Original corporate gifts: how to choose a gift that clients and staff remember
In December desks fill up with packages that all look alike. The panettone, the bottle of wine, the hamper with a bit of everything inside. They get opened, acknowledged with a polite email, and forgotten before January.
And yet a corporate gift is one of the few moments of the year when a company truly enters the home of a client or a team member. Not as an invoice, not as an email, but as something to touch and to taste. What arrives in that package says more about you than many presentations.
A corporate gift is not judged when it is opened. It is judged the third time you use it, and remember who sent it.
Why a corporate gift speaks for your company
Anyone who receives a gift from work always asks the same question, even without meaning to: how much thought went into it? A generic item answers «not much», even if it cost a lot. A chosen item, with a precise origin and a reason to be there, answers «enough to know me».
That is why a corporate gift is not an expense to sign off in a hurry. It is a small act of communication: it tells people what you consider quality, what you consider care, and how much the relationship with that person matters.
The three things a corporate gift must do
- Be used. A gift that ends up in a drawer works for nobody. Better something that becomes part of everyday life.
- Be recognizable. It must stand out from the other ten packages of the season, for its contents before its packaging.
- Have a story. Where it comes from, who makes it, why it was chosen. The story is what makes people remember the sender.
What makes a corporate gift original
Original does not mean strange. An unusual gadget gets noticed for a minute and then becomes a storage problem. The original corporate gifts that work almost always share the same features.
- Quality you can verify. A product with a producer, a place, a date, perhaps an award from a guide. Whoever receives it can look it up and find out it is worth it.
- It gets used up, but leaves a memory. Food gifts are the most appreciated for exactly this reason: they take up no space, they get shared, and a taste is remembered more than an object.
- It is well judged. Not too much, which causes embarrassment, nor too little, which looks like an obligation. The right value depends on the relationship, not on the price list.
- It is consistent with the sender. A company that talks about quality and then gives an anonymous product contradicts itself.
Gifts for clients, for staff, for partners
The right question is not «what shall we give this year», but «to whom». Clients, staff and partners do not expect the same thing, and one identical gift for everyone is the fastest way to please nobody.
Christmas gifts for clients
For a client, the gift is a thank-you and, at the same time, a reminder. It works when it is elegant without being excessive and when the person receiving it can share it, with family or at the office. Packaging matters here, but what is inside matters more: the contents are what will be remembered at the table.
Christmas gifts for staff
For the people who work with you, the gift says «we see you». Better something to take home and use with family than an item with the company logo. And if there are many different people, leaving some room for choice is often the best gift.
Gifts for partners and suppliers
This is where the gift almost becomes a business card. A product with a strong story, perhaps tied to a place, opens a conversation and strengthens a working relationship without the need for words.
Why an extra virgin olive oil is a corporate gift people remember
Among food gifts, extra virgin olive oil has an advantage panettone and sparkling wine do not: it is not gone in one evening. It is used every day, for weeks, and every time the person who received it pours a drizzle on bread or on a dish, your gift comes back to the table.
Then there is the timing. At Christmas comes thenew oil, extra virgin at its peak of aroma and character. An oil from the harvest that has just ended is the best of that season, not the leftovers of the year before.
And there is the story. A single-cultivar oil carries with it a specific olive grove, a variety, a soil. It is exactly what a corporate gift needs: something to tell on the card, which the recipient can discover by tasting.
Our Grand Cru oils come from olive groves in Canino, in Upper Tuscia, and are served at tables that make no compromises: from the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio to Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, from Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan to ITA Airways Business Class on long-haul flights. In the 2026 guides, N°2 Grand Cru 40 Rubbie Maurino is a Slow Food Grande Olio and N°3 Grand Cru Musignano Caninese has the Bibenda 5 Drops. You will find all the awards on the page Our Awards.
How much to spend: three gifts, three budgets
There is no single right amount. There is the right amount for that relationship. That is why our gifts are designed on three levels, and when needed they are built to measure around the people receiving them. Only our own oils: no fillers.
To say thank you, around 40 euros
The Alchimie, 41 €, three 100 ml oils chosen for a way of cooking: for meat, for vegetables or for fish. A gesture of excellence for a client or for someone on your team, to be used right away, raw and in cooking.
To share, between 70 and 80 euros
Gli Amanti, three 250 ml oils, each with a different character, to taste together at the office, with family or as a couple. Cardboard gift box at 68 € or wooden box at 81 €.
For the gift that needs to last
The I Caninesi Collection, six 250 ml oils, is our iconic gift: cardboard gift box at 140 € or wooden box at 158 €. Alternatively, the Small Pack, the Grand Cru oils from N°1 to N°6, six bottles for six different characters.
How to organize it without stress
The hardest part of a corporate gift is not choosing it: it is managing it. Address lists, cards, deliveries that have to arrive before the holidays. The simplest way is to start from three pieces of information and leave the rest to the producer.
The three things to know before you ask
- How many people receive the gift.
- How much you want to spend on each.
- By when it must arrive.
You send us these three details and we reply within 48 hours with a tailored proposal. We choose the oils, prepare the packaging and the card to personalize, and deliver wherever you want, to each recipient’s home or to your company’s offices.
A practical tip: for Christmas, move early. The most popular gift sets and the wooden formats are not unlimited, and a tailored proposal needs a few more days than a purchase from the website.
In brief
| What matters | Good choice | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| The contents | One excellent product, as the star | Lots of ordinary products in the same hamper |
| THE STORY | Producer, place and harvest year made clear | An anonymous item, like a thousand others |
| Use | Used every day, for weeks | Ends up in a drawer or is gone in one evening |
| The recipient | Clients, staff and partners treated differently | One identical gift for everyone |
| The card | Personal, it says why that gift | Just the logo, no words |
| Timing | Ordered in advance | Chosen at the last minute, from what is left |
Frequently asked questions about corporate gifts
How much should you spend on a corporate gift?
It depends on the relationship, not on a fixed rule. A thank-you to a client or a team member already works at around 40 euros; for the most important relationships you go higher. I&P gifts range from 41 € to 158 €, VAT included, and can be tailored to your budget.
What should you give clients for Christmas?
Something elegant, that can be shared and that has a story. An extra virgin olive oil from a recognizable producer is used for weeks and brings your name back to the table every time.
What should you give employees for Christmas?
A gift to take home and use with family, rather than an item with the logo. If tastes are very different, a gift card lets everyone make their own choice.
Can the card be personalized?
Yes. With I&P corporate gifts the card is personalized with your message.
Do you deliver to multiple addresses?
Yes, we deliver wherever you want: to the home of each recipient or to your company’s offices.
How do I ask for a proposal?
Write to info@iandp.it telling us how many people receive the gift, how much you want to spend on each and when you need it by. We will reply within 48 hours.
A corporate gift should not amaze for a minute. It should come back to mind. A well-chosen oil does that every day, every time someone pours it, and carries with it the memory of whoever thought to send it.
If instead you are looking for a gift for one person, you will find tips in the article Gifting Extra Virgin Olive Oil: How to Choose a Memorable Gift.
Tell us who it is for, we’ll take care of the rest
How many people, how much you want to spend, by when. We reply within 48 hours with a tailored proposal, or you can choose right away from our gift sets.
