Retail Confectioners International

Tip #5: Think Outside of the Box with Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2012-01-31T06:50:00.000-06:00

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, your customers arelikely requesting the classic, delicious chocolate covered strawberries. Haveyou considered also creating something to satisfy those non-traditionalromantics?

We’ve compiled just a few ideas to add some fun and varietyto a tried and true favorite

Go Tropical - Cover your strawberries inchocolate and then dip them in a tropical topping such as coconut, dried fruitbits or even lime or lemon zest.

Pile it On – Manyconfectioners create candy and caramel apples that are layered with goodness,so why not apply the same principle to your strawberries. Maybe you could do alayer of chocolate, then caramel and then sprinkle a few nuts.

Add Some Color –Use colored sugar crystals to create a rainbow of strawberries. Dipping them inwhite chocolate first will make the colors stand out but milk and darkchocolate lovers might want some color, too.

Combine Classics– Dip your strawberries in chocolate and then cover them in classic favoritessuch as sprinkles, chocolate morsels (for those ultimate chocoholics), cinnamonred hots or candy bar pieces.

Do you do something different or creative with chocolatecovered strawberries? Leave us a comment. We'd love to hear about it!

Tip #4: Free Tools for Measuring Your Social Media Presence

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

You’ve listened to everyone saying you must have a Facebookpage, Twitter handle and maybe even a blog, but how do you know these thingsare working? How do you leverage social media platforms for your business?

We have gathered some of the top free tools available tocollect data from your social media networks and make sense of it. Check themout and let us know what tools you use!

Facebook Insights– Facebook has a built-in tool for measuring and analyzing your Facebook page.As you know, Facebook often has changes and updates and it’s the same forFacebook Insights. They recently revamped it so that you can view even moreinformation about your page. To access Insights, just click on the “Insights”link on the left side of your Facebook page. From there, you can view adetailed analysis of your page including items such as likes, reach and engagement.

NetshellMail – Ratherthan logging into each account separately, this free tool allows you to receiveupdates on your social media accounts through a single weekly or daily email. NetshellMail currently supports FacebookTwitter, LinkedIn, Yelp, MySpace, YouTube, Foursquare and Citysearch.

Hootsuite – Oneof our favorite features of Hootsuite is the ability to schedule posts to socialmedia accounts in advance, but did you know it also has great analyticsfeatures? You can monitor keywords, followers, trends and engagement.

Tweriod – Thisfree tool will analyze your Twitter account and let you know when yourfollowers are most engaged on Twitter. Then, you can schedule your tweets at times whenyour followers are most likely to see and respond. No login or registration isnecessary; just enter your Twitter account information and it will email you areport. Tweriod suggests doing a monthly analysis since behaviors tend tochange over time.

Klout – Kloutmeasures your online influence. How many people are you really reaching? Areyou driving them to action? Visit this website for your Klout Score to find outhow significant your online influence really is.

Do you have tools you use to monitor your company’s socialmedia presence? Leave us a comment and share below!

Tip #3: Four Ds to Declutter Your Desk

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

We know how easy it is to let emails and papers pile up onyour desk or in your inbox. The following Four Ds of Decision-making will notonly reduce clutter but also increase your productivity. You may want to sharethis one with your employees and colleagues!

The principle of the Four Ds is that you must do one of the following uponreceiving an email or other item. By deciding what to do upon receipt, youavoid the temptation to say, “I’ll deal with it later.”

Delete – Askyourself if this email or paper contains information you can find elsewhere? Ifit’s a duplication of information, then you can safely trash it.

Do – Is it anitem that will take just a couple of minutes to do? Take a moment to do it andyou won’t regret it. There’s no point setting it to the side if you can do itquickly. Take care of it and then you can probably delete it. Tip: If the item is something you needto read such as industry articles and news sources, create a “To Read” file andset aside time each week (or day) to read. As you’re reading, don’t just flagpages to come back to later – if you find an article contains informationworthy of keeping, tear it out and file accordingly.

Delegate – If youcan’t delete it or do it quickly, you may need to delegate it to an employee orcolleague. Maybe it’s an item that shouldn’t have come to you in the firstplace, or it could be that you’re not the right fit for what needs to be done.If it’s an email, forward the email to your team member and requestconfirmation that they’ll take care of it. Then, you can safely delete theoriginal and move on.

Defer - Lastly,after deleting, doing and delegating, there may be some items that only you cando and that will take a little longer to do. First, determine your deadline forthe item and then put it on your calendar to do in light of the deadline. Bydeferring items according to deadline, you’ll be sure to first complete theitems that are most important. For example, instead of spending useful time onsomething that you have three months to complete, you’ll be able to focus onthe task that is due next week.

As a candy and chocolate maker, you have so many thingscoming to you in one day. We hope today’s tip will help you create order out ofwhat could be chaos.

Tip #2: Let Your Marshmallow Breathe

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Making your own marshmallow? Congratulations!

We’ve got a tip to help you get the most out of your timeand product. Don’t store your marshmallow too quickly! Be sure marshmallow iscompletely at room temperature before cutting and packaging. Marshmallow needsto breathe for a while or else the warmth may create moisture and you mayexperience mold on your product. A general rule of thumb is to let marshmallowsit overnight before cutting it and storing it. Also, think about what you aredusting your marshmallow with. Corn starch doesn’t allow it to continue tobreath once packaged. Other options? We hear toasted coconut is pretty tasty!

If you have some marshmallow tips to share, please leave acomment! We want to create a community of sharing here at the RCI Tip of theWeek blog.

Tip #1: Write Down Your Ideas

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

We are in the first week of January - the week of newbeginnings, right?

Have you been coming up with new ideas for your business for2012? Our first tip of the year is to write down your ideas when you think ofthem. Candy makers live fast-paced lives, moving from chocolate temperingto supply ordering to payroll, oftentimes all within the first hour of theday. If you don't write down what you're thinking, there is a pretty goodchance you'll forget it.

Here are some of the useful ways RCI staff and members trackideas:

Pencil and Paper - Sounds old-fashioned, we know, but it works! Keep a notebook and pen with you at all times and you'll be ready to write down (or draw) those brilliant ideas when they come.

Apps (this is a small sampling of the many available note-taking apps for your smart phone)

Notes - Most smart phones have a 'notes' app that allows you to type in notes to be saved in your phone. You can save it and get back to it later and you can usually email your note as well.
Evernote - This cross-platform application allows you to keep all of your brains in one place and access them from anywhere. Our favorite feature: when you search by keyword it actually searches handwritten text inside of your images (Example: Take a picture of a handwritten sticky note and it saves it and includes the handwritten text in the search!). From evernote.com: "You're always moving, your notes should be too. With Evernote, your memories are on every computer, phone and device you use."
reQall - This app lets you record your ideas and then send them to yourself in a variety of ways (text or email, for example). Also incorporated is a reminder option to help you 'reQall' your notes. We haven't used them together, but the reQall website says there is a reQall for Evernote to get the best of both applications

Email - Sitting at home on your computer? Email yourself the idea so you'll have it in your inbox when you get to work. Of course, you can usually do this with your smart phone as well.

Google Notes - Google Notes allows you to collaborate with multiple users. Rather than emailing your colleague back and forth, you can share a notes page and see each other's additions and edits. Plus, if you already have a Google account, it's one less username and password to remember.

We know this is just a few of the many ways to write downyour thoughts. Share your ideas in the comments below: How do you takenotes and ensure you don't forget those great middle-of-the-night ideas?

Be sure to check back for next week's tip! Want a hint? Wehave an answer to a sticky question.

Coming in 2012...

2011-12-06T17:41:00.001-06:00

We're so excited to debut our new Tip of the Week blog! Beginning in January 2012, be sure to check in weekly as we share helpful tips for retail confectioners. If you haven't added RCI's blog to your blogroll yet, be sure to do so soon!

Do you have tips that you want to share? Just leave a comment and it may be featured in a future weekly post.

Plus, be sure to sign up today for our new weekly e-news resource, available to all confectionery professionals. Just click here to sign up! (you'll receive your first update in January 2012)

Fall Regional 2011 - Texas

2011-09-22T23:54:00.002-05:00

We're so excited to be in Houston and Galveston, Texas this week. We've had some great education sessions and are in the midst of our tour days. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for pictures. Videos will be coming soon!

Announcing 2012 Convention Location

2011-07-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

We're so excited to be heading west for the 2012 Annual Convention & Industry Expo! Link up with us June 11-15, 2012 for the convention and then reconnect in Hawaii June 17-20.

Want a taste of San Francisco? Watch the video below:

Annual Convention Videos

2011-07-15T13:05:00.000-05:00

Did you miss any of the daily recap videos on our YouTube channel?

Check them out here!

2011 Annual Convention - Tour Day 2

2011-07-14T10:29:00.006-05:00

The last day of the convention we spent touring an additional four area candy stores. It was so wonderful of each of these stores to host us and show us their behind-the-scenes areas. Enjoy these photos as a sneak peak of what our members enjoyed.

Philadelphia Candies:

Daffin's Candy:

Rosalind Candy Castle:

Anderson's Candies:

2011 Convention - Tour Day 1

2011-06-23T17:35:00.007-05:00

Convention attendees had the opportunity to visit a number of Pittsburgh area candy stores Wednesday as well as a packaging facility. Stay tuned for a recap video
of the day. Until then, enjoy some pictures!

Dorothy's Candies:

Sarris Candies:

Duerr Packaging:

Andy's Candies:

2011 Convention: Tuesday Recap Video

2011-06-21T22:54:00.003-05:00

We're so excited for the great turnout at our 91st Annual Convention & Industry Expo. Watch the video below to see just a peak of all the great things happening here in Pittsburgh.

And don't forget, it's not too late to visit the tradeshow. From 9:00 a.m. to 1:0o p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday), confectionery industry professionals receive complimentary entrance into the tradeshow and make some great connections.

Welcome to Pittsburgh!

2011-06-20T07:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome to RCI's 91st Annual Convention & Industry Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tradeshow set-up begins tomorrow and we are so excited to meet the 300+ confectioners coming by to see us. Check out our first convention video below as RCI Incoming President Terry Hicklin of Candy House welcomes YOU to Pittsburgh:

FredLyn Nut Company

2010-12-08T21:33:00.001-06:00

FredLyn Nut Company roasts and seasons nuts in the Houston metro area.

Bagged or weighed, these nuts taste great!

Their variation of a chocolate fruit basket is delightful!

The bag and tissue area is perfect for customers on the go!

Location:Houston, TX

LaKing's Confectionery

2010-12-08T16:26:00.001-06:00

LaKing's Confectionery offers a turn-of-the-century experience like no other candy store.

Steve shows off a large peppermint stick.

The King family has been making confections since 1927.

Owner, Jack King (right) built the displays for novelty candies.

Rachel makes great baskets at the store.

Jack keeps historic machines like this original Savy enrober from France.

Upstairs houses the ice cream making room.

The packing room overlooks the famous Strand Street.

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Location:Galveston, TX

Kegg's Candies

2010-12-08T13:03:00.002-06:00

Kegg's Candies is a Houston tradition. Their signature red and white color is throughout the store.

The Savvy enrober from France has a built in tempering unit to expedite production.

Their Pecan Crisp is like a traditional brittle but made sweeter and crunchier with pecans.

Owner Carl Bartuch shows off the mixing area being used to make Pecan Crisp.

The production and storage area fits nicely in the 9,000 square foot back room. In fact they could expand into another 4,000 square feet in the building if needed.

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Location:Houston, TX

The Chocolate Bar

2010-12-08T10:52:00.001-06:00

Near Rice University, The Chocolate Bar is in an upscale shopping area friendly to pedestrians.

The store offers cakes, cookies, brownies, coffee, ice cream and chocolate to shoppers.

This retail location (one of two in Houston) encourages group gatherings, parties and even live jazz music and dancing on Thursday nights.

The store offers unique packaging ideas.

These chocolate bricks look like a solid piece of gold!

The 'design your own bar' is popular for chocolate pizzas, too.

'Every hour is happy hour' at the Chocolate Bar!

Candylicious is a whole different area of the store offering nostalgic sweets to kids of all ages.

Birthday cakes are a special treat! Made with a styrofoam base, these larger-than-life numbers are covered with candy making an inside-out piñata.

The Chocolate Bar adapted their products to make mini treats like these.

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Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolates

2010-11-24T10:14:00.002-06:00

Bissinger's is a St. Louis tradition.

Their store has recently moved about six blocks to a newer, higher trafficked location offering wine, tea and coffees paired with chocolates. They have become a great place for families to visit and a great 'date night' stop.

The shelves feature some of their top sellers like dried fruits half dipped in chocolate, chocolate covered blueberries (similar to chocolate covered cherries), and more decadent delights!

Beautifully packaged confections for fall.

An African dark chocolate is a new item that has been very well received.

A snapshot of their sample plate features their own gummies made with a consistent base in flavors like apricot green tea, pomegranate, lemon Ginger yuzu to name a few. They are a fine food lovers delight!

This snapshot shows their signature wine grape that had been raisined and covered in chocolate. It's wonderful followed by a merlot salt caramel, Chardonnay salt caramel or margarita salt caramel. To see more photos or to order these treats, go to www.bissingers.com

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Baileys' Chocolate Bar

2010-11-20T21:08:00.001-06:00

The chocolate weekend continues...
Baileys' Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square specializes in chocolate martinis and chocolate desserts. All selections begin with mini chocolate chip cookies as the amuse bouche. baileyschocolatebar.com

The tiramisu martini is 'martini yum'!

The Sexual Martini brought smiles all around this group-lol!

The Blondie Brownie is topped with chocolate chips and pecans with decadent vanilla ice cream.

The Brownie Royale is not for the faint at heart! It's a Baileys' Split on top of a brownie with whipped cream, nuts, caramel and chocolate- a decadent delight!

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Location:St Louis, MO

Kakao Chocolate

2010-11-20T16:52:00.001-06:00

Brian and Melanie Pelletier and their staff welcomed us to Kakao Chocolate. www.kakaochocokate.com

Brian hosted a chocolate tasting party in their working kitchen.

The sea salt caramels and bacon brittle were favorites.

The marshmallow pie was divine!

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Location:St. Louis, MO

Lake Forest Confections

2010-11-20T00:24:00.001-06:00

Lake Forest Confections is a mainstay in St Louis.

The store has a heritage that is decades old.

Lake Forest Bakery closed next door to the candy store. After so many customers came in to Lake Forest Confections looking for baked goods, the candy store decided to add baked goods to their product line.

The Lake Forest version of the rocky road confection.

NEW peppermint truffles just debuted this week!

The decorations are handmade by artisans in the shop.

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Location:St Louis, MO

The Fountain on Locust

2010-11-19T14:51:00.001-06:00

Joy, the owner of the Fountain, is said to have painted the art deco murals on the walls at the restaurant wrapping around the ice cream counter and chocolate confections case.

The lunch crowd just left (we missed the photo because we lingered after lunch sampling chocolates and ice cream).

The chocolate case features some of their own seasonal confections plus favorites from Asher's and Sanders, both RCI wholesale members.

The ticket for lunch came with cranberry fudge bits- the perfect way to end a meal!

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Location:St Louis, MO

Crown Candy

2010-11-19T14:40:00.001-06:00

Crown Candy is well-known in St Louis for their BLT sandwich with a half a pound of bacon washed down with sweet malts and shakes followed by chocolates for dessert.

The candy case at Crown has been the same for decades.

Their giant molded Santa shares the Christmas spirit.

Licorice is a timeless treat.

Molded pops are popular in the fall, too.

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Location:St Louis, MO

George's Candy

2010-09-16T14:39:00.001-05:00

Everybody loves the macaroons at George's!

This is the last stop on the tour days during the 2010 Fall Regional Institute. Join us at upcoming events! Find more information at www.retailconfectioners.org

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Shriver's Salt Water Taffy

2010-09-16T14:01:00.001-05:00

Shriver's was est. in 1898 and they learned that taffy, fudge, caramel popcorn and mint rolls were great sweets to make along the coast. High temperatures and humidity does not lend itself well to chocolate making.

Shriver's coined the name 'salt water taffy' and that is still a signature item. They pull 50 pounds at a time.

Cooking, pulling and wrapping are the three steps to making taffy.

They operate a gelato shop next door offering a cool treat in the summer sun.

They pipe chocolate designs and decorate them with non-pareils to create delicate decorations.

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Lucille's Own Make Candies

2010-09-16T10:12:00.001-05:00

Janice, the third generation chocolatier in the family, welcomed us to Lucille's in Manahawkin, New Jersey.

Second generation chocolatiers, Larry and Ginger keep the retail store running, fix machines and run errands for the company.

The retail store features long candy cases of chocolate jellies, creams, caramels, clusters, bark and nuts. They sell whole blocks of chocolate to customers, too.

The starch room houses crackers, pretzels and all the items that need to stay dry with little exposure to humidity.

Their signature butter creams are made in house. The cutter, bottomer, coated and cooling table facilitate fast and continuous production. They make over 5,000 pounds of finished butter creams each year.

Fourth generation family member, Katherine, oversees quality control and packing.

Their other location makes hollow chocolate molds.

We had a great time on the tour!

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James' Candy

2010-09-16T08:26:00.001-05:00

The 5th floor production area produces peanut butter chews and taffy, their signature pulled treats sold at five local stores and in their other stores along the coast.

Automated taffy puller

Pulling machine

Production runs smoothly if the wrapping machines are working!

Food safety traceability sheet

Their production schedule is clearly posted so all employees can see it. As many as sixty employees work in the historic building (which doubles as the production facility) each Christmas.

Taffy gets wrapped, sorted into bags, stuffed into boxes, date stamped, wrapped in a final cello seal, put into cartons and loaded on palettes.

Making enrobed chocolate

They use one tunnel for two entombing machines. The white chocolate enrober is set up on one end of the tunnel and when the demand for production changes, the belt in the cooling tunnel reverses to run milk chocolate covered confections.

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Awards banquet

2010-09-15T20:06:00.001-05:00

Bob Anderson entertained us with beach-themed acoustic guitar music during the casual banquet dinner.

Dinner was salad, lobster, scallops, sausage, scallops, corn on the cob, pasta, chicken finished with chocolate and ice cream and coffee.

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IT'SUGAR

2010-09-15T20:00:00.001-05:00

The Atlantic City boardwalk leads to IT'SUGAR, a retail franchise specializing in nostalgic, major branded candy.

Islands of candy separated candy balls, gummies and sours.

Their largest gummy beat is 9" tall!

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Giambri's favorites

2010-09-15T13:57:00.001-05:00

They make and wholesale chocolate covered pretzels with over 50 different toppings.

Their caramel filled waffles are divine!!

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Giambri's Quality Candy in Clementine, NJ

2010-09-15T13:28:00.001-05:00

They make a fantastic wintergreen or teaberry candy cane treat using a traditional pulled method shaped by hand covered with leather gloves on a canvas board. The gas heat keeps the candy soft and easy to work with during the process.

He evens out the stripes and shapes it on a rotating canvas bed.

The finished piece is cut by hand and formed into a candy cane on a wooden hook mold.

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Flying W private airport resort

2010-09-15T12:12:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed lunch at the Flying W private airport resort where Harry Callie from Callie's Candy Kitchen used to fly into to visit Bill Reily in Medford.

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Reily's Candy in Medford, NJ

2010-09-15T10:47:00.001-05:00

Mirian and Barbara work in the production area with two enrobers.

Mike is the resident chocolatier.

Owner, Susan Palkon, shares secrets during the tour.

Clever packaging for a chocolate pizza slice

Assorted tray

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Aunt Charlottes in Merchantville, NJ

2010-09-15T09:28:00.001-05:00

Aunt Charlottes is set in the beautiful, quaint town of Merchantville along tree lined streets.

The retail store tells the story of production in pictures so customers appreciate the handcrafted sweets even more.

Great ideas for fall treats!

Their variation if caramel and chocolates paired with cashews.

The chocolates are marked by hand by Priscilla in the production area upstairs.

Thank you to the Oakford family for hosting us!

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Candy Clinic

2010-09-14T14:53:00.001-05:00

The Chocolate Spike features a fall football basket full of team colored treats for football fans.

Morley uses a heart shape on a caramel extruded to make chocolate covered hearts.

Caitlin Coblentz shows off small, point of sales sellers that are individually wrapped and sold in a box to other businesses in their area.

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Candy Clinic highlights

2010-09-14T14:29:00.001-05:00

Wahl's Candies in Buffalo, NY made a harvest bark with cranberries, cinnamon apples, pecans in chocolate. Their cranberry apple caramel corn sells great in the fall with dried cranberries, diced apples, and cinnamon.

Lemon basil truffles and cinnamon basil peach truffles pair well with local wines in Blacksburg, Virginia at The Chocolate Spike.

Bill from Chocolate Fetish shares his clever idea for storing chocolate boxes using wire closet shelving installed upside-down so the boxes stay on the slanted shelves.

Morley shows their pink items they wrap at their store to support breast cancer research. They donate $1 from each sale in this line to research as a way to support their community.

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Highlights from the Philadelphia National Candy Show

2010-09-14T13:36:00.002-05:00

Niagara showcases great ideas for candy buffets.

Matt demos dipping in a table top melter.

Pennsylvania Dutch showcases great products to wholesale like a four foot gummy snake!

The Hilliards automated chocolate enrober speeds coating chocolates.

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Location:Pacific Ave,Atlantic City,United States

Fancy chocolates

2010-09-14T12:21:00.001-05:00

There are more things you can do with chocolate than you can imagine. Christmas trees, decorated moons, painted eggs, chocolate fountains - just use your imagination.

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Location:Ontario Ave,Atlantic City,United States

Candy papparatzi

2010-09-14T12:13:00.001-05:00

Phenomenal guest appearance by our exec director Kelly and past pres Fran.

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Location:Ontario Ave,Atlantic City,United States

Gelato!

2010-09-14T12:07:00.001-05:00

Nothing like gelato to help increase sales during the warm summer months.

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Philly Show

2010-09-14T12:03:00.001-05:00

Need labels for your candy? Met Speed Labels can help!

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Interaction in booths

2010-09-14T11:25:00.001-05:00

Aspecialty Box promotes their new products.

Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate promotes their Peter's, Wilbur and Veliche brands.

Howie from H&C sales says hello!

Madelaine's booth

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Tradeshow booths

2010-09-14T11:13:00.001-05:00

RCI members enjoy the show.

Philly tradeshow

2010-09-14T10:35:00.001-05:00

Attendees board the RCI bus to the convention center. RCI member Mike Koch, Morley Brands LLC presents an educational session about how to control allergens in production facilities. Darlynne asks a question during the presentation about her store, Life's So Sweet Chocolates
in Trumansburg, NY.
Link to educational sessions: http://www.phillycandyshow.com/seminars.aspx

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Fall Regional begins

2010-09-14T10:28:00.001-05:00

Attendees at the stall Regional Institute enjoy breakfast together before touring the Philadelphia National Candy Show

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RCI to Atlantic City for Fall Regional Institute

2010-08-25T15:28:00.002-05:00

Join RCI in Atlantic City for the 2010 Fall Regional Institute

September 13-16, 2010

We're excited to announce that the RCI 2010 Fall Regional Institute will be co-located with the Philadelphia National Candy Gift & Gourmet Show in Atlantic City, which will allow you to make the most of your visit and attend both events in the same trip!

The RCI Regional will begin on Tuesdy night, September 14, following the Philly Candy Show which begins Sunday, September 12 and includes many educational sessions and a tradeshow at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

The RCI Regional will kcik off with Candy Clinic on Tuesday evening and continue Wednesday and Thursday with bus tours of New Jersey confectioners. We will visit Aunt Charlottes' (Merchantville), Reily's Candy (Medford), Giambri's Quality Sweets (Clementon), IT'SUGAR and James Candy (both in Atlantic City), Lucille's Own Make Candies (Manhawkin), Shriver's Salt Water Taffy & Fudge and George's Candy (both in Ocean City).

You can find more details about the Regional on the RCI events page where you will find the complete schedule and registration form. Space is filling up, so respond today to be sure you can take part in this unique event! http://http://rci.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=60196&module_id=3021

Buffalo Trace Distillery, Louisville Slugger Museum, and Packing Up

2010-06-30T12:56:00.004-05:00

Touring the Buffalo Trace Distillery - we saw them pack the Sazerac variety

Packing Blantons single barrel bourbon at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, KY

Taste testing at Buffalo Trace

Touring the Louisville Slugger Museum - we saw a great historical film, an exhibit area, and a tour of the bat factory.

Working off our convention calories by carrying the RCI luggage. Just this and an SUV full - easy peasy!

Tour Day 2: Schimpff's Confectionery and Candy Museum

2010-06-30T12:49:00.003-05:00

Watching their favorite red hots being made in Jeffersonville, Indiana

Touring Schimpff's Candy Kitchen

Touring the Candy Museum with RCI attendees at the annual convention

Jill Schimpff points out historical items in the Candy Museum

Kentucky Derby Hat Themed Reception at Don and Pam Hurt's Home

2010-06-30T12:46:00.003-05:00

The group arrives at the hat party at Don and Pam Hurt's house

Having fun at the Derby Hat Party

The hats are a hit!

Even the guys enjoy the hats at the Hurt party

Kentucky Horse Park

2010-06-30T12:38:00.003-05:00

Amanda, Elaine, and Joe had lunch at the Kentucky Horse Park, then enjoyed equestrian shows at the park

Chocolates at the Horse Park

Charles Flavelle takes the reins at the park

Judy and Maegan enjoyed the Hall of Champions

Tour Day 1: Rebecca Ruth Candies

2010-06-30T12:31:00.003-05:00

Stepping into Rebecca Ruth Chocolates in Frankfort, KY

Their version of bourbon cherries are topped with pecans

Classic candy jars line the counter top

Bourbon products are kept cool in the refrigerator

Tour Day 1: Old Kentucky Chocolates

2010-06-30T12:24:00.004-05:00

Don Hurt greeting the Bus Tours at Old Kentucky Chocolates

Entering the store on Southland Drive

Kitty and the staff make 1,500 baskets during the holidays in this room!

Thanks to the staff!

Patty gets bourbon cherries to take home with her!

A view from inside the store

RCI 90th Annual Convention and Industry Expo in Lexington, KY

2010-06-30T12:18:00.002-05:00

Celebrating Elaine's retirement

Enjoying the RCI Hospitality Suite

Choc-umentary of Annual Convention

2010-06-25T05:56:00.002-05:00

Wish you were here! Follow the annual convention and tours presented by The Food Channel:
http://http://www.foodchannel.com/stories/2847-give-me-candy-90th-annual-rci-convention-kicks-off-in-kentucky

Convention Tour Site a Top 10 Store in the US

2010-06-04T13:38:00.002-05:00

RCI member, Schimpff's Confectionery, was named as one of the top 10 candy stores in the country by USA Today. Chocolate and candymakers attending the RCI National Convention & Industry Expo June 21-25 in Lexington, Kentucky will get a peek into operations of the store in an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the store hosted by owners Warren & Jill Schimpff.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/10great/2010-06-03-national-candy-month_N.htm

For more information about the convention schedule or to register, go to the RCI website: https://rci.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=60196&module_id=3021

The Food Channel Prepares for Choc-umentary

2010-06-04T11:48:00.001-05:00

The Food Channel prepares for Choc-umentary at the RCI National Convention June 21-25 in Lexington, Kentucky http://www.foodchannel.com/stories/2758-countdown-to-chocolate

Day 3 Dorothy Cox Chocolates

2010-04-21T20:09:00.010-05:00

Last Spot on the Tour - Dorothy Cox's Chocolates

Thank you to the Cox family for hosting us at the store!

Touring the Production Area

The chocolate panning machine is making chocolate covered cranberries

The non-pareil machine was purchased in 1978 and has made 2,000lbs of non-pareils in one day!

These panned cranberries get coated with 100lbs of chocolate per 50lbs of fruit in the rotating drum.

Dorothy Cox is known for her great gift baskets and their buttercrunch toffee

The RCI New England Chocolate Tour notebook includes information about each store.

Day 3 Hilliards Chocolate Systems

2010-04-21T20:06:00.006-05:00

Alan Hillard, founder of Hillard Chocolate Systems, delighted attendees during the Tour with Jim Connelly, purchasing and sales department.

Arriving at Hillard Chocolate Systems

Thank you to Hillards for hosting us on the Tour! David Jones, Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen (RCI board president 2009-2010), Jim Connelly and Sheri Anderson, office manager receive the RCI plaque thanking them for the visit to Hilliard's.

Hillards supplies for making chocolates

The Hillards showroom

Special guest Herm Rowland, president of Jelly Belly, joins Kelly Brinkmann from RCI on the tour day.

Day 3 Green Mountain Chocolate Factory & lunch at Chateau Italian restaurant on Lake Winnecunitt

2010-04-21T12:07:00.006-05:00

Bill and Lisa Campbell welcome us to Green Mountain Chocolate in Hopedale, MA.

The pallet receiving area is a great area to inspect containers before they are ever brought into the facility.

Lunch at the Chateau Italian Restaurant on Lake Winnecunitt

Striping black raspberry truffles.

Tasting truffles in the retail area.

Thank you Campbell family and staff for hosting us and giving each of us 32 truffles!

Inspecting procedures are very important in any facility and they have thorough practices at Green Mountain.

Day 3 Hilliard's House of Candy

2010-04-21T11:59:00.011-05:00

Day 3: The last day of tours on the RCI New England Chocolate Tours

Chocolate Pops!

Starting the tour day at Hillards House of Candy in Easton, MA.

Ice cream at 11am is divine! Taste testing all day is such hard work!

The packing wheel slowly rotates so the assorted boxes can by hand-packed by Cheryl

Hillards House of Candy

Attendees having a great time

Charlie, the owner, giving the Behind-the-Scenes tour

Kahlua Truffles

Learning to make peppermint cremes. After they set, they will be enrobed in chocolate.

Making nut clusters with a fork.

Hillards historic signature flagship store.

Hang bagging non pareils

The store interior speaks of Judy's style.

Ice Cream display

Hillards dipping machine keeps the chocolate tempered and ready to use for dipping.

Making chocolate covered cherries - my favorite fruit serving!

Day 2 Nichols Candies, Inc.

2010-04-20T16:40:00.006-05:00

The enrobers are tucked away in the basement of this quaint waterside store. Barbara Nichols and Esther Whetstone catch up with each other.

This 1972 Hillards enrober is the core of their machinery.

At Nichols, they pair you with a personal shopper to choose your chocolates displayed on trays under plastic sheeting.

Thank you to Bill and Barbara Nichols and their staff for hosting us!

It's a wonder how they get any work done at Nichols Candies in Gloucester, MA with a view of the water like this!

The party always ends up in the kitchen with Bill.

Talking about what Nichols makes at its store.

Day 2 Winfrey's Fudge

2010-04-20T16:35:00.005-05:00

Enrobing and hand marking coffee creams.

Thank you to the Winfrey family for the great tour!

Milk coffee creams get cut and enrobed by Carol at Winfrey's

The Econoseal packing unit packs maple walnut fudge at about 20 boxes per minute.

Tomric makes makes a similar guitar cutter to cut melt aways.

Finished coffee creams come of the cooling tunnel

The packing table is maximized for efficiency.

Day 2 Lunch at Davenport Yacht Club

2010-04-20T13:37:00.003-05:00

Lunch at the Danversport Yacht Club was beautiful! Hank & Janice Whetstone celebrated their 25th anniversary today

Day 2 Mrs. Nelson's

2010-04-20T13:33:00.005-05:00

Thank you to the Mapes Family for hosting us at their store.

Mrs. Nelson's Store

Chocolate wedding favors are still the best gift!

Chocolate's for Administrative Professional's Day.

Learning the secrets of making great chocolate from Arthur Mapes, owner.

Mrs. Nelson's version of caramel nut clusters.

Day 2 Hebert Chocolate Mansion

2010-04-20T13:27:00.004-05:00

The Hebert Mansion

Bob, from Hebert's, and Henry Whetstone trading secrets.

Chocolate-opoly game produced by Late for Sky games.

Bark Trio

Retail Area

A great idea for birthday parties.

Hebert's Candies, established the same year as RCI in 1917.

Headed off today to tour Hebert's Mansion, Mrs. Nelson's, Winfrey's & Nichol's.

Day 1 Sessions & Dinner in Worcester, MA

2010-04-20T13:24:00.003-05:00

Dinner out at the finest Italian restaurant in Worcester, MA.

We learned to fill email lists with customers, vendors, corporate clients, etc. with top of mind marketing techniques.

Learning from valuable educational sessions about company marketing on the web with Terrapin Art & Design.

Day 1 Munson's Chocolates and Mystic Inn for lunch

2010-04-20T13:12:00.008-05:00

Lunch at the historic Mystic Inn, where Laure Bacall and Humphrey Bogart honeymooned, was delicious.

Fran Cox, Jr. leads the tour into Munsons

Mini Munsonettes!

Munsons uses frozen bananas to make chocolate covered fruit.

They can fill 1,200, one pound boxes a day of product.

Some signature confections at Munsons

Signature Confections

Taking a break in the sun

Thank you to Bob, Karen, and Jim Munson and their staff for a great tour!

Day 1 Hauser Chocolates

2010-04-20T13:04:00.007-05:00

Thank you to the Hauser family.

This double twist machine converts to bar wrapping, too.

Adding texture to truffles.

Truffle making machine fills ganache center and shell at the same time.

Hauser is the only truffle shell manufacturer left in the U.S. They make a 26 or 35 mm shells for large customers.

Blueberry port truffles by Hauser Chocolates

Chocolate lace great for topping desserts - made with crisp caramel in lace pattern covered in chocolate.

Hauser Chocolates tour

Day 1 Sweenor's Chocolates

2010-04-20T12:58:00.008-05:00

Thank you to the Sweenor's for the tour!

Hard candy batch machine used mostly on dry winter days.

Sweenor's behind the scenes.

Taking a break to smile at Sweenor's.

Sweenor's tour- the first of the day!

Day 1 map and tour sites

2010-04-18T22:06:00.005-05:00

The Tour Notebook gives a nice summary of each store including photos for each attendee.

Day 1 Tour Map

Sunday night Tell-n-Sell Reception, dinner and night out

2010-04-18T21:54:00.008-05:00

The Tell-N-Sell Reception was a hit, and associate members had the opportunity to highlight their new products to chocolate makers. Laura, from Guittard Chocolate, and Elizabeth, Chocolate Fetish, talked about different chocolate while others sampled the latest flavors in panned goods from Dorothy's Cox's Chocolates. Kristene, Marc, and Pat reconnected while friends met up for dinner. After dinner, some attendees filled the hotel restaurant to watch Candy House Gourmet Chocolates, located in Joplin, MO, be featured on the Kendra Wilkinson show, Kendra, shown on the E! channel.

Kendra Wilkinson learns to dip chocolate at Candy House, Joplin, MO.

Headed out to dinner for the night.

Dorothy Cox's Chocolates show off their panned chocolates in a variety of colors.

Old friends are reconnecting.

Treasures of the sea

2010-04-17T19:50:00.004-05:00

Taking in the fare of New England's ocean waters at Legal Seafood

Clever packaging

2010-04-17T19:41:00.005-05:00

Vosges has a unique twist for packaging chocolates; their signature purple color carries through stackable gift towers, a slim box of exotic caramels, a twist on the traditional oriental take-out box and a diary of mini exotic chocolate candy bars offering a sweet snack to read with.

Prepping our palette- Vosges Haut Chocolate in Chicago

2010-04-17T17:08:00.007-05:00

This Chicago-based chocolate store sells exotic flavor like smoked salt and applewood smoked bacon in their chocolates at O'Hare International Airport. One of my favorites was the caramel marshmallows with Madagascar bourbon vanilla. It was stacked with complex flavors and a hint of salt. The bacon caramel toffee is a unique twist on a classic confection, too.

All store tours on as scheduled.

2010-04-16T15:47:00.002-05:00

All store tours on as scheduled despite flooding in the northeast.

RCI Hosts New England Chocolate Tour

2010-04-13T16:08:00.001-05:00

Retail Confectioners International is hosting the Spring Regional Institute: New England Chocolate Tour of eleven stores in just 3 days!