There’s no better time of year to rally around and buy local than right now. When you choose to ‘Buy SA. For SA.’ for Christmas presents, you're not just buying a gift – you're investing in the livelihood of your neighbours, the dreams of small entrepreneurs, and the future of our state’s economy.

Gifts from the heart

Let's be honest, those cookie-cutter gifts from mega stores are so soulless. Shopping local means your gifts have stories, heart, and a sprinkle of our unique South Australian magic. This Christmas, ditch the usual commercial giants and choose to support South Australians. Trust us, your giftees will feel the love.

To make it easy, we’ve even done the hard work for you. Here’s a list of gifts for every kind of person in your life – all made in South Australia. Just click on the links and get shopping – cheers to making every pressie this year count!

For the woman you want to spoil

You can’t go wrong with a gorgeous gift from Maine Beach. All its luxe body care, hair care and home fragrances are locally created and produced, showcasing unique SA ingredients. While the packaging and products are bougie, the prices aren’t, so it’s also a great pick if your budget is tight. We love the Riverland Orange and KI Ligurian Honey Essentials packs. For more SA beauty and fragrance gifts, check out al.ive, Organic Ministry, Southern Providore and Botanic Enve.

For the man you want to spoil

Launched in an Adelaide shed by three mates in 2017, Never Never Distilling Co’s innovative approach to gin-making means it’s already risen to become Australia’s most highly-awarded gin distillery. Choose their signature Triple Juniper Gin for a present he’ll love. This gin has been judged best in the world, which is good enough for us, but if you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about, its flavour profile “combines three different distillation processes, each uncovering the bright and earthy qualities of juniper”. Fleurieu Gin and Heaps Good Spirits also have a great range of local spirits.

For the female relative who’s hard to buy for

What’s not to love about a candle called “Lobethal in Figgy Pudding”? This limited edition beauty is our pick from Etikette Candles, and it really does what it says on the tin: This candle “smells like coming home”. We can’t get enough of its warm Christmas aroma of spices, sweet orange, almond and clove. All Etikette candles are lovingly and sustainably made by hand in the Adelaide Hills – but they still manage to cost less than the ones from the big US brands. Coorong Candle Co also sells a divine-smelling range of candles.

For the male relative who’s hard to buy for

When in doubt, buy him craft beer. Or a cool-looking football. Or both at Oztalia – a South Australian business which combines the best of Italian traditions with local ingredients to create uniquely “Oztalian” wine, preserves, honey and limoncello – plus that crisp Italian lager your uncle will love.

For the kids

Each festive season since 1925, Perryman's of North Adelaide bakes a huge batch of the cutest little gingerbread babies. These sweet treats come ready for gifting in Christmas boxes – and we guarantee they’ll be a hit with the kids. The secret to their deliciousness is the traditional German Perryman family recipe – passed down in secret from generation to generation for the past 80 years. For more sweet treats, head to Baylies Epicurean Delights.

For the Christmas host or hostess

When you don’t want to arrive empty handed but you don’t have time to bake, Ditters Nuts have got your back. Their Christmas gift trays come pre-wrapped, with options ranging from dark chocolate almonds to Australian stone fruit. Our pick is the festive Christmas gift bag, filled with three of their biggest crowd pleasers: salted cashews, milk scorched almonds and apricot delight. Continental Taralli Biscuits’ sells a range of gourmet biscuits that are also perfect as hostess gifts.

For the interstate relatives

When you can’t see them in person and a video call isn’t enough, Unseasoned Greetings’s card sending service is the perfect way to give them a tangible “Merry Christmas” from afar. Unseasoned Greeting’s Adelaide-themed Christmas cards are witty, playful and uniquely South Australian. You’ll want to stock up on cards for everyone in your life while you’re on the website.

For the wine connoisseur

Munda Wines crafts premium wines informed by a deep connection to munda, the Wirangu and Kokatha word for the land where the grapes are sourced. For the wine lover in your life, a bottle of the Munda Ngadjuri and Peramangk Country 2021 Grenache will definitely hit the spot. It boasts multi-layered aromas of raspberry, dried cherries, lifted spices and rhubarb, and even comes in a magnum size if you feel like splashing out! For the wine lover who prefers their drinks non-alcoholic, head to POLKA.

For the sweet tooth

Bracegirdles is Australia’s most awarded artisan chocolatier. All its chocolates are handmade and look absolutely stunning as gifts. They’re not terribly pricey, either, with a whole lot of gorgeous Christmas-themed gifts on offer for under $20. But if you want a gift to really impress a serious sweet tooth, then our pick is the 32-piece Christmas collection. It’s a box mixing traditional favourites with new festive flavours – and all of them look (almost!) too beautiful to eat. Kytons Bakery is also a great place to find sweet gifts – its Christmas range includes biscuits, cakes, puddings and hampers.

For the friend who loves a cocktail (or mocktail!)

We all have that friend (or relative) who’s very proud of the stocked bar cart in their lounge room. For them there’s only one place to go for gifts: Peel & Tonic. This business is on a mission to make ordinary mixers and cocktails extraordinary with its handcrafted garnishes. We recommend the Citrus Circus Glass Jar – it won’t just add a perfect final touch to the drinks, but it’ll also look amazing on your friend’s bar cart!

For the art lover

Pwerle gallery is an Aboriginal family-owned company, representing family members from the Atnwengerrp community. With works by around 30 artists, it’s a gallery creating an exciting next generation of contemporary Aboriginal art; selling original artwork pieces, prints and rugs. The right gift of art is a very personal choice, but a good place to start is the recent “Blooming” collection, featuring the work of four generations.  Another inspiring place to shop is the website of Kath Moore, a Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna artist, telling the stories of the Ngarrindjeri people through her art.

For the beauty queen

Amplified Beauty Australia is an Aboriginal-owned luxury cosmetics company, making divinely-packaged liquid-to-matte lipsticks. Not only is the lipstick formula non-drying, kiss-proof and water-proof, but it’s also cruelty-free and vegan. Choose from natural, bold and rich colours that cater to beauty queens of all skin tones – and can even double up as blush and cream eye shadow.

For the foodie

Since 1839, six generations of the Beerenberg family have lived on the same farm in Hahndorf, running this 100 per cent family-owned company. Today, all its famous jams, chutneys, gourmet relishes and sauces are still homemade in the Adelaide Hills. Its Christmas collection includes the “Tastes like Christmas” gift pack - a gift box full of Boxing Day chutney, cranberry sauce, merry berry jam and “fig and pomegranate for cheese”. Other uniquely SA foodie gifts can be found at Grunds Gourmet, Bickfords and Flinders Food Co.

For the home chef

The Limestone Coast is an ideal place to grow olives and Pendleton Olive Estate is an olive-growing – and olive oil making – institution. That makes it the perfect place to shop for people who take their cooking seriously. Their Gourmet Gift Box is the ideal present for every home chef, with three kinds of premium olive oil, two different vinegars, dukkah and a glass olive oil pourer. You’ll also find great presents for the home chef at Woolmore's Fine Foods, Australian Native Food Co and Pure Origins Honey.

For your Kris Kringle

Since 1850, Menz has been making life sweet for South Australians. So when it comes to buying your Kris Kringle this Christmas, they’ve got you sorted. Among their delicious range of affordable gifts this silly season is the FruChocs FruPop Art Gift: for under eight dollars, you’ll get a bag filled with FruChocs and featuring exclusive art by Adelaide illustrator Casey C – you can even choose from eight different designs.

For the person who has everything

For the person who’s already bought all the stuff, there’s only one present worth giving at Christmas: An unforgettable experience. Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari offers gift cards for its ultimate wildlife adventure, where you can snorkel with seals and swim with dolphins in the wild. Make the experience even more special by booking in to swim with the giftee – after all, spending time with someone you love really is the best present. Port River Cruises and Bookabee Tours Australia also offer unique tours in Adelaide and beyond.

About Brand SA’s Buy SA. For SA. campaign

Brand SA’s ‘Buy SA. For SA.’ campaign aims to get us to switch at least $1 in every $20 we spend on shopping away from interstate and overseas products to local goods made right here in SA. It might not sound like a lot, but if we all get behind the campaign, it will provide hundreds of millions of dollars more for South Aussie producers and businesses. Plus buying local is a great way to help the environment, reducing the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions from transporting goods to SA from the other side of the world. Here’s everything you need to know!

This story originally appeared on The Post - a media partnership between the Government of South Australia and Solstice Media to inform young South Australians about the policies that underpin issues affecting their lives.