We love celebrating the incredible talents of the many Canadian-made and Canadian-designed brands that are available at Bradshaws! In this post, we’ll be featuring our favourite items that are perfect for gifting, summer trips to the cottage, picnics, cocktailing and decorating your home.
BEST GIFTS
MADE IN STRATFORD
Easy choices! When we order from Moss Berry Farm Jam or Sobrii Zero Alcohol Spirits, we know they will deliver FAST because they are made right here in Stratford, Ontario!
Located in the heart of South-Western Ontario, Moss Berry Farm has been providing great tasting foods since 1972, when Joe and Brede brought their young Irish family to Stratford and opened the first pick-your-own strawberry farm in the area.
Always dynamic and responding to changing customer demands, Moss Berry Farm evolved to become a leading supplier of hand-crafted Canadian-made preserves to discerning customers.
Spread flavourful Moss Berry Farm jam on toast, or dollop on top of your morning yogurt bowl… Moss Berry Farm makes the perfect gift when travelling and you need to take along something special from Canada.
Sobrii started in 2017, after founder Bob Huitema was looking for a way to enjoy great-tasting cocktails without the consequences of alcohol. Not being able to find what he wanted, he decided to make it instead. Growing up on a farm near Stratford, Ontario, and spending many years in Toronto working in the food and beverage industry, Bob drew on his experience and began the journey to create Sobrii 0-Gin, Canada’s first distilled non-alcoholic gin.
Today, Sobrii 0-Gin and Sobrii 0-Tequila are distilled in small batches at a Stratford craft distillery. It uses quality natural ingredients, including Canadian Ginseng from Ontario, and has no artificial flavours, sugars, sweeteners or calories. Single served Søbrii Zero G&T make packing for the beach or picnic totally seamless.
Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers is proudly made in Canada using the best ingredients grown in the fertile Niagara peninsula. Founded in 2012, Dillon’s is passionate about crafting honest spirits and in turn crafting honest, spirit-and-ingredient forward cocktails. Check out our bar section at Bradshaws to find the full assortment of Dillon’s Bitters as well as Dillon’s Grenadine, Simple Syrup, Tonic and other naturally crafted cocktail mixes.
Jocelyne first introduced Rain Goose Textiles to the public in 2002 at the One of a Kind Show in Toronto. With a desire to transform colourful textile design into functional home products, she has set out to source the finest quality fabrics and create unique and fun motifs that flow with the fabric mediums and product shapes she chooses. Rain Goose products are functional and modern with a simplicity and boldness in design that makes them timeless and lasting home accessories. Traveling abroad? This is one of the easiest Canadian gifts to bring to your host in another country. Always well loved by our customers!
We loved finding this new Canadian line from Montreal when we were at the last Toronto Gift Show. DFL Verre is a young company that aims to produce beautifully designed objets that will satisfy epicureans as well as lovers of design. Their handmade glass collection comprises a lovely salt cellar with walnut lid, a maple syrup bottle, a water/wine carafe with matching glasses and an oil or vinegar pouring bottle. Each item in the collection will make you want to leave it out on display on your kitchen counter or dining room table. Handcrafted in Quebec, Canada, DFL Verre pays particular attention to detail, using traditional techniques and craftsmanship to create items of the highest quality that combine functionality and design. The perfect gift for anyone who is really into cooking!
Trevor Ewert from Once Upon a Tree is best-known for his cherry or walnut charcuterie boards as well as his turned maple, walnut or burl bowls. Did you know that Trevor also crafts 18th Century replica violin bows for classical musicians around the world? His beautiful creations are a customer favourite and are made very close to Stratford, Ontario!
SaltSpring Kitchen Co. offers hand-made savoury, spicy and sweet jams for pairing with cheese and charcuterie. They started sharing the creations made in their home kitchen at Salt Spring Island Saturday Market in 2012, and found a loyal following immediately. Bit by Bit, their little jam company grew until they moved it out of their home and into a commercial jam kitchen. Since then, they’ve been able to share their love of canning with jam and sauce aficionados across the country.
Learn more about using their preserves to make delicious cocktails here!
Niki Kingsmills is a professionally trained artist with a double major in Studio Art and Art History from Concordia University in Montreal.
After graduating University, Niki struggled to find a job in the art world. She was forced to seek employment in financial services, and worked for 4 years in misery.
Determined to get her creativity back, she began painting every day for a full year in addition to working at her regular full time job. That year was an explosion of creativity. At the end of the year, Niki left her finance job and hasn’t looked back since.
Niki now works from her home studio in Carlisle, ON. Niki and her husband, Jordan, also own and operate The Carlisle Cider Co. as well as Lost Vineyards, a winery based in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Restaurant industry lifer from Toronto, Alysa calls Bayfield, Ontario (a village on the shores of Lake Huron) home. Her family are the former owners of the beloved The Black Dog Village Pub & Bistro. Alysa created Bayfield Provisions – slow roasted small batch artisanal granola that will have you addicted in no-time. This line is obviously perfect to top your morning yogurt, but also makes the best kitchen hack when used as a topper for any fruit crumble dessert. Try it, you’ll like it! If you’re heading up to a cottage this summer, bring Bayfield Provisions and the above mentioned Moss Berry Farms as an easy and well-liked gift for the host!
Maison Zoe Ford is a Montreal based food company with a passion to feed you well. Her ultimate goal is for you to enjoy baking and cooking by creating exceptional results at home; to allow you to truly sit back and enjoy something delicious.
Hands-down, our Bradshaws TOP PICK: Zoe Ford Big Time Brownies… They were deemed the best brownies by the judges on Top Chef Canada Season 8! We couldn’t agree more.
Second favourite, Maison Zoe Ford Carroty Cake Mix. Makes not one but two batches and is incredibly rich and (kinda) healthy with all those grated carrots!
Based in Montreal, Kanel Spices is led by a small team of food-loving female entrepreneurs. They wanted to build a company they could believe in – innovative and ambitious, but also flexible, encouraging and family-friendly. They’re passionate about sustainability and believe food has the power to bring people together – and should be crazy delicious when it does.
Bradshaws favourites include: 1. Kanel Montreal Bagel Spice A lightly toasted seasoning with white and black sesame seeds, poppy and flax seeds, zesty onion and garlic.
2. Kanel Quebec Maple Smoked Salt
This sweet and smoky salt blend is Kanel’s ode to the cabane à sucre – that spring thaw tradition when woodsmoke mingles with maple sap in the snowy backwoods of Quebec. With pure maple sugar, naturally smoked sea salt, and a hint of roasted garlic and onion, this comforting blend breathes new life into grilled and roasted meats, poultry and root vegetables.
Creating timeless jewelry with a global perspective, Dean Davidson is known for careful craftsmanship, hand-cut gemstones, and a signature brushed finish. Rooted in Canada and inspired by world travels, the brand’s story is as remarkable as the designs themselves.
Dean spent his early life on Canada’s vast farmland, surrounded by natural beauty and gifted the freedom to explore. Straying from the norm to follow his innate creativity and knack for entrepreneurship, Dean shifted from a career in agriculture to founding his own jewelry brand. This choice would lead him to travel the globe and adorn prominent figures in his designs.
Dean Davidson jewelry is constructed with passion and attention to detail. Every piece is meticulously handcrafted and made from the highest quality materials, with a warranty that promises a lifetime of wear.
Dean Davidson’s Tiger Eye Collection is at Bradshaws now! Come and check out his newest jewelry drop!
Based in Toronto, Canada, Umbra (Latin for “shade”), has become a global leader in product design and currently distributes in over 120 countries across the world with offices in Europe, Canada, the United States, Brazil, and China.
Umbra was born out of passion for original design and the desire to create products for every home. At Umbra, their team of international designers brings thought and creativity into everyday items. Driven by innovation, they pull inspiration from the global marketplace in order to push boundaries in their approach to original design.
Bradshaws is proud to have won UMBRA’s Retail Partner of the year award and was able to visit the design department in Toronto as well as have dinner at the ROM with founders Les and Paul. We are pleased to have an UMBRA Shop-in-Shop at Bradshaws, carrying their home décor and kitchenware products for you to enjoy.
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