is otherwise a mass-produced pure product. When we shared this image on social media via twitter and facebook, we were astounded that people would pay such an extra price for luxury fruit gifts.

Hospital Fruit Delivery

"People go, 'What a difference does a get well gift melon make,"' Ooshima said. "People ordinarily don't eat the very best for themselves. They set it aside for others as a gift hamper," which is the very spirit of Japanese gift-giving.

"Less than 1 percent of the melons we grow certify as 'fuji,"' said Anma, referring to the top grading, which combines the greatest potential for fresh fruit taste with a perfect shape and appearance. "They need to look perfectly round with the mesh-like surface pattern impeccably even.".

While melons are the most expensive luxury fruit gifts as a category, even fuji-grade melons can be out-priced by out-of-season fruits, Ooshima, of Senbikiya said. Cherries in winter, from Yamagata prefecture in northern Japan, can fetch a ¥ 50,000 price tag for just 300 grams, or 10 ounces. When we compare Australia's easy accessibility and low-cost prices for fresh fruit, it is no wonder we are amongst the highest fruit gift basket sharers in the world.

Find Stallholder Application

Becoming a Stallholder at the local Markets is all part of the stallholder application journey of getting your artisan handmade items to market.  Australian locals are particularly fond of locally sourced artisan products, whether they be jewellery, candles, soap or children's toys.  It is with great pride that we share with you some of these local products who have made their own knowledge and experience available for you to take advantage of.  Seeing how experts work is one sure way of getting right into the mode of being a productive and successful stallholder.

Best Aussie Stallholders 

Halo Soy Candles.

Halo Soy Candles use soy wax, which is a product of soya beans, as it has a better scent throw than traditional wax-- this means the wax holds the essential oil throughout the candle media and releases scent in a measured, sustained manner. Also, soy wax burns at a lower temperature than other waxes, so it is safer, and you can actually touch the melted wax without being burned. So you might see masseuses using soy wax in massage to impart aromatherapy scents.


Two of the most popular scented candles are the essential sleep blend, which was originally created for an aunt, and once presented to the market has taken off as a viable selling proposition. Another handmade scent is simply called love-- and has a distinct therapeutic value as engaging and relaxing.

Using aromatherapy blends has proven especially successful, as buyers like to see a clear benefit for themselves away from the generic features of the soy wax itself. Findhandmade.com. au likes how highlighting the benefits for your customers works out as a sales tool-- and Halo Candles have clear descriptions which aromatherapy blend works for particular states.

Floral and Spot.

Raylee has just moved into bricks and mortar retail industry-- opening an outlet as part of a handmade collective in a building once occupied by that bastion of bourgeois David Jones. And belonging of a pop-up shop scene alongside other handmade artisans selling jewellery and handmade soap is a great way to establish a more permanent brand presence. Its as though handmade is entwined with the renaissance of main street retail and is an organic fit for projects like Renew Australia re-activating empty spaces in town.

Raylee has established for herself a workspace where she can actually do work on the production of her designs in the quiet moments in between selling retail-- and it makes for great shop-theatre to see the dressmaker/designer hunched over her fabric, holding pins in her mouth. There's something reassuringly old-fashioned about watching an artisan at work and seeing pieces of fabric come to life as fashion.

Most weekends Raylee is selling dresses-- but she also has a brisk trade selling online-- with a facebook page busy with updates. In fact, Raylee uploads each item she creates to facebook so customers are able to flicker through her catalogue and make a buying decision on the go. With most of her orders though word of mouth, Floral and Spot simply sells itself with new customers asking "what are you wearing and where did you get it?".

Charlie Middleton

The Charlie Middleton line is simple, minus the bling decorations of chasing temporary trends, but instead just presenting well fashioned handmade leather goods. Ben says that using reliable materials and approaches is what people are choosing. As for getting meaningful feedback and having the ability to test new models-- it is as much a challenge to know who to pay attention to-- as it is to prevail when you are on an advantage.

Ben functions from his Bondi office weekdays and is out and about at markets most weekends-- and his workload just keeps growing. Designing handmade items like purses and tote bags takes time, and Ben's production schedule is a challenge-- some days he will sell multiple products in different colors-- then not sell the same product line for a week or so. The uncertain nature of developing handmade products on an artisan scope to meet the desires of retail sales is almost impossible to think about.

The Little Red

As Kristy has hung around at markets her merchandise offering has changed to meet what individuals are requesting. In the eight months she has worked The Little Red, Kristy began marketing cloth and fabric earrings, using brightly colored examples of fabric sourced from all over the place to make striking earrings. But as any market-goer will advise you, the jewellery industry is well and truly drenched with competitiveness and it was a side project of timber products that have sparked a lot of interest.

"Lots of other stallholders have access to these great fabrics so there was that challenge-- but also the wood items were selling well and we were getting so much encouragement from customers that it sort of naturally pulled us that way.".

The Little Red timber is sourced by Dan and together they find the patterns and shapes from all over the internet-- this is a nonstop search to find the new patterns and styles as the existing patterns become aged and customers are always wanting "new" and "different" designs. Experiments with different stains and colors and effects also add other elements and variety to the merchandises.

Art of Happiness.

"If you are in it, you are in it, no matter how much you try, or cover up or pretend it just won't work." There is a real "of course" moment immediately, as though genuine authenticity and passionate originality can not be learned, or copied or faked. You are either in or you are not. It is quite intimidating to apply this to my current project, or my own life. Very confronting and almost begs self-contemplation and that cruel reflection "do I really belong here?" And I quietly sit back as Sofan continues, sharing her observations and revealing that she is in the final stages of having the book she is writing finished and expecting publication later in 2014.

I look around and see the busy venture of stallholders and shoppers walking past with bags hanging from their arms, full of handmade products. Yes, I think I belong here. I do belong here. Sofan continues to explain her philosophy on why markets and stallholders are in revival. People are tired of the disconnect between overseas production of goods and the shopping center model of meaningless consumption once it gets here.

The move to handmade appreciation is built upon the idea "if you are a genuine creative producer it shines through, and it will be valued for a long time" instead of consume-throw-away-repeat. By producing your own product people appreciate and value it more than just another piece of plastic and this is what people at the markets are seeking-- a connection to permanence and lasting value instead of cheap disposable nothingness.

Wild Things Clay.

Being honest with your personal style does not mean being set with your actual products-- Susan moved from jewellery to homewares to meet her evolving customer profile as she moved away from online towards one-on-one at the markets.

After cutting her teeth making small jewellery pieces with a view to online selling and the realities of affordable shipping firmly in mind-- Susan found she was drifting away from what she really liked to create, as well as entering a saturated market (jewellery) filled with highly competitive, established products.

So she reset her goals and instead of making small easy to ship items, Susan moved more in to homewares and cups, plates and bowls. Selling less items but at higher prices means Susan is making the most of increased turnover, and also actually making more money for the amount of time spent working. A definite win both ways.

Find Local Markets Newcastle

Newcastle's Finest Handmade Artisans

Here are some recednt interviews we have sourced from local Newcastle business people who choose to sell their handmade and artisan products at the local markets as a stallholder.  You will be both surprised and delighted to hear their stories so generously shared here for your enjoyment.

Blackbird Artisan Sourdough

Meeting handmade artisans if never dull – and Carolyn’s enthusiasm for her product, and the handmade process is obvious – but most importantly perhaps is her overall vision of connection.  Carolyn shared the whole handmade story of her bakery and how she uses local products and freshness is a priority – but the conversation led to a deeper feeling for connection.  A connection between the end consumer and the handmade producer that has been lost by the multi-layered corporate food industry, where reducing costs is the overarching determinant above everything else.

 You can read the full story at Australia's Home of Handmade Artisans for complete information.

The Little Red

 A delightful interview to see first hand how the balance between working for yourself and starting a new family always means you will be productive creatively.

In a previous life, Kristie managed a restaurant in the vineyards region, so when her now 2 year old came along, so began the genesis of The Little Red.   Though still working a couple of days a week, Kristy is trying to manage a transition across to doing her passion fulltime.  She loves being able to do her handmade work at night, or during the day and is grateful for the child friendly work/life balance, without being overly dependent on outside support or childcare.

 You're welcome to read more stories and of course share your comments online at find handmade.

Fruit Hampers Newcastle

Setting the Standard;  Interview With Hunter Valley Hampers
OFFICIAL MEDIA RELEASE DECEMBER 2013

AFTER A HALF DOZEN Christmas Seasons as the creative designer behind Hunter Valley Hampers, Kacy has a special feeling for knowing what her buying public wants.

And when you consider her Fruit Baskets Newcastle BlogHunter Valley Hampers has sold out completely in 2011 and 2012 on a budget of zero advertising, it's no wonder she must be doing something right.  Artisan Food, Craft Beer and handmade fresh regional produce is a winning formula.

Gift Basket Delivery in Newcastle

Over coffee, we sat down and asked her secrets to making a delicious gourmet hamper and what makes Hunter Valley Hampers a trusted authority on gift baskets.

"No Pretzels," Kacy laughs, when I ask her the secret to gourmet gift baskets, "Once we stopped putting in bags of pretzels we noticed we got a different clientele."

Keeping it Real for the Peeps

The secret to Hunter Valley Hampers success over the last decade (the business has operated independently since 1988, although only recently moved to 'high end' gourmet in 2009) is offering quality product regardless of the price.

"People are willing to pay for quality product," Kacy explains, showing a jar of tunisian spiced pickle made locally, "and so long as they know you are backing the product up with a meaningful purpose, place and personality; they will pay a premium price."

"We see competitors offering plastic poinsettia flowers and questionable "gourmet" products like john west smoked oysters - these things just don't meet what our clients expect in a regional gourmet hamper," Kacy offered as a reason for the loyal customer base at Hunter Valley Hampers.  "It's really quite embarrassing to turn up at a corporate tower in Sydney and expect the executives to accept a hamper filled with this sort of stuff - I can see why people keep coming back to us.  We keep our hampers understated and let the real food do all the talking."

Making meaningful Connections with the Community

Things are looking great this Christmas, but I feel the moment of truth for any Christmas Gift Basket is the minutes after arriving home when the hamper box is sitting by your front door.  You place the box on the kitchen counter and open it to reveal a wicker basket filled with clinking jars, bottles, pouches and pudding - all presentation packed under crisp cellophane and ready for display under the Christmas Tree in time for the big day. 

An authentic artisan hamper for a genuine, homestyle Christmas Day.  Merry Christmas, and Give Yourself the Gift of a Joyous Sharing Christmas with real friends and valued family members.

Fresh Fruit Gift Baskets sent to hospital or home

Being grateful and sharing your thanks makes life a richer experience

Newcastle is a dirty, post industrial city - ask anyone who hasn't been there...

Answering the question about highly regarded and personally recommended gifts to say get well, celebrate a new baby, enjoy a christening and alternatively, remember a friend at a funeral or bereavement is a good suggestion.  So what would we recommend for a local designer to share a fruit basket around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie?  Certainly, our impartiality may be blurred by the fact that we have been working behind the counter at a trusted, established fruit hamper and gift basket retailer with a twenty year history in the Hunter Region.

Adamstown    Adamstown Heights    Bar Beach    Beresfield    Birmingham Gardens    Broadmeadow    Callaghan (University)    Carrington    Cooks Hill    Elermore Vale    Fletcher    Georgetown

For starters, be certain the person you are ordering the fruit basket from will actually be making it and delivering it for you.  It is simply not good enough to let an affiliate sales agent take your order and skim nearly 20% off your order price only to send the order to a fruit basket specialist closer to where the order is to be delivered.  Just think - you wouldn't go to a restaurant and order a meal and then have the waiter run out the door and on sell your order to another kitchen - would you?

This kind of affiliate marketing is rife in the florist industry and has penetrated the hamper industry to some extent.  It means that you can place your order with one local Newcastle company and then have some other mob deliver your order that you have no connection with.

Newcastle Local Websites

In 2013, if you aren't online you are missing a vital cog of your marketing and exposure.  Without changing any of your existing business practice - simply adding an effective brochure-style website would at the bare minimum give searchers something at least to find and discover about your business.

Just think of it as a 24/7 advert diverting enquiries to your business - or maybe without it you have nothing heading to your business.  At Organic Digital I have run my own business for 8 years before I started building websites that work for people who want results.  It might not be about jargon and corporate invoices for you - and it isn't for me either.

Here's 10 more reasons why you should start doing business online right now.
1. New economy.

Internet has created a new economy, which by its explosive growth and sheer size already changed our perception of traditional way of doing business.

Companies like Amazon and Ebay have successfully created domination on areas, where just few years ago traditional brick-and-mortar companies were kings.

But, in order to be successful on the net, you don’t have to be a giant like them.  In fact, now it's all about being found in local search - which means a local presence in Newcastle is more powerful and important than ever.

Many small and mid-size companies managed to build online businesses without fancy corporate web design companies or their ridiculous pricing systems. 

Right now, studies show small and mid-size companies will be the main growth force of e-commerce in 2013 going forward.


2. Internet is a perfect venue for business.

In order to make a sale you need visitors to physically walk to your shop, or track down your number.

On the Internet, your shop is a click away from your next customer.

With Organic Digital your Internet storefront can be another pillar holding up your brick and mortar shop.

Newcastle Fruit Hamper Delivery Service

Creating Great Memories

In the day to day bustle of life, where saving money is often given too high a priority, giving a Fruit Hamper offers validation, and a gesture of meaningful connection that is remembered.

Too often we pause to think that it would be “nice to” send a gift, but when it comes to picking up the phone and making the call with delivery details, we find ourselves just not that emotionally available.

Becoming Someone Who is Appreciative and Gracious

We all strive for self improvement and as the sales of self help books attest, the social appetite for becoming a better person is insatiable.

Demonstrating your own willingness to give, share and take the real life opportunity to connect in a caring a positive way is the first step toward a fulfilling this lifestyle goal.

Isn’t it time you shared a Fresh Fruit Basket?

Get Well Fruit Baskets

 Meeting a handmade fruit hamper filled with the freshest of seasonal fruit delivered right to your bedside is one sure way to bring a smile to a sick relative's face.
Share the luscious joy of real market fresh fruit from the boys at Newcastle Regional Fruit Markets, with the special designer flair of the team behind such household names as fruithampers.info, newcastlefruitbasket.com and of course, the flagship Hunter Valley Hampers.

Make the most of Newcastle Website Design while it is still cheap.

Sending a Get Well Fruit Basket to the John Hunter Hospital is the ideal way to make your feelings present whilst your friend recovers in hospital.

Unique Website Architecture for Your Brand

When making the decision to choose a platform for your website, it is important that you are making an informed choice.  There are different platforms for differnet uses and getting the optimum performance for your website as matched to how you intend to use the website is key.  Content Management Systems are great for large, updated sites with changing content, just as other simpler CMS work for smaller catalogue style websites.

It is important your web designer gives you more than a single platform to choose from when you are having a website built.  Using an obscure CMS no one else is willing to edit is just as frustrating as a fully featured overkill where you have too many widgets and plug ins.  So honest, open communication and a realistic expectation of what you will be using the website for is important.

At Newcastle Web Designers we work just as well across a range of content management systems and are able to recommend a solution to meet your specific needs.  And importantly, we build your site with full access for you or if you should choose to get another website designer to contribute, the CMS is an industry standard that is most people can work with.

Ideally, we offer a great initial set up with as many revisions as it takes to get your look and feel right, plus, we can advise you on some sensible add-ons to improve visitor interest and make your site stand out from the competition.  Without being over the top with excessive prettiness or flashing buttons and gimmicks.

Choose a local website designer in Newcastle.

Need a New Website

Once you have your new website up and online with Organic Digital, the next step is to promote your website.  In a competitive environment where people are adding new websites by the thousand every day, standing out from the crowd is not simple.  So having a great, fully featured website is simply not enough when you are getting no traffic (visitors to your website).

Firstly, website promotion is categorized into online and offline  - online is using web methods and offline is having your web address and a compelling call to action on your vehicle, on business cards and actively promoting your website by face to face networking.  Organic Digital can help with ongoing support and assistance with online marketing.

Second, the fastest way to appear on page one of the search results is through paid search – or buying pay-per-click advertising through a search provider like Google.  However, this is expensive and beyond the scope of most small business as your paid account balance dwindles with every click from a visitor, whether they make a purchase or not.  At Newcastle Organic Digital, we focus on the organic search results (hence our name) and this is called the “real” results below the ads at the top of each search results page.

Search Engine Optimisation

Once you have your established website it is time to focus on the number of visitors to your site, and more importantly, converting these visitors into paying customers. 

There are several tried and tested methods of improving your page ranking for your carefully researched keywords, and consistent, thorough application of these methods will invariably result in an upward score on the rankings. 

But it is time consuming and fraught with the potential to actually harm your success - so a scatter-gun, fragmented approach might not be the best option.  Using the latest applied methods to drill down into the results for your own benefit is the most effective, proven technique.

On Page Optimization

How much information you include in your website should be determined by the amount of information required for the website visitor to make an informed decision and take action.

If you are selling a simple thing like scarves, you mightn't need a 12 page category rich catalogue - there is only so much you can say about your scarves.  Plus, after a visitor sees your work they will be either converted to a sale or bounce from your site.  You'll probably be perfectly suited to a three page site with plenty of images of your work and maybe three tightly written articles about you, your products and your vision.

On the other hand complex machinery or lengthy educational courses might offer a lot more detail and specifications.  This starts as a brochure but has many sub pages and categories highlighting the features and operation of the machinery.  Interactivity like video and interview testimonials would be genuinely worthwhile and not just showy add-ons.

The website should reflect the business in look and feel as much as the actual product or service being sold.

internal pages and deep links

Promoting Internal Pages and Deep Links

A well designed home page of your website should intuitively lead visitors towards where they want to go within the site.  Over time, visitors will prefer certain internal pages to others, with the dominant deep links becoming search result worthy standalone.  This is where the internal pages of your site also become destinations in their own right. 

Give Visitors what they expect - to drill down into the content to find sub-niches, topics of interest and other relevant content that is worth investigating – including outbound links to authority sites.
By spending your limited online marketing budget reaching out to like minded individuals who value the content you have surrounded your website with (like blogs, social media, domain name match sites). 

Capturing the attention of the online reader is important when too many articles are awash with meaningless drivel.  This means there is a genuine opportunity for fresh content-driven copy writing for niche specific articles.  Newcastle Digital offers a comprehensive hand written article service.

The effort saved by targeting your search engine optimisation efforts to three or twelve key article topics, and then promoting them across the web as stand alone pages of interest, will generate a handsome legacy of linkjuice for your primary site.  SEO can be done in two week campaigns for $1000 – this gets you one the front page for your keywords.

For many enthused creatives, SEO starts a lifelong journey of research, entrepreneurship and personal development.  For others it is a drudge.  I love it and will deliver on what I offer.

 HVH20HVN to get your discount.

Website Designer Newcastle

 Well, if you have more and more links to your site it appears to the search engines (like Google and Yahoo and Bing) that your site is popular and carries some weight in its’ particular niche,

because it is offering something that is not available elsewhere (ie your unique handmade products).  So stick to what you do best and don’t try to be everything to everyone, as your website will get lost in the cloud of mediocrity.

http://www.newcastledigital.com.au/1/post/2013/02/popular-niche-listing.html

Small Business Websites

IN the online marketplace, people are looking for a business that offers a saving, service or specialty that they cannot find elsewhere.  If you offer a product or service that is widely available, you will find the competition for your search terms or keywords very competitive.  It is quite likely that your new website from Organic Digital will be just one of hundreds across Australia and possibly of dozens across Newcastle and the Hunter Region.

So how do we attract online customers to your website when it is brand new amongst a plethora of established competition?  And how can we give it a nudge along so that it moves closer to the first page of the search results, which is where something like 98% of all buying decisions are made?  The first step is to target local search, so you are found within the local area by customers who are likely to use you – the low hanging fruit.

Once we have some traction with local search, we expand our horizon to take in regional and statewide geographic locations so we can compete with out of area business – and from then on you will be in the national marketplace.  It may sound ambitious, but it is not beyond the scope of Organic Digital to have your new website competing strongly in the Australian search results within 12 months.

Taking advantage of a positive Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy can work wonders for a small business website.  If you have an existing site that has never been optimized, the results can be quite dramatic in the short term.  At Organic Digital, we are passionate and enthusiastic about SEO and gaining momentum in the search engine rankings is a source of real pride for the team.  Plus, it means more traffic and visitors to your site and at the end of the day, more sales and money in your pocket!