Mitten Crate is a monthly subscription box that delivers a carefully curated selection of delicious food, crafted in small batches by independent food producers from around the great state of Michigan. Every month you’ll receive 5-6 local artisan foods to sample and enjoy.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Mitten Crate
The Cost: $35/month with free shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Get your first box for $24!
CODE: msa24
The Products: Small-batch, artisan food locally made in the state of Michigan.
Ships to: the continental US
Check out all of our Mitten Crate reviews and the Local Subscription Box Directory for more locally-sourced boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
for every Mitten Crate purchased, they donate to Gleaners Food Bank in Southeastern Michigan.
Every month, Mitten Crate includes a card with information about all the brands and artisans they feature in that month’s box. Being from Michigan myself, it’s so much fun to find out about these businesses that are right near me!
Faygo Original Rock & Rye Soda – 12 fl oz, Value $3.50
I have always seen Faygo around but I didn’t know it was a Michigan brand! My husband was so excited to get this soda – he loves cream soda. This “Rock & Rye” flavor is really like a fruity/cherry cream soda. It’s super sweet and that’s just how my husband likes it. I loved getting a beverage this month.
Back Woods Mustard Co. Mild Sweet Jalapeno – 12 oz, Value $5.95
I’m not usually a mustard person but this is pretty tasty. The spice isn’t hot but just enough – it’s very complimentary. I personally would probably prefer to cook with it just because I’m not generally a big mustard fan. I could see people who like mustard adding this to a sandwich or something.
Among Friends Handcrafted Baking Mixes, Cora’s Honey Cornbread Mix – 12.9 oz, Value $4.99
This cornbread mix is Non-GMO, gluten-free, and whole grain. I love getting baking mixes in subscriptions, but unfortunately, I just did not care for this cornbread.
I made it for dinner tonight and it was just very dry, flavorless, and crumbly (which I know is from the gluten free aspect of it, but I’ve had pretty good gluten free breads and baked goods). Honestly, this pan won’t get eaten.
Castachio Nuts, Zesty Salt & Pepper – 3.5 oz, Value $3.99
This snack is made with roasted whole pistachios and cashews seasoned with black pepper. I like nuts but generally just salted or honey roasted. I just wasn’t personally a fan of the strong pepper seasoning. My husband liked them, though. The texture and taste of the actual nuts were quite good.
Great Lake Potato Chip Co. Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, Sea Salt, Pepper, Onion – 1.375 oz, Value $1
Oh my goodness, these chips were delicious. I love the sea salt & pepper plus onion and garlic flavors. So yummy. I especially loved the kettle cooked texture and the fact that these are made with skin on.
Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels – Value $3.99
Hurray for Sanders! A fantastic MI company. I love their caramel sauces and chocolates, and this puts the two together beautifully. The package contained 3 caramel-filled chocolates, sprinkled with sea salt. They’re a nice size and so decadent that one is a really great treat.
Verdict: I enjoyed this Mitten Crate but it wasn’t my favorite one I’ve received. There were two items I didn’t care for but I loved everything else. I love seeing my home state represented, and I loved trying these items and that there were a baking mix and a beverage included!
The value comes out to under $25, which is kind of disappointing. I’m generally not as concerned about the value with this box, but the value usually either breaks even or is ~$5 less and I know curation does play a part in the value, but I don’t know if I can justify curation as a $10 difference (30% of the cost of the box). This may also be somewhat influenced by the fact that I do live in Michigan… If I want to discover more little MI brands myself I could go to another city’s farmer’s market, but for those who don’t live in Michigan and don’t have that option, curation may be worth more to them, but I still don’t think it would make up the difference here.
I do love Mitten Crate and the fact that they’ve exposed me to some of my favorite snacks of all time. I always enjoy experiencing my crates but I am always rooting for a little higher-value, and always hopefully looking forward to next months’ boxes.
What do you think of this box? Have you tried any locally-sourced boxes before?
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