Artza is a quarterly subscription box that follows in the footsteps of Jesus, delivering the best artisanal food, crafts, and content from across the Holy Land straight to your door.
Each box will contain 7-9 full-sized products sourced directly from Israel. Items can include tasty treats, hand-crafted soaps and beauty products, custom spice mixes, unique games, and more. The boxes are curated to deliver the most authentic experience, searching throughout Israel for exclusive, high quality products that you and your family will enjoy.
Disclosure: Box was received for review. Post may contain affiliate links.
Subscriptions are $74.99/quarter or $94.99/quarter for Artza Premium (includes 1-2 additional items). Discounts are available on multi-box plans. — For a limited time, you can save 20% on your first box and get a FREE bonus Jerusalem box with any annual subscription! — Just use coupon code “FAITH20” at checkout.
Let’s see what’s in this quarter’s Artza “Christmas” box!
Everything was shipped in a maroon/dark red box with the Artza logo printed in white.
A peek inside!
The 2-sided info sheet above revealed this quarter’s “destination” — Christmas (various destinations) — and included interesting facts, photos, and even a few English to Hebrew translations.
An additional packet included a general box information card, 4 product/artisan cards, and 2 postcards.
The general info card listed all of the items I’d find in this quarter’s box.
Individual product information cards provided background info on each company/artisan and details on how best to utilize the items.
Two postcards were included, one featuring Jaffa — the ancient port city just south of Tel Aviv, and the other Manger Square — the center of all holiday activities and said to be the main hub of Bethlehem.
Spice Road Farm Pomegranate Fruit & Herbal Infusion
The fruit & herbal infusion above contains a flavorful mix of dried pineapple, dried papaya, dried cranberries, hibiscus, pomegranate powder and artificial flavors. Unlike a tea that needs to be steeped and discarded, this infusion is meant to be added to boiling water and sipped while the contents remain in your mug. According to their website, it’s a “must” to eat the soft fruits at the end. 🙂
Olive Wood Ornaments
The Christmas box contained not one, but two olive wood ornaments from Bethlehem. Both were beautifully handcrafted from olive wood trees dating over 150 years old. Carver Jamil Hosh, based in Bethlehem, honors a tradition that goes back to the fifteenth century, saying “No two pieces (of olive branch) are the same”. Likewise, every ornament is a truly one of a kind piece and make for amazing keepsakes. [As you can see, one of my ornaments arrived damaged so I contacted Artza and they were very quick to let me know they’d be sending over a replacement.]
Fantastic Holy Land Coloring Book
Russian-born artist Tali Melter emigrated to Israel at age 15 and soon fell in love with her new country. At age 42, she created Fantastic Holy Land as a way of “celebrating her home, and bringing the world along on her journey to see the beauty that she sees every day”. Suitable for both adults and children, the book includes 26 hand-created drawings of the Holy Land as well as descriptions and quotes from the Bible, so that you can turn it into a work of devotion and beauty.
Tereza Handmade Natural Bar Soap
These handmade bar soaps were featured in a past Artza box and I was happy to see them show up once again. 🙂 The fragrant, herb-studded bar was handcrafted by Tereza, a young mother of three who produces her all natural soaps in a small studio just outside the center of Nazareth. This particular bar was made especially for Artza and features pure ingredients including cocoa butter, shea butter, olive oil, and coconut oil.
Tryptic of Israeli Landscapes by Tamar Yair
Artist Tamar Yair grew up on a small kibbutz near the Dead Sea. As a child, she picked up a paintbrush and with inspiration from the amazing landscapes surrounding her, began to create beautiful art. The trio of paintings above depict three of Tamar’s favorite places in Israel, coupled with relevant Bible verses. Each print measures roughly 12 inches tall by 8 1/2 inches wide and are perfect for framing.
Halva Kingdom Pecan Halva
Eli Maman — a third generation halva maker — runs the Halva Kingdom stall in Jerusalem’s famous Machne Yehuda market, where you’ll find many flavors of his traditional treats. The Pecan Halva above was handcrafted using Ethiopian sesame, crunchy pecans, saponaria root extract, and other natural ingredients. It’s vegan-friendly, gluten-free, palm oil free, and can be enjoyed straight from the jar or incorporated into your favorite desserts.
Holy Cacao Bean to Bar Chocolate
Third generation culinary artisan Jo Zander moved to Israel over a decade ago and was met with disappointment upon seeking out high quality artisanal chocolate. To remedy this, he founded Holy Cacao — which is now considered the finest chocolate in all of Israel. For this quarter’s Artza box, he provided two exclusive chocolate bars: Pumpkin Spice — a nod to the American fall and winter season and Sachlav — an Israel-inspired treat featuring flavors of orange, cinnamon, and rose blossom combined with smooth white chocolate.
Framed Blessing by Noa Attias
For premium box subscribers, Artza also included a beautiful framed home blessing designed by paper cut artist Noa Attias. Noa chose to adorn the piece with two love doves to symbolize peace, along with wheat and pomegranate — two of the seven species that are special to the land of Israel. The blessing measures roughly 9 inches by 9 inches and comes complete with a hook for immediate display.
I loved learning about all of the artisans and products in this quarter’s Christmas-themed Artza box! My personal favorites were the Spice Road Farm Pomegranate Fruit & Herbal Infusion, Tereza Handmade Bar Soap, Halva Kingdom Pecan Halva, and Holy Cacao Chocolate Bars. 🙂 — Remember, for a limited time you can save 20% on your first box and get a FREE bonus Jerusalem box with any annual subscription! — Just use coupon code “FAITH20” at checkout.
Leave a Reply