Gift guide
Gifts for Colombians: what to send mom, your partner, a friend or the whole family
The short answer. If you're looking for a gift for a Colombian living in the U.S., send them the mecato they grew up with, the original brands. Mecato is what Colombians call snacks and sweets: Jet bars, Chocoramo by Ramo, Bon Bon Bum by Colombina, bocadillo. We pack four Colombian gift boxes by hand in Miami, from $32 to $56 plus shipping, with a free printed message, to the 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C.
Here's which box goes with whom.
The four boxes
A gift for a Colombian mom
Our pick: El Desayuno de la Abuela (Grandma's Breakfast), $52 + shipping.
Colombian moms show love with food. This box is breakfast the way she made it: Chocolate Corona frothed with a wooden molinillo, pandebono mix, Café Sello Rojo for the morning tinto (black coffee) and bocadillo to eat with cheese. It comes with grandma's recipe. Write «Pa' mi viejita» on the lid in vinyl ($5) and the call that week will be long.
If the whole family will be at her house, La Chiva (48 pieces, $44) feeds more people.
Colombian gifts for her
Our pick: El Desayuno de la Abuela for the one who loves a slow breakfast; La Chiva for the one with a sweet tooth.
For a sister, a friend or a tía, a good gift says «I remember what you like». La Chiva brings a bit of the whole country: Jet, Chocoramos, Bon Bon Bum, achiras from Huila and coconut panelita.
Colombian gifts for him
Our pick: La Chiva, $44 + shipping.
Men are easy: give him 48 pieces of mecato and stand back. La Chiva has the Jumbo bar, Manimoto, 6 Barriletes, 4 Supercoco and a torta negra (wine-soaked fruitcake). If he's the nostalgic type who still talks about recess, La Lonchera ($32) is the school candy, exactly as he remembers it.
For a Colombian girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or husband
Our pick: La Chiva, $44 + shipping.
If you're not Colombian, this is the gift that gets you points. Your partner will open the box and tell you the story behind every candy: the Chocoramo from the school tienda, the Bon Bon Bum lollipop, the bocadillo (guava paste) wrapped in leaf. You write the message (free, up to 150 characters) and we tie the box with twine. For example: «So you can taste what I ate as a kid. I love you.»
Smaller budget? La Lonchera, 29 pieces, $32.
A Colombian Christmas gift
Our pick: La Navideña, $56 + shipping.
Colombian Christmas starts on December 7 with the Día de las Velitas (a night of candles in every doorway) and peaks with the novena: nine nights, December 16 to 24, of prayers, carols and buñuelos (fried cheese-dough balls) with natilla (a soft Christmas custard). La Navideña is the only box with buñuelo and natilla mixes, plus Chocolate Corona, a molinillo, two tortas negras and the candy of the season. It brings a pocket novena booklet, so you can pray it even in Kissimmee.
Order by these dates for it to arrive before the novena (December 16): Florida and the South before December 9, Northeast, Midwest & Texas before December 8, the West before December 7. For Christmas Eve: Florida and the South before December 17, Northeast, Midwest & Texas before December 16, the West before December 15. Estimates by ground; in December the mail slows down.
Just because, or «te extraño» (I miss you)
Our pick: La Lonchera, $32 + shipping.
For a friend, a cousin, a brother who also left. It's the candy from school: Jet, Chocoramo, Bon Bon Bum, Barriletes, bocadillo. Our suggested message: «I miss you a ton. Until we see each other, eat this slowly.» The squashed sandwich doesn't come with it.
How it works
Choose the box (everything inside is listed), write your free message and we pack it by hand in Miami. It leaves in 1 to 2 business days by ground.
Shipping is charged separately, depending on the state: for one box, from $9.50 (La Lonchera to Florida) to $22 (La Navideña to the West).
With everything inside and shipping to your state on each box's page.
FAQ
What do you give a Colombian who has everything?
The candy they ate as kids, which the store down the street doesn't have. Add their name in vinyl on the lid ($5, up to 24 letters).
Where can I buy Colombian snacks online in the U.S.?
Here: our four boxes of Colombian candy and snacks are packed in Miami and ship to the 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C. We don't ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or APO/FPO addresses yet.
Is there a Colombian candy box with Bon Bon Bum and Chocoramo?
All four have Colombian sweets; Bon Bon Bum and Chocoramo come in La Lonchera, La Chiva and La Navideña.
Do any boxes contain alcohol?
La Navideña and La Chiva include torta negra, a fruitcake soaked in wine. La Lonchera and El Desayuno de la Abuela don't.
Can I send it directly to the person?
Yes. At checkout you enter the address of whoever receives it, and your message goes printed inside.