This box is so superbly designed. The details make it really fun. It is also super cool that they focus on products from Canadian towns that have fewer than 30,000 residents.
Acre 75 Gathered Subscription Box Overview
Cost: $97.95 + tax
Value: Unknown
Frequency: Quarterly
Cancellation Policy: One month’s notice
Payment: The 20th of September, December, March & June
Focus: “Acre75 Gathered is a lifestyle subscription box filled with useful, intentional and delicious products…. All of the items are made in small Canadian towns and each box is personally curated by our founder for you to love and enjoy.”
Ships From: Newton, Ontario
Established in: June 2019
Inside the Box
I don’t really do home decor. Almost everything I have that decorates my home was given to me. I don’t know if I’ll keep this, but I’ve found a spot on a shelf for it.
Cedar Mountain Studios is from Salt Spring Island, BC. I’ve heard many amazing things about the island, but I’ve never been there. This sign is handmade by Don and Suzanne Zacharias, who have been making things for over 40 years.
This exact version doesn’t seem to be available on their website, but comparing it to similar products, I would guess that it retails at $12.95.
I might turn into a coffee drinker yet. This coffee smells so good. Move over Sbux PSL, I’ll be making those at home *drools*. A bag like this goes for $9.50 and can be ordered online.
The Little Prince holds the Guinness World Record as the smallest purpose-built cinema at a whopping 16.29 square meters and just 13 seats. Tickets are a bit pricey at $23, but include unlimited popcorn and soft drinks. My guess is that the handmade specialty popcorn isn’t included in that offer. You’ll have to pay $8.95 for a small bag.
The label says that it is the “world’s best” classic caramel popcorn. I can’t really say whether or not that is true, but I can say that it is good. I finished the whole bag in one go :|. Tony doesn’t usually like caramel popcorn but agreed with me that it is tasty. If you’re in the area of Stratford, Ontario, I think the cinema and lounge is worth checking out. Grab a bag of caramel popcorn while you’re at it.
This is the product with the most eastern origin this season. It is a delicious-smelling potato seasoning. I’m not really a fan of potatoes, so this will be a nice addition to counteract the bland taste of those blah root veggies. You can order this online for $6.50.
This hot plate holder is perfect for neutral-toned and minimalist homes. Speaking of… if you like this kind of thing, you should check out my friend Natasha’s IG. She has excellent style and produces great content.
This trivet retails for $22 and I like it. I only have one other, which is from Guatemala and is super colourful. Having this one will be great for two reason: 1) It’s good to have more than one and 2) in case I want something more classy looking to present at a fancier dinner. Will that ever happen? Not likely, but just in case!
I love the name of this soap, and it doesn’t smell too bad either. I love the spiciness of the cinnamon and am pleased that it is made with pumpkin puree. I have this weird obsession with pumpkins because I’ve been trying to grow them for years with no success, but have plenty growing right now. You can get your own pumpkin soap online for $9.00.
This is a fun little tea towel with a nice print of autumn-associated objects. It’s made of organic cotton and the inks are water based. I’m not a huge fan of the colour orange, but it makes sense with the fall theme. You can get your own “Fall Fair” tea towel for $16 online.
This course seems totally up my alley. I did the Urban Herb School with Garliq many years ago. I learned a ton, really enjoyed it, and forgot most of it. Some things like propolis salves are natural medicines I still use to this day with much success. I would be interested in trying this course, but upon visiting their website I came across this:
Now I know that this was probably unintentional and the picture of burdock is just used as a decoration, but when you’re advertising a dandelion recipe, I expect to see dandelions. I don’t want to see burdock. The other thing that makes me pause is this statement for the course: “Distancing ourselves from capitalistic ideals.” Are you really doing that with this business model? This is a fully digital course, which means that their work (besides promotion) is done. Now they get to sit back and let the funds come in. I mean, I paid a little bit more and got in-person teaching for one full weekend every month for I think 8 months. I got hands-on instruction. This doesn’t even look like it offers instructional videos, rather just magazines/booklets once per month. Even with the 15% discount for subscribing to Acre 75, I can’t justify $359 for something I can get from books I probably already own.
Overall Impression
This is definitely one of my favourite boxes so far. Not because you get exceptional value for money spent (you don’t), but because the experience is so finely curated. The box itself is wonderfully designed with the names of the places the products are from and themed with the season. Even the tape used to secure the box is beautiful.
The total retail value of the products is $84.90 before tax, so this is not a box where you can expect to save money on the items. Perhaps this explains why there’s no discount for multiple boxes. If you were to purchase this box, it would have to be with the intention of supporting businesses from small towns and being exposed to products you might not otherwise have heard of, whether you like them or not. So far, despite this, I still recommend the box.
wanderingfawn 
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