# Take A Mail-Order Charcuterie Platter To The Next Level By Adding Your Own Personal Touch *By James Hills — Updated November 2026* A mail-order charcuterie kit from Platterful is one of the easiest foodie gifts you can send, because the cheese, meat, crackers and spreads arrive already chosen and all the recipient has to do is build the board. Platterful sent us a kit to try and I really enjoyed it, but every box like it has the same gap: it can't be personal. Here's how to add one or two things yourself, from a favorite creamery to a bottle from a shared trip, so the gift says it came from you. **Questions****How To Time Perishable Gifts So Nothing Sits On A Porch****Article Index** Cheese and cured meat ship on ice packs, so a few timing calls decide whether the board arrives cold or warm. - Order early in the week so a two-day box never sits in a warehouse over the weekend. - Line up a second shipment to land the same day as the kit or the day after, never days earlier. - Text the recipient that something cold is coming so it goes straight into the fridge. - Skip chocolate add-ons in hot weather, when shops like Kakawa may pause shipping to keep bars from melting. - Pick shelf-stable extras like olive oil, cookies and dried fruit for anyone who travels a lot or has an unpredictable schedule. 1. [What Comes In A Platterful Charcuterie Kit And Why It's An Easy Foodie Gift](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/personalize-mail-order-charcuterie-platter.html#what-comes-in-a-platterful-charcuterie-kit) 2. [Why A Mail-Order Charcuterie Box Can't Be Personal On Its Own](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/personalize-mail-order-charcuterie-platter.html#why-mail-order-charcuterie-boxes-cannot-be-personal) 3. [Here Are Some Of My Favorite Places That Mean Something Special To Me](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/personalize-mail-order-charcuterie-platter.html#add-one-item-from-a-brand-you-love) 4. [Ship A Second Box Or Use A Local Specialty Shop To Fill The Gaps](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/personalize-mail-order-charcuterie-platter.html#ship-a-second-box-or-use-a-local-shop) 5. [Send Drinks When Budget Or Distance Rules Out More Food](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/personalize-mail-order-charcuterie-platter.html#send-the-drink-when-food-will-not-work) 6. [Gift Baskets And Charcuterie Platter Gifts Are Great ... But Personalization Makes Them The Perfect Gift For Foodies](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/personalize-mail-order-charcuterie-platter.html#a-card-naming-where-each-add-on-came-from) Start with what the kit already covers, then add the pieces only you know about. If you want to build a board from scratch instead, our guide to [creating the perfect charcuterie platter for a Sonoma County wine tasting](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/how-to-create-the-perfect-charcuterie-platter-for-wine-tasting.html) walks through it, and Platterful also made our list of [holiday sides and desserts you can order online](https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/holiday-sides-and-desserts-to-order-online.html). ## What Comes In A Platterful Charcuterie Kit And Why It's An Easy Foodie Gift The large Platterful Charcuterie Kit packs three cheeses, two meats, one or two packs of crackers, two or three spreads and at least three extras like dried fruit, olives, candied nuts or chocolate. It arrives on ice packs with an instruction sheet and a video tutorial, and it feeds six to eight as an appetizer or two to four as a meal. Platterful also donates 10 meals to fight childhood hunger in the U.S. for every box sold. ### 20 Must-Have Items That Guys Need For Summer Backyard Entertaining Men's approach to backyard entertaining: 20 professional-grade items that create premium outdoor command centers. Master precision cooking and smart entertainment systems. Perfect for men 35-55 seeking social leadership. ManTripping [Read More](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/fWp8Vm8dCciA1GJYosP1Zg.2036) ### Finding Your Flame: Every Man's Guide to Mastering Different Grill Types Explore the ultimate backyard grilling guide comparing gas, charcoal, pellet, and wood grills. 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[Shop now on Platterful](https://platterful.com/products/platterful-charcuterie-kit?variant=40765424402625) ## Why A Mail-Order Charcuterie Box Can't Be Personal On Its Own A company shipping cheese and cured meat nationwide can't keep hundreds of different perishable items on the shelf, so every customer gets a version of the same box. 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A curated food gift box can't know those stories, but you can buy those pieces separately and add them on your own (or send it to your giftee so they can do it). The easiest add-ons fall into a few groups: olives, fruit, nuts, chocolate, cheese, meat, bread, and a craft drink like wine, cider or beer. Pick one or two that mean something to you or the person you're sending it to. ## Here Are Some Of My Favorite Places That Mean Something Special To Me You should create a list of your favorite places and sites like Goldbelly can be a great start, but I prefer to buy direct when possible. So let's take the Platterful charcouterie board as a base - it was honestly quite excellent but since you can't pick and choose it's more of "what they selected for you". Turn the table a bit and order that charcuterie kit, plus something special from a local or regional place. For example, sending some Hopyard Cheddar or Red Hawk to go along with the board suddenly turns it into something personal and unique that evokes memories that someone else's curation never will. - **[Rogue Creamery](https://roguecreamery.com/)** - I absolutely love Rogue Creamery, the Central Point, Oregon, creamery known for its blue cheeses. A wedge of Rogue blue next to the kit's cheeses gives the board a bold anchor. - **[Cowgirl Creamery](https://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/)** - This Petaluma, California, creamery ships its cheese collections nationwide by FedEx, and you can add a round of its Mt Tam triple cream to just about any of them. - **[Kakawa Chocolate House](https://kakawachocolates.com/)** - Kakawa is one of the stops in our [guide to food and culture in Santa Fe](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/giant-sculptures-unique-culture-and-awesome-food-in-santa-fe.html), and it sells its drinking chocolate elixirs as a dry mix, so the recipient can stir up a cup to finish the night. - **[Fustini's Oils and Vinegars](https://www.fustinis.com/)** - The Traverse City, Michigan, tasting room makes some of my favorite infused oils, including Porcini Mushroom and Garlic. The Garlic olive oil is a great addition for dipping the bread. One or two items is enough, as long as the recipient opens the box and recognizes the cheese from that road trip, or the oil you keep telling them about. If shipping costs are prohibitive, it's likely that you can find something from a local cheese, wine, or specialty food shop that can be quickly delivered. ## Ship A Second Box Or Use A Local Specialty Shop To Fill The Gaps When one add-on won't cover it, send a complementary box from another company or have a local shop deliver the rest. Tonight for instance I also had a sample sent from [Tropical Fruit Box](https://tropicalfruitbox.com/), a small business in Miami that ships tropical and exotic fruit, including a Sweet Tamarind box that starts at $49 for three pounds. They sent us a box of fruit, and we had a blast cracking open the sweet tamarind, pink pineapple, and mango to eat with our Platterful sample. A local cheesemonger or specialty food store near the recipient is the other option. Some offer their own local delivery or take orders through DoorDash, so if your brother-in-law loves mangos you can have a few ripe ones delivered the day his board arrives. Ask the shop what pairs with the kit's cheeses while you have them on the phone. ## Send Drinks When Budget Or Distance Rules Out More Food If the budget or the recipient's location makes another food shipment impractical, look up their favorite wine, beer, spirit, mead or cider instead. Have a couple of bottles delivered through Uber Eats or DoorDash, or call their local wine shop.  For instance, let's say your buddy loves Sonoma - it's difficult to create a fully authentic Sonoma County charcuterie platter with only Sonoma products through a charcuterie board service like Platterful, but you can send a couple of bottles from Alexander Valley Vineyards or a few beers from Russian River Brewing to bring back the memories of that guys trip through Sonoma wine country. The same works for a Northern Michigan guys trip: send a box of Cherry Republic Boomchunka cookies, made with dried cherries and white chocolate, and a bottle of cherry wine or Cherry Vodka from Grand Traverse Distillery.  ## Gift Baskets And Charcuterie Platter Gifts Are Great ... But Personalization Makes Them The Perfect Gift For Foodies A gift basket or a charcuterie kit like those from Platterful makes a great gift on its own. Someone with good taste already did the shopping, and it shows up ready to share without worrying about it being just a random shopping basket of items. What makes it the perfect gift for a foodie is the one thing no curated box can include: a piece of the social history you share with the recipient. So add that piece, and tell them why it's there. Tuck a card in with the kit, or text one the day it arrives, listing each extra and the memory behind it: the blue cheese from the road trip, the cherry wine from that weekend up north, the garlic oil for the bread because you know they'll double-dip. That's how you can take your 9/10 awesome gift and take it to 11! Top Picks Flow Voyages ### Book your next cruise with Heather at Flow Voyages Flow Voyages is a travel advisor specializing in cruises and resorts. [Contact Flow Voyages](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/EqHBRiVZF_o-qxEjtDk7VQ.617) Promoted by FlowAds Details Written by: James Hills Published: 07 November 2026 Last Updated: 07 November 2026 ### 🚢Ready To Book A Vacation? Let us help you plan a cruise, all-inclusive resort, or tour for your next guys trip, family vacation, or romantic getaway. 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