About

locaLI bred was founded to shine light on Long Island’s best local artisans and makers. Our curated gift boxes and marketplace are filled with both edibles and non-edibles. Each box serves the dual role as a memorable gift while also as a stamp of Long Island pride. Whether to welcome a newcomer to the Island or to give a native some fresh local flavors, our locaLI bred boxes ensure that the gift recipient truly makes a positive connection with the Island.

Each locaLI bred box supports at least 10 local businesses across Long Island, from artists to jam makers, spice blenders to candle makers, and everything in between. Please keep in touch; we update our boxes seasonally to feature the newest and best artisans here on Long Island.

Halie Geller, Co-Founder (pictured on right)

Halie was raised in upstate NY, the daughter of Long Island transplants who couldn't quite figure out how they ended up upstate... nor find their way home. Fortunately, Halie met and married a native Long Islander who knew the way. After a decade of city life, she happily decamped to the Island to start a family. A lawyer by trade, Halie worked as an international trade and customs attorney for years before deciding to invest her skills in something a little more meaningful and local. Halie lives in Huntington with her husband and two small children (who only get to see upstate New York when they visit Poppy and Grandma).

Theresa Pinelli, Co-Founder (pictured on left)

It took six different addresses in NYC and 2 ½ years in D.C., before Theresa and her husband found a permanent home on the Island. As a native Arizonan, Long Island was an exotic land to be explored (her husband, who hails from Levittown, had already done the exploring). An expert in small business, Theresa has more than 16 years experience across the retail, advertising and marketing industries, most recently in small business marketing at American Express. Theresa also holds a Pastry Arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education, and ran her own online based-bakery business while living in D.C. Theresa lives in Centerport with her husband and two small children who have never even heard of Arizona, and can’t fathom a place where the sand only leads to more sand.

Halie and Theresa met in 2015 as new moms, bonding over their Brooklyn transplant status and marriage to native Long Islanders. As they began to explore the Island (especially places with high chairs, caffeine and alcoholic beverages), they came to the realization that Long Island had just as much entrepreneurial spirit as Brooklyn, but the local artisans and goods of the Island needed to be more broadly showcased. Soon after, locaLI bred was born.