A Very Female-Led Xmas

Following up on my previous post about shopping female-led companies, I'm so pleased to report how much more often I'm able to shop with businesses that are female-led or female-owned, some black woman-owned, and other small businesses not run by cis white men. (Female in this context means anyone that self-identifies as female.) 

I'm hosting our family holiday celebration, and we're going with a more Mexican-themed meal: tamales, refried beans, etc. I got my beans from Primary Beans, a female-led company that features beans grown by females, when possible. I'll be serving Bloody Marys made with Square One vodka and Bloody Mary mix (and Bloody Marias with 21Seeds Tequila (jalapeno & cucumber infused). I'm also serving Avocado Hummus, which includes Soom tahini. 

Some of the gifts have been wrapped with Furoshiki-style wraps from Wrappr, and the patterns are designed by female artists. 

Our dessert will be edible cookie dough from Unbaked. 

I've gifted wine from maivino, reusable plastic-free containers from Zip Top, I bought the Zip Top containers from Ban SUP Refill, a female-owned zero-waste refill store in Pasadena. I also picked up a gift from The Nopo, a female-founded marketplace featuring items made by artisans world-wide. I have previously purchased jigsaw puzzles from Jiggy, a woman-owned company that also features female artists in their puzzles. 

I'm now using hair products from Ceremonia, a Latinx female-founded company, tooth tablets from Bite, Branch Basics for laundry and some cleaning, and wearwell for sustainable clothing. 

Reel is a black-owned company (and kept me from having to worry about any toilet paper shortages). They recently added recycled paper towels, and they're excellent. 

I get the Woman-Owned Wednesday newsletter to learn about new businesses (and they also have a gift guide), and also subscribe to Buy from a Black Woman. I also support The 19th, an independent newsroom focusing on gender politics. 

Fidelity also has a Women's Leadership Fund, which is an index that includes companies that (from their website): at the time of initial purchase, (i) include a woman as a member of the senior management team, (ii) are governed by a board for which women represent at least one third of all directors, or (iii) in the Adviser’s opinion, have adopted policies designed to attract, retain and promote women.

All my hours of research are starting to pay off! I also have bookmarked several articles featuring women-owned, black-owned, native American-owned, LGBTQ-owned, etc. When I go into marketplaces that sell multiple brands, I ask about female-owned/female-led brands.  Some online marketplaces are also starting to include links to narrow your search accordingly, like The Grommet. 

Happy (female-led) shopping!