Old California Botanicals is a California citrus, botanical, and specialty-goods company rooted in generations of Southern California agriculture.
Based in Redlands, California — once at the center of one of the world's great citrus-growing regions — Old California Botanicals creates products inspired by California citrus, gardens, agricultural history, and the distinctive culture of the state's historic Citrus Belt.
It's collection includes internationally award-winning marmalades, botanical fragrances, lip balms, candles, essential oils, gift sets, and other California-inspired goods.
Old California Botanicals was created to celebrate and preserve the flavors, fragrances, plants, and stories of California's historic citrus-growing regions.
The company combines agriculture, specialty food, botanical products, historical research, and storytelling in a modern California brand.
Many Old California Botanicals products are made with California-grown citrus and botanicals, and our products are made in the United States. The company's broader work includes citrus and wine-grape production, produce brokerage, agricultural consulting, heritage-variety sourcing, and public education about California horticulture and agricultural history.
Why Mellanni?
"Mellanni Fine Linens wraps you in elegance, luxury and comfort. Indulge in silky soft, 100% double brushed microfiber, or cool Egyptian Cotton, all carefully crafted in every detail. Improve your sleep, energy and sense of well-being."
The Mellanni marketing team spent months asking people one question: What are you looking for in your bedding?
The answers: "Luxurious, soft and comfortable bedding with a deep fitting sheet that's fade, stain, shrink and wrinkle resistant, hypoallergenic with easy care AND affordably priced."
Many readers are looking for simple ways to reduce stress at home and better sleep is often the first place they start.
Mellanni’s Iconic 4-Piece Sheet Set has over 300,000 five star reviews on Amazon and is often featured in “best budget bedding” roundups for its comfort, quality and accessibility.
Why it works for stress + wellness content:
Simple ways to reduce stress
Improving sleep habits
Creating a more relaxing home space
Announcing Weddell Water: Your HSA/FSA Funds Aren’t Just for Doctor Visits Anymore
Most people think HSAs and FSAs are only for doctor visits and prescriptions. But what if those same dollars could be used for products that actually keep you healthy every day, not just when you’re sick?
That’s exactly what’s happening now with Weddell Water on Truemed. You can use pre-tax dollars within your HSA/FSA account to purchase the Weddell Duo Shower Filter through Truemed, making it even more accessible and affordable.
By making clean water and daily wellness essentials eligible for HSA/FSA spending, Truemed is helping shift healthcare from a reactive system to one that prioritizes prevention and long-term well-being.
Key Takeaways
A reminder of what HSA and FSA accounts are.
How Truemed is changing the way people think about healthcare.
Why Weddell Water is a qualified expense.
A walk-through of how to use your HSA/FSA funds to purchase a Weddell Water shower filter.
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Graydon ‘Nic’ Nichols planted his first almond and pistachio trees in 1981, 20 years after the purchase of his land, where he farmed row crops with cotton being the main staple. He was one of California's first farmers to transition his land to orchards. Four generations later, Nic's family -- sons, daughter-in-laws and grandchildren -- have taken the company, Nichols Farm, to a new level with a spectacular array of organic pistachios and almonds. The orchards and processing plant are located in in Hanford, the heart of Central California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley.
Nichols Farm
"Our interdependence with the land is something we greatly value and never take for granted," says son James Nichols. "We understand the importance of keeping land nutrient and mineral dense for each generation to come. We use our natural resources sparingly and try to continuously do more with less. Currently, we hone the power of solar energy, and turn our organic waste into natural fertilizer. We also recycle our water and use drip irrigation because it is the most efficient watering method."
Next gift idea ...
I have had a few cool pairs of shoes in my life, but I just received the absolute coolest ever as a gift – the low cut Red Dirt Rebel boots by Durango, considered by many to be the premier boot company in U.S. history – an iconic brand for 50 years that has redefined the world of cowboy boots for the last 15 years.
By keeping the classic Western look on the upper and combining it with the comfort of an athletic shoe sole, Durango Rebel Boots took everything people loved about classic cowboy boots and added a modern twist for exceptional comfort. It changed the way these boots could be worn. For anyone who spends their day on their feet, whether it’s out on the ranch, working in the field, or just tackling everyday tasks, this was a bit of a revelation. Suddenly, you had a boot that felt as comfortable as your everyday trainers without giving up the tough, authentic rugged style that makes cowboy boots iconic. -- Rick Weinberg
Next gift idea...
People-centric design and an obsession with details are at the core at Belkin. From the humble beginnings of a garage in 1980s Southern California to a diverse, global technology company today, Belkin’s ethos has always been about connection. Here are three dazzling Belkin products that make CBJ’s Best Gift list.
“Livestreamers, vloggers, and smartphone filmmakers rejoice — Belkin’s Stand Pro might just be the best mobile accessory of the year.” – Rolling Stone Magazine
The easiest way to FaceTime, create action-packed video and go hands-free for livestreaming and video conferencing is here. Belkin’s Auto-Tracking Stand Pro follows your face and body movements with 360° rotation and 90° tilt with smooth, quiet motors. The internal battery offers 5 hours of operation on a full charge.
BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank with Qi2 15W 8K
Wirelessly charge iPhone and other Qi2-enabled smartphones quickly and safely with Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank with Qi2 15W 8K§. Your Qi2 and MagSafe compatible devices will have easy and seamless on-the-go charging up to 15W. Watch video, stream or create content at the perfect viewing angle with the integrated kickstand — even while your device is charging.
3-in-1 Magnetic Foldable Wireless Charger with Qi2 15W
Charge your mobile essentials with an ultra-convenient foldable stand by Belkin. It delivers 15W of fast wireless charging to your iPhone 16/15/14/13/12, 5W to your Apple Watch and 5W to your AirPods. Leveraging MagSafe compatibility and Qi2 technology, you can place your iPhone on the charging pad for a secure, magnetic connection.
Muck Boot Company
The Original Muck Boot Company celebrates its 25th anniversary and revisits old favorites with new innovative designs.
“Muck Boots originated as a solution to keep feet protected from dirty, wet, mucky situations in all weather,” commented Gabe Berkowitz, Marketing Manager at Muck Boots. “Today, we continue to build boots and shoes with the same comfort and performance promise as we did 25 years ago. From farming and ranching to hunting and gardening, Muck will always offer boots and shoes that perform in any element.”
New Chore Western Combines Western Styling with Muck Boot Waterproof Performance
Taking inspiration and features from its roots, the Chore Western is developed for farmers and ranchers, blending western styling with Muck-worthy features such as easy to clean rubber outlays, XpressCool™ anti-microbial evaporative cooling lining for moisture wicking and temperature control, and a perforated molded PU insert with memory foam for superior underfoot comfort.
A quick cleaning rubber outsole provides traction and debris dispersion on all terrain, and a lower lug profile won’t get caught in stirrups while working around the farm.
Two styles are available for men: Chore Western Tall (MSRP: $150), a square to 15 inch western boot with pull-on side straps; and Chore Western Mid (MRSP: $140), square to 12 inch western boot with pull-on side straps.
Dooney & Bourke
What sets Dooney & Bourke bags apart is the meticulous craftsmanship and timeless design upheld since its inception in 1975.
“Each piece is crafted with the finest Italian leathers and European raw materials, ensuring both durability and elegance,” says Peter Beaugard, Senior Vice President.
Dooney & Bourke has evolved by embracing innovation, adapting to fashion trends — “and staying true to our heritage,” Beaugard says.
Dooney & Bourke’s designs blend classic styles with modern sensibilities, meeting customers’ changing needs through new colors, patterns, and thoughtful detailing.
Bucklesbury, a London-based fashion and design house founded in 2016, is known for its timeless pieces that blend traditional European luxury with modern practicality. Their signature umbrellas, proudly "Rain Tested in England," are handcrafted in a London workshop using sustainable materials and traditional techniques dating back to 1805.
Designed for both beauty and function, each Bucklesbury creation is made in England or Italy, with bags crafted in Italy to meet the demands of professional men and women who appreciate quality and style.
Umbrellas: Bucklesbury’s “Rain Tested in England” umbrellas stand out for their meticulous craftsmanship and timeless English elegance. Each umbrella, like their signature "The London Umbrella," is handcrafted in London from sustainable materials, with a unique design crafted from a single, uncut piece of English Chestnut wood. Each umbrella highlights Bucklesbury’s commitment to tradition and also the essence of classic English style. Created by skilled craftsmen continuing a legacy of umbrella-making in London dating back to 1805, every Bucklesbury umbrella reflects the enduring elegance of English sartorial style, whether in the heart of the city or the countryside.
Powered by AIGC technology, BubblePal is an interactive talking toy designed to be a friend for children over 3 years old. Simply attach it to your favorite plushie, and it will bring it to life! The interactions between users and BubblePal are rich and kid-friendly, featuring everything from telling interactive stories and cracking jokes to solving riddles and providing emotional support.
BubblePal combines hardware and software to deliver a comprehensive experience for users. With the Haivivi Pal app, users can personalize interaction styles, switch between characters, view real-time dialogues, and check progress and mood reports.
PaddleSmash.com is the lovechild of Pickleball and Spikeball. “However,” says PaddleSmash founder Tim Swindle, “PaddleSmash is easier to play than Spikeball and more portable than Pickleball, allowing for a broader range of ages and genders to participate.”
Outdoor games are the 2nd fastest growing category in all of toys and games and pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America. “We are riding two very popular trends that we believe we can capitalize on,” Swindle says. “There is a gold rush in the pickleball space right now, but almost everyone is launching paddles, nets or apparel. We feel our unique approach allows us to capitalize on the craze without directly competing against those other brands.”
Starting at $199.99 – paddlesmash.com
DNA Vibe is the creator of the only wearable light therapy device that’s made in the USA with science-based patent-pending technology that is light-years ahead of conventional light therapy.
Here are just some of the unique features: multiple modes (red, infrared, magnetic and micro-vibration) working in harmony for maximum pain relief and recovery; precision-tuned wavelength stabilization for greatest effect; proportionate diffusion for safer and more even distribution of light; silicone construction for ideal propagation of micro-vibrations; flexible flush-fitting silicone form optimized for every part of your body and for enhanced results at lowest and safest possible output intensity. 97% of users (aka Vibers) report improvement across a wide range of issues, including joint and muscle pain, stiffness, injury or post-operative recovery, neuropathy, arthritis, neck and back pain, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, and more.
DNA Vibe’s newest product, the Jazz Band “Live”, features all four modes of our Jazz Band “Vibe” (red, infrared, magnetic, and micro-vibration), but with the simplicity of push-button operation. No phone application is needed! It’s perfect for anyone desiring the full benefits of all four modes with total simplicity and ease of use. Sophistication and style meet simplicity. Hundreds of professional and Olympic athletes trust DNA Vibe as essential gear for performance and recovery. Their livelihoods depend on staying fit and recovering fast, and they can choose anything they want to get an edge.
And the winners are …
Mystique Misha Psychic Boutique sits in the shadow the majestic mountains of Ashland, Oregon and was created with the dream of establishing an enchanting, magical and intimate store experience that features eclectic product from all over the world – Tibet, Israel and India. Those products include crystals, oils, esoteric items, candles, jewelry, and in-house psychics, each offering their own unique approach.
When individuals walk into this tranquil and spellbinding boutique, they’re first reaction is, “Are you kiddin’ me?” It takes you on a magical ride into a different world, a different time and space.
“The store serves those walking the spiritual path. Its online platform has been created with the intention of expanding its light to reach whomever it may beyond physical limitations. At a young age I started my spiritual journey,” Misha says. “As the years went by, I explored crystals tarot Oracle energy work. I came to find out my specialty is manifesting with customized candle work and mojo bags.”
If an individual is interested in manifesting, unblocking unwanted energy, increasing financial gain, or anything to do with love, Mystique Misha’s provides eclectic and individualized candle work and customized mojo bags. “When you tell me the top three things you want to ‘manifest’ or the top three things you’re wanting to eliminate in your life, I get an intuitive sense and feel of what herbs and oils need to go with your candle or mojo bag. All I ask is for your date of birth or the initials of you and the persons the energy will be directed to.”
Wildgrain is the first membership box that delivers bake-from-frozen sourdough breads, fresh pastas, and artisan pastries. All products are baked within 25 minutes (no thawing!) and are made with clean ingredients.
Founders Johanna and Ismail Salhi launched Wildgrain because “we were looking for clean and high-quality carbs for our family. We spent months replacing stale supermarket breads, pastas, and pastries with our own homemade recipes. These recipes focused on clean ingredients and artisanal processes that provide important nutritional benefits,” Johanna says.
This was the motivation for starting Wildgrain: “Fermented is better.” A sourdough bread starter is a fermented mixture of flour and water, which also contains colonies of bacteria and yeast. The yeast in sourdough starters is the wild relative of yeast used in commercial bread baking — hence the name Wildgrain. The fermentation process used to make sourdough bread provides so many unique health benefits:
It digests the majority of the gluten in the bread. ● It contains lactic acid, helping your body absorb more nutrients. ● It contains prebiotics, keeping your gut biome healthy.
CRYSTAL is the original mineral deodorant. All of its deodorants are free of aluminum, parabens and artificial colors. CRYSTAL’s Mineral-Enriched Magnesium Stick Deodorant is an ideal way to transition away from conventional deodorants, as the CBJ staff experienced firsthand. Further, all of us will use CRYSTAL exclusively now.
CRYSTAL comes in four natural scents: Coconut + Vanilla, Charcoal + Tea Tree, Cucumber + Mint and Lavender + Rosemary. The company was established 35 years ago by Jerry Rosenblatt and has risen to new heights in today’s eco-conscious world.
Magnesium is a naturally occurring element and a good alternative to aluminum, baking soda and other potentially irritating, ineffective or toxic ingredients. The ingredients are non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free (no testing on animals) and the packaging is eco-friendly.
Scented Designs are hand-poured with American-grown soy wax made with phthalate-free fragrances oils, and infused with essential oils for clean, room-filling fragrance. Each candle purchase supports the fight against climate change with 1% of revenue going to the Planet.
Scented Designs was established in 2016 by Kate De Palma after she had been making candles as a hobby.
“Candles,” she says, “transform space; I’ve always been intrigued by the power of scent. I had bad headaches throughout much of my young adult life — triggered by sulfites and overly-chemical candles. So, I wanted to create scents that people who were sensitive to smells would enjoy.”
She has never gotten a migraine while making candles for Scented Designs and she attributes it to caring about what raw materials go into the candles.
Plant-based wax. No paraffin. No phthalates. Customers have even told De Palma that while other candles have given them headaches, Scented Designs does not.
Love Talla: When Talla Kuperman lost her brother, Amir, to cancer in 2010, “I felt like I had been kicked in the head and in a single moment, my entire world collapsed,” she says.
She wanted to find something special to memorialize her brother daily. She decided on a fingerprint necklace.
“When I made it, I felt a connection; it was something I could wear daily as a reminder of the incredible mark he left on my life. I decided I wanted to share with those yearning to have a unique, meaningful, and stylish piece of forever jewelry representing love, loss, or simple human connection, a celebration of their life.”
Fingerprint necklaces are an unknown concept in the mainstream jewelry world. That launched the brand “Love Talla.”
Amir began experiencing stomach pains in 2009. The family figured the symptoms were too many carne asada fries and cheez-its. “We didn’t take the pain too seriously,” Talla says. “But after a month of rapidly growing pain, it became glaringly clear that something was not right.”
His insides were riddled with tumors and the family was told he only had two weeks to live. “At that moment, I had a responsibility to be the person my brother always was to me. I made the decision to present with my best friend, with whatever time we had together. Though that time was deeply traumatic, there was also beauty in it.
“In the years following Amir’s passing, all I wanted was one more moment. One more laugh. One more hug. My heart was craving to feel my brother physically close to me, just one more time.”
So, when she introduced her fingerprint jewelry, she knew it was the solution. “I needed that daily reminder to hold his hand again. It was only through total emotional surrender that I found the key to my healing journey — feeling the proximity of those I love most close to me, every day. I dove into designing fingerprint jewelry that not only honors and celebrates life’s most precious people and moments, but also looks beautiful. Not gaudy, or boring.”
Today, Tella wear two fingerprint necklaces, one for Amir, “who reminds me to be grateful for his legacy,” and one for the little light of her life, her daughter Lexi, who reminds me to love hard and cherish every minute.”
tomtoc is a tech-savvy, and fashionable design-driven brand that protects digital gear. It’s functionality, protectiveness and custom made. Founded in 2016, tomtoc’s Laptop Sleeve and Shoulder Bag Series were dubbed “Our Favorite Laptop Bag” by Wirecutter.
Its Nintendo Switch devices slim cases were named “The Best Slim Case for Nintendo Switch Console” by Wirecutter and won the iMore Choice Prize.
Zum Goat’s Milk Bar Soap is a base of goats milk and 100 percent food-grade olive, coconut palm and castor oils for deep hydration that leaves your skin caressably soft. What makes Zum Bar Soap different is the Goats Milk — it’s naturally ultra-moisturizing, naturally balanced for the skin, and naturally homogenized. Goat’s milk is a great mix of “good for you” and “good for nature.”
Unlike commercial soap, goat’s milk soap contains capric, caprylic and caproic acids, and the naturally occurring triglycerides, otherwise known as good fats. These good fats in goat’s milk result in a pH level so close to the pH level of your own skin, it helps keep your skin’s oils in balance. The bars include scents like Anise-Lavender, Cedar, Coffee-Almond, Frankincense & Myrrh, Rosemary, Tangerine-orange and Rosemary-Mint.
Outlaw Wild Life is a product high-quality, handcrafted and unique, but check out the packaging. That’s a gift by itself – it’s a welcome relief from the standard corporate gifting fare.
Wild Life is not regular ol’ soap scents, they’re inspired by real-life: Leather & Sandalwood, Campfire & Gunpowder, Whiskey & Coffee.
No chemicals — they’re skin-safe and sold in Whole Foods, certified cruelty-free, and made in a low-waste facility in Sparks, Nevada.
The process of creation of Ron del Barrilito goes as far as 1781 when the Spanish crown bestowed Hacienda Santa in Bayamón, Puerto Rico to the Fernández family.
After completing his studies in France, Pedro Fernández returned to Hacienda Santa Ana to craft a rum with a unique aroma and flavor to the standards of royalty. After perfecting his craft in 1880, Ron Del Barrilito was born.
The rum is pure character is created by an ancient maceration process where a small portion of the rum is infused with a blend of natural dried fruits in white Oak Barrels, overseen by the legendary master blender Luis Planas. To enhance flavor and value, the company uses harvested rainwater.
