Welcome to our Products We Love series, where we feature one of our favorite product vendors. All of our products are chosen for their uniqueness and quality. Many of them are from small businesses with a passion for what they do and a genuine belief in the product they create. Some of our products are well recognized brands and some are up and coming. They are all products we would absolutely give to our own family and friends. So you can trust that all of the products in our gift baskets are superior quality!

When it comes to food, most people have a penchant for sweet or salty. If you could have only one food on a deserted island, which would you choose? For me, it’s salty. Sometimes I think I could live on chips and dip. We grew up with a favorite French onion dip recipe that my parents made for every holiday and special occasion. It was our staple and we still love it today!

So naturally, when I first found Country Home Creations with their large variety of flavored dip mixes, I was in a little bit of heaven. I tasted many flavors and it was tough to choose one over the other. They were all so tasty and fresh. I started adding a couple of their dips to my BBQ gift baskets, and a couple others to my housewarming gift baskets. And it isn’t just dips they make so well, there’s a delicious summertime lemonade mix that fit perfectly in my gardening gift basket, along with a veggie dip and a fruit dip. The perfect mix for the gardener!

While the delicious flavor is reason enough to love Country Home Creations, they are also all natural and have many gluten free options. They also offer a variety of recipes so their mixes can be used in ways other than just a snack dip. I recently interviewed Andrea Calvert about their unique products, how they got started, and what keeps them going strong.

How did Country Home Creations come to be?

Shirley Kautman-Jones started Country Home Creations in 1980 in response to coworker requests for her delicious and easy recipes. She took her savings and went to the Eastern Market in Detroit and started mixing spices and distributing them with recipes to her friends, and subsequently began selling them at church bazaars and craft shows.

Country Home Creations has since moved from a basement operation to a 10,000+ square foot facility that employs more than 20 people.

Why are you passionate about your product?

What sets Country Home Creations apart is that we haven’t forgotten about the things that made us successful in the first place: quality gourmet mixes that bring our customers together for a home-cooked meal. Our products can be found at thousands of retailers across the country and internationally, but we still create our mixes the old-fashioned way - by hand - using premium quality ingredients like herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables. Plus, our commitment to customer service is top priority.

Our employees hand package every item at our location. Many have been with Shirley for years, and feel invested in the success of the business and its customers. Our products can help people make meals easily, without having to order out or buy pre-packaged foods that are low in nutritional value.

We also take tremendous pride in our wholesalers and their success with our product. Country Home Creations’ products can be found at Apple Orchards, Craft Stores, Farmer’s Markets, and “mom and pop” stores all over the country, and we love helping small-town, local businesses succeed.

What are your customers saying about you/your product?

Our customers love the flavors in our dips, the ease of no-can pickling and flavorful cooking, and the fact that our products are made with the highest-quality ingredients. You don’t have to be a professional chef to make satisfying meals for your family, or mix up delicious dips and appetizers for the party you’re going to attend. The most common review is, "yum!" We also hear dip mixes are a great gift idea year-round!

Thank you, Andrea, for sharing Country Home Creations’ great story with us.

You can find Country Home Creations in our Housewarming Gift Baskets, Gardeners’ Essentials Gift Basket, and our BBQ Gift Baskets.