Best Detroit Food Gifts at a Glance: Better Made potato chips (a Detroit institution since 1930) and Sanders chocolate are the two most distinctly Detroit food brands you can order online. Better Made’s 50-pack ships on Amazon for $34.99; Sanders Milk Chocolate Covered Chips are $29.99. For kitchen accessories, the Totally Bamboo Michigan cutting board ($24.99) and the Well Told Detroit coffee tumbler ($34.95) fill out the category.
Detroit food culture has a short list of brands that actually mean something to anyone who grew up here. Better Made chips. Sanders chocolate. Kowalski sausages. Vernors ginger ale. These are the things Detroiters pack into their luggage when they leave the state, or ask their family to ship when they’ve moved away.
The good news: some of them ship. Better Made and Sanders are both available on Amazon, and both are the real thing — not generic products with a Detroit logo slapped on them. The Michigan kitchen accessories (bamboo boards, engraved tumblers) round out the gift category for anyone who wants to bring Great Lakes culture into their kitchen.
Better Made and Sanders: Detroit’s Two Most Giftable Food Brands
Better Made Potato Chips has been a Detroit institution since 1930. The company is based on the east side of Detroit, still sources Michigan-grown potatoes, and the red-and-yellow packaging has barely changed in decades. The 50-pack case ($34.99) is the version available on Amazon — individual bags packed in a case, perfect as a party supply or a serious Detroit food gift for someone who grew up eating these. The chips handle shipping fine. This is one of those gifts where the recipient immediately knows you did your homework.
Sanders Milk Chocolate Covered Chips ($29.99) is where two Detroit institutions collide. Sanders was founded in Detroit in 1875 — they’re best known for their hot fudge topping and sea-foam candy, but the chocolate-covered chip product is what gets attention outside the state. It’s exactly what it sounds like: Detroit potato chips dipped in Sanders milk chocolate. It’s a gift that surprises people who haven’t tried it, and it ships well with a longer shelf life than fresh confections.
These two products are the most genuinely Detroit food gifts available online. They’re not produced elsewhere and branded with a Detroit skyline — they’re the actual brands from the actual city.
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Detroit Coffee Gear and Michigan Kitchen Accessories
The Well Told Detroit Map Coffee Tumbler ($34.95) is the best single item in the kitchen/coffee category. It’s a 14oz insulated travel tumbler with the Detroit street grid map laser-etched on the exterior — holds hot or cold, fits standard car cup holders, and looks good on a desk. For someone who commutes with coffee and has any connection to Detroit, this is a gift that gets used daily. Well Told’s engraving work is clean and permanent — it won’t wash off or fade.
The Michigan bamboo boards cover a different need. The Totally Bamboo Michigan-shaped cutting board ($24.99) cuts the board in the shape of the Lower Peninsula — the mitten shape that every Michigan resident recognizes immediately. The Michigan Mitten Bamboo charcuterie board ($29.99) is a more standard rectangle with a mitten-shaped engraving inset. Both are functional kitchen pieces, not just decoration.
Worth noting: the bamboo boards are Michigan gifts, not specifically Detroit gifts. If the person you’re buying for cares about the city more than the state, the Better Made chips or Sanders chocolate are the more targeted choice. If they love Michigan broadly, the bamboo boards land well.
Detroit Food Culture: What’s Not on Amazon
Better Made and Sanders are the best you can ship nationwide, but the full Detroit food story goes deeper. Buddy’s Pizza (the originator of Detroit-style square pizza) ships frozen pies directly from their site. Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor — technically Ann Arbor, but deeply connected to Detroit’s food culture — ships their famous Reuben and mail-order food packages nationwide. For coney dog enthusiasts, Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island don’t ship, but their recipes are deeply documented for home replication.
For the full picture of what Detroit’s food scene looks like in person, check out our Detroit restaurant guide and the Eastern Market food guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Better Made chips available to order online?
Yes — Better Made sells a 50-pack case on Amazon (ASIN: B0DM9FSVGR) for $34.99. It’s a case of individually packaged chip bags in their signature flavors. Availability fluctuates, but it’s been consistently in stock for shipping. Check availability before ordering if you need it by a specific date.
What are the most iconic Detroit food brands?
The most recognized Detroit-specific food brands are Better Made (chips, founded 1930), Sanders (chocolate and hot fudge, founded 1875), Kowalski (sausages), Vernors (ginger ale), and Buddy’s Pizza (the originator of Detroit-style square pizza). Of these, Better Made and Sanders are the most accessible through Amazon for online gifting.
What is a good Detroit food gift for someone who doesn’t eat chips?
The Sanders Milk Chocolate Covered Chips are the sweet alternative — chocolate-dipped rather than savory. For someone avoiding snack food entirely, the Well Told Detroit coffee tumbler and the Michigan bamboo boards are both functional kitchen gifts with no food component.
What is Detroit-style pizza?
Detroit-style pizza is a thick, square pizza with a crispy, frico-style cheese crust on the exterior from cheese pressed against the sides of the pan. The sauce goes on top of the cheese rather than underneath. It was invented at Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit in 1946. Detroit-style has expanded nationally — Jet’s Pizza, Little Caesars (founded in Detroit), and many independent spots now make versions of it across the country.