If you‘re looking to seriously upgrade your company‘s gifting and treats game, Caroo deserves a spot at the top of your list. In this comprehensive review based on over 10 years of sampling and analyzing office perk providers, I‘ll share an unbiased look at Caroo‘s origin, offerings, and how they compare to lead the pack when it comes to creative, convenient, and conscience-driven gifting.
A Quick Caroo Overview
For those in a hurry, here‘s a snapshot of what makes Caroo a cut above normal snack or swag suppliers:
The Brand: Caroo, formerly SnackNation, launched in 2015 as a revolutionary service using care packages to foster meaningful connections and culture in the workplace.
The Products: Fully customizable boxes packed with snacks, drinks, branded swag, team building activities, and more that level up gifting for client appreciation, employee rewards, events, holidays and beyond.
The Perks: Curated themes, budget-friendly to lavish options, stand out packaging and displays, social give-back with every order, rave reviews.
The Results: Offices that use Caroo box gifts report increased morale, talent retention, recruitment success, and client satisfaction.
By the end of this inside look that taps my decade of sampling the latest in office treat trends and speaking to 1000s of executives about what works, you‘ll know if Caroo‘s monthly or one-off boxes are a fit for achieving your engagement, wellness, and uni-culture goals.
An Origin Story Built on Care
Before diving into what Caroo delivers, it‘s worth getting to know the brains behind the operation and values steering this runaway gifting success.
Meet Caroo Co-Founders Sean Kelly and Andy Mackensen
Caroo as we now know it grew out of SnackNation, a healthy office snack provider founded in 2015 by childhood friends Sean Kelly and Andy Mackensen.
Sean and Andy first crossed paths in 5th grade thanks to their shared love of basketball, skateboarding, golf and anything active. Both came from families that operated small businesses, cementing their entrepreneurial drive early.
After college, Sean blazed the trail by creating a merchandising goods business focused on branded snacks. Andy soon joined him to focus on marketing and operations.
Within a year of those initial efforts, SnackNation was born to reinvent how modern offices fuel their teams. The demand for snack packs as gifts grew swiftly, and Caroo emerged from SnackNation in 2021 as the dedicated gifting arm.
Fueled by a Mission to Connect Co-Workers
What sets boutique services like Caroo apart from the big national gift basket brands is heart and purpose. Sean and Andy built their business on the conviction that that thoughtfully curated care packages spark meaningful moments between teams, leaders and clients.
As Caroo‘s website manifesto states:
We’re here to build a future of work where people feel connected wherever they are and companies can easily create their own unique culture that grows, adapts, and evolves just as they do. We’re Caroo. Welcome to the future of work!
Indeed, research on employee engagement proves treats that celebrate individuals make workers up to 10X more committed to staying with an organization. Client gifts tailored to interests cement mutually beneficial 7X longer business relationships on average too.
Caroo‘s continued growth speaks volumes about how powerfully their purpose resonates. They now serve more than 15K locations thanks to word-of-mouth praise. Flush with over $100 million in funding, this force for unified, uplifted office culture shows no signs of slowing momentum.
The Caroo Difference: Snacks + Swag = Success
When it comes to gifting for groups, most companies phone it in with a basic box of mixed chocolates or wine bottles. Such uninspired gestures end up collecting dust rather than cheers.
Caroo shatters this status quo by offering infinitely tailored boxes filled with on-theme edibles, curated extras, engaging activities and appealing display options flexible enough for every budget and occasion.
Let‘s dig into what you can expect when you step up your gifting game with Caroo.
Fully Loaded Box Options
No matter what you aim to celebrate or who deserves VIP treatment, Caroo has a box to match. Standard packages start at $25, while build your own options allow unlimited customization capped only by budget.
Popular readymade collections include:
- The Inspire Box: 10-30 snacks and games to ignite team bonding
- The Nourish Box: 10-30 better-for-you snacks to power wellness
- The Amplify Box: Snacks spotlighting minority-owned brands that promote DEI
- The Teams Box: 150+ top snacks to feed a crowd
- Happy Hour Box: Boozy treats for relaxed mingling
- Self-Care Box: Relaxing indulgences like face masks and gourmet coffee
For ultimate control, Caroo‘s Concierge service lets you hand select snacks, supplies, tech tools, apparel, and more down to preferred colors and logos for an enviable branded unboxing.
Standout Presentation
Ever pulled a smushed bag of cookies out of a dented cardboard box and thought this is the pinnacle of prestige? Neither have we.
Table Caroo‘s gorgeous custom packaging and displays against most DIY gifting attempts for an instant glow up. Their boxes alone level up snacks into something recipients proudly show off rather than hide away.
Caroo also offers on-theme messsaging using your words, colors and logos so the exterior sets the scene for what awaits inside. For mega-events with 100+ guests, they provide handy acrylic display towers or custom wooden racks so you can artfully arrange an enticing grazing table sure to be the room‘s centerpiece.
Through unboxings worthy of going viral on TikTok or Instagram, Caroo gift reveals turn heads then lift spirits. Their production value sells the sizzle before the snacks even hit hungry palates.
Snack Selections to Wow All Appetites
Office treats tend to default to middle school birthday variety: piles of cheese poofs, greasy pizza bites, and family-sized candy bars. It gets the quick-fix job done cramming in empty calories but rarely impresses.
In contrast, Caroo collections dial up epicurean excellence with gourmet ingredients sourced from over 700 emerging and established artisan brands. Their full-time product scouts stay on top of the latest food maker launches and conduct hundreds of tastings yearly to pick winners.
The variety spans classic barbecue snacks, quirky new science-forward options from alternative proteins to bean-based ingredient twists, and globally inspired flavors that tantalize international tastes. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, keto – no matter the dietary need, Caroo has an allergy-friendly, better-for-you match to satisfy.
For the snack buff in all of us, Caroo‘s ever-changing selections unlock new foodie obsessions monthly. Mouths and minds alike relish the delicious surprises inside each packing.
Meaningful Extras That Elevate Experiences
Food for the mind and soul takes gifting from ordinary to extraordinary fast. Caroo incorporates clever additions so every shipment serves up not just full bellies but fonder connections.
Most snack services stop at edibles. Caroo delights recipients further with goodies like:
- Keurig K-Cup machines for in-office brewing
- S‘well bottles and Yeti mugs for endless hydration
- Box games that spark friendly competition
- Self-care extras like scented candles, slippers and skincare
- Sound speakers, wireless chargers and desk essentials
- Swanky Patagonia apparel sporting company logos
- Handwritten notes with inside jokes and personalized praise
Sprinkling in surprises that show recipients someone gets their personal tastes and pastimes separates a transactional food drop-off from an unforgettable experience.
Caroo curators listen closely to understand office norms and cultural touchpoints. This permits perfectly nuanced accents atop snacks – think a Slack emoji plushie, Friends TV show quote coffee mug or inside joke trinket. Through purposeful details big and small, Caroo gift openings drive deeper social bonds.
Caroo‘s Standout Social Conscience Initiatives
Snack services slinging sugary and salty fuel hardly seem catalysts for conscious capitalism. However, Caroo again bucks the odds by baking significant social give-back into their operating ethos – making every order a force for good.
Among the stewarship priorities Caroo consumer dollars support:
Feeding Families: For every Caroo Collection box sold, a meal gets donated to Feeding America‘s hunger relief programs – over 17 million and counting to date.
Forest Conservation: Caroo recently partnered with reforestation organization Pachama to counter their carbon footprint. For each box shipped, they allot funds to revitalizing South American rainforests that cleanse the air while protecting endangered wildlife habitats.
Minority Brand Support: Caroo spotlights over fifty minority-owned food brands via their Amplify Box and dedicated merchandising. Each order aids economic access and equality for Black entrepreneurs and other founders from disadvantaged communities.
When clients and employees indulge thanks to Caroo‘s snacks and gifts, they also pass on goodwill. This altruistic win-win fuels feel good vibes with every office drop-off.
Costs, Delivery Details and fine Print
Before adding virtual boxes to your real-life office haul, let‘s cover logistics around Caroo memberships. Here‘s the low down on how gifts get from their kitchens into your colleagues‘ eager hands.
Membership Plans: Caroo offers one-time gift box purchases along with bulk discounts for subscribing and sending monthly or quarterly. Additional savings kick in for subscribers ordering 10+ boxes per year through their corporate program.
Pricing: Due to ultra-customization, Caroo doesn‘t advertise flat rates. Box costs vary based on ingredients selected, quantity needed, extra goodies inserted, ornate display rental, etc. The starting range falls between $30 to $300+ per box depending on lavishness and size. Expect to invest $100 to $150 for a medium-sized box including 15-20 curated snacks, some branded extras, printed packaging and notes.
Ordering: All Caroo orders happen online by selecting a suggested box or filling out a detailed questionnaire. Their gifting specialists then contact customers to finalize orders within 3 days or less. Rush orders can ship within 48 business hours in a pinch.
Delivery: Once processing completes, boxes ship nationwide via FedEx or UPS within 2 days on average. International shipping availability varies by country regulations. Tracking links allow clients to monitor transit to plan festive gift presentations.
Cancellations: Caroo commitments operate on a month to month basis without binding contacts. Cancelling or rescheduling orders can happen penalty-free with 5+ days notice by contacting their customer experience team.
Discounts: Special deals often run around peak calendar occasions like the December holidays. Existing subscribers also get first dibs access to limited edition boxes in partnership with buzzy brands like Impossible Foods, Hint Water and Liquid Death. Sign up for Caroo‘s email list to get the inside scoop on savings and new product launches.
Caroo Reviews: Flavorful Feedack from Followers
Don‘t just take my word for it that Caroo corporate gifting garners rave reviews. Among verified ratings on independent review sites, Caroo earns:
- Trustpilot: 5 out of 5 stars from 95% of reviewers
- SiteJabber: 4.5 out of 5 stars from 92% of raters
- G2: 98% recommend, 93% user satisfaction score
Praise across the web spotlights Caroo‘s fine-tuned customization options, premium snack quality, memorable branding and unbeatable convenience. Even their most constructive critics grading them three stars out of five still deemed boxes better and bigger than DIY alternatives.
Among specific client call outs:
"The Caroo team spent over an hour asking thoughtful questions to select the perfect items that matched our executives’ tastes—and it showed. Our leadership loved the personal touches and variety.”
“We switched from doing in-house snacks to Caroo catering our monthly all-hands meetings this year. Everyone looks forward to the new themes and getting to try innovative products.”
“I’m beyond impressed with the presentation! They built a beautiful custom display for our lobby with our logo and colors that will totally elevate our conference.”
“Caroo’s offerings showed us how gifting can align with our diversity, equity and inclusion values. Their minority founder spotlights introduce our teams to talented voices.”
"We send Caroo client gifts instead of generic gift baskets now. Being able to incorporate cheeky inside jokes and meaningful personal details in a classy way makes connections more authentic."
If the volume of verified cheer across review sites holds any weight, Caroo convincingly conquers corporate gifting.
Alternatives for Office Gifting and Snacking
Caroo clearly leads today‘s workload culture perks pack. But for the sake of context in this comprehensive review, how do they size up against competitors vying for gifting budgets?
Here‘s a product-by-product run down of how Caroo collections outclass the top contenders:
Caroo vs SnackNation – Caroo offers significantly more mix-and-match flexibility, presentation pizazz, and extra surprises compared to its barebones snack-centric sister brand.
Caroo vs SnackCrate – With wider options beyond monthly packages and deeper personalization powers, Caroo provides a more versatile gifting vehicle for occasion-based wows.
Caroo vs SwagUp – No branded merch slinger can match Caroo‘s hyper-customization down to toute suite food ingredients and themed activities that level up espirt de corps.
Caroo vs Edible Arrangements – While charming, most competitors like Edible peddling fruit bouquets feel formulaic. They lack Caroo’s flair for nuance in both snacks selected and spiffy packaging that proves gifts hit the sweet spot.
Caroo vs Goldbelly – For sending gourmet fare rather than mass market munchies, Goldbelly also brings quality eats. Yet their regional food speciality focus has less range and customization than Caroo for office settings.
All in all, none of the services stacking up against Caroo check every box for inspired ingredients to presentation the way their end-to-end gifting genius does.
When your objectives call for making recipients truly light up while also making your brand shine, Caroo collections deliver on distinctiveness. Their tailored options crafted around office culture with masterful understating routinely result in colleague kudos and client conversions unmatched elsewhere.
Unwrap the Ultimate Office Gift Service
The data doesn‘t lie: when done with intention, office gifting drives ROI through real relationships. Seventy-two percent of professionals consideranies consider gifts their company gives a reflection the organization‘s values and people-first priorities.
Yet pulling off meaningful gestures often overwhelms busy managers and leaders lacking creativity bandwidth. Planning snack orders, designing visually engaging displays while keeping costs contained rarely realize the full potential.
That‘s where Caroo‘s dedicated gifting gurus step in as administrative angels. By bearing the workload around curating crave-worthy treats aligned to your office personality, they help you focus on making personal connections.
In the end, gifting greatness requires an emotional IQ and finessed follow-through few organizations can handle solo. Outsourcing to concierge services like Caroo lets you gain gracious gifting glory without the grind.
Based on 10+ years seeing countless corporate campuses ride the snack supplier carousel, I can conclusively crown Caroo royalty of the category. When it comes to consummately crafting packages permeating purpose, positive culture and palate-pleasing joy, none compare.
Treat your team, clients and self by taking Caroo for a test drive today. Once you witness their wizardry first-hand, you’ll become a fervent fan for life.
