It’s time to start planning for fall and winter holidays! Get ready to put smiles on shoppers’ faces with familiar favorites and festive new offerings from NCG’s 2025 Winter Holiday Program. This year, while fresh turkeys and hams won’t be part of the pre-order program, Ferndale and Organic Prairie frozen turkeys will still be offered.

The holiday program features more than 90 unique brands and hundreds of products to help shoppers celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah and Christmas. There are products from favorite brands including Organic Valley, Field Day, Badger and Big Dipper Wax Works. To learn more about this assortment as well as other important holiday program information, we invite co-op staff to watch the recording of our 2025 Winter Holiday Pre-order Program webinar, which begins with a review of the proteins portion of the assortment, followed by the grocery products.

A preliminary deal grid, product sell sheets, a holiday ordering guide and a direct brand contact list will soon be available on the Winter Holiday Pre-order and Promotions page. We’ll also be sharing program information regularly with co-op promotions liaisons and grocery and wellness contacts via the weekly Purchasing Update emails. The pre-order event in LBMX opens on Friday, May 30, and closes on Sunday, June 15.
 

Planning and Preparation Tips to Maximize Holiday Sales

To maximize holiday sales at your co-op, start planning your holiday assortment and preparing a merchandising plan early: 

• Pull 4th Quarter 2024 (October through December) movement reports to verify sales for same or comparable items to those offered in this year’s program. Plan for sales increases of 10% to 15% to avoid running out of stock too early.
• Seasonal flavors, gift-giving and holiday occasions are all impulse sales opportunities!
• Work with your marketing team to create a plan to promote new and niche items or local favorites on social media.
• Create a merchandising plan that puts your pre-order products front and center to your customers’ shopping experience. Use entryway, endcap and in-aisle displays to drive incremental sales, and incorporate holiday items into larger displays as complementary items.
   

A Few of Our Favorite Things

To go more in-depth with the 2025 Winter Holiday Pre-order Program, take a look at these holiday product recommendations from our category managers.

Morgan Organ, Category Manager – Body Care, Supplements

• Kandu Candles by Matr Boomie: Fair Trade trailblazers Matr Boomie are back for another year with their fantastic, handcrafted gifts. This holiday season, we’re highlighting Kandu Candles, which are hand-poured by at-risk community members in Austin, Texas. Kandu Candles are made with 100% soy wax, cotton wicks, recyclable packaging and unique fragrance blends. Inclusive Trade Brand
• Big Dipper Wax Works Gnome Candles: New this year are these adorable and fun, handcrafted, 100% beeswax, gnome-shaped candles that are made in the USA using all cotton wicks. Shoppers will be delighted by the Holly, Jolly and Folly gnomes sold individually or all three together in a charming gift box. Big Dipper donates 5% of profits to nonprofit organizations that support sustainable beekeeping and environmental conservation.
• Dr. Squatch Limited Edition Holiday Soap Bars: With scents like Ninny Scrubbins, Snowy Pine Tar, Polar Plunge and Frosty Peppermint, Dr. Squatch’s natural soap bars are stocking stuffer ready. Each bar is crafted from sustainable palm, coconut and olive oil, then blended with thoughtful ingredients such as marshmallow root extract, mica and pure essential oils.

Claudia Arcuri-Smith, Category Manager – Snacks, Bulk, Coffee/Tea

• YumEarth Candy Cane Lollipops: The quintessential holiday flavor in a format that makes it a fun eating experience. Certified organic and allergen friendly, they’re a great treat for handing out at schools or sharing with friends.
• Lake Champlain Dark Chocolate Maple Leaves: Lake Champlain Chocolates has been family owned and operated since 1983. They are B Corp certified and create delicious confections. The Dark Chocolate Maple Leaves are in a new eco-friendly FSC-certified package made of 100% recycled fibers. Kudos to LCC for continuing to push toward sustainable packaging!

Sarah Gordon, Category Manager – Breakfast Cereals, Wellness and Granola Bars, Fruit Snacks, Shelf-stable Beverages, Non-Food, Pet

• Simply Organic Finishing Sugars: Choose from Chai, Spicy Cocoa or Vanilla Finishing Sugars to add a special accent to holiday baked goods and beverages. Each bottle contains organic cane sugar blended with well-balanced, organic spices like clove, vanilla powder, guajillo pepper and cocoa to be warming and comforting. Simply Organic is in the Frontier Co-op family of brands and proudly co-op made.
• Miss Jones Baking Co.: Sarah Jones Garabaldi, aka Miss Jones, founded Miss Jones Baking Co. to provide time-saving baking mixes that taste like homemade. Her passion is evident in the many holiday baking mixes offered by the brand this year; Organic Pumpkin Bread, Muffin, Cookie and Pancake Mix (all in one box!), Gluten-free Triple Chocolate Peppermint Bark Brownie Kit and Peppermint Frosting made with vegetable-dyed peppermint pieces and sustainable palm oil are quick, easy and holiday party approved! Inclusive Trade Brand
• Seven Sundays Real Pumpkin Spice Oat Protein Cereal: While Seven Sundays produces delicious and healthy breakfast cereals year-round, their Limited Edition Real Pumpkin Spice Cereal brings the flavors of autumn for a brief and blissful time. As mentioned in the name, real pumpkin is a main ingredient along with Certified Upcycled oat protein and non-GMO corn, well-blended spices and a light touch of maple syrup. Inclusive Trade Brand

Brian Larson, Category Manager – Fresh, Refrigerated

• Miss Jones Baking Co. Cookie Kits: Refrigerated Bakery Style Sugar Cookie and Peppermint Bark Cookie Dough Kits are all-natural, made with real butter and taste homemade. Each kit contains cookie dough, icing and holiday sprinkles. They are delicious, festive and fun! Inclusive Trade Brand

Lisa DeMaria, Category Manager – Main Meals, Baking, Baby 

• Heyday Canning Cranberry Sauce: This cranberry sauce offers a classic holiday flavor with a twist, featuring zesty orange oil and a hint of ground ginger from Diaspora Co.’s regeneratively farmed, equitably traded ginger. Simmered whole cranberries with apple juice and maple syrup create the perfect balance of tart and sweet, making it a delicious companion for turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, or holiday desserts like cheesecakes and pies.
• St. Dalfour Fruit Spread 4 count/1 ounce Gift Set: Handcrafted near Bordeaux, France, St. Dalfour follows a traditional French family recipe dating back to the early 1900s. Sweetened solely with vineyard-ripened grape and fruit juices, it uses the finest fruits from surrounding regions and is made by a third-generation, family-owned company. This gift set makes the perfect present for anyone who wants to try a variety of fruit flavors without committing to a large jar.

Jeanette Bloss, Category Manager – Frozen, Frozen Meat and Seafood, Shelf Stable Beverages

• R.W. Knudsen Seasonal Juices: We’ll have a few key seasonal juice items in our pre-order program this year that offer a great non-alcoholic alternative opportunity. From apple juice and spiced cider to sparkling juice options and even a yummy and festive Cranberry Orange Cinnamon juice, there’s something for every celebration! Packed in glass instead of plastic, they’re a present for tastebuds and the waste steam.
• The Village Pie Maker: No holiday meal is complete without pie! Founded by Judith Ogden Larsen, who got her start selling her handmade pies out of her pickup truck, The Village Pie Maker offers a variety of take-and-bake fruit pies as well as thaw-and-serve cream pies. This year’s pumpkin, cranberry apple, apple and chocolate silk varieties — and even a newly available apple pie cheesecake — are sure to be a hit at any holiday gathering.
• Alden’s Organic limited edition flavors: Ice cream limited edition flavors and extra holiday sales go together like pie and ice cream. Our Number One ice cream brand is offering some organic classics that are sure to please: pumpkin spice and eggnog ice cream and pumpkin cheesecake ice cream sandwiches. Get them while you can!