Tip #291: Create Memorable Gifts That Sell

"Something to eat and something to keep." A mantra repeated while prepping gift packages at Reid Candy and Nut Shop in Cambridge, Ontario. Known as a one-stop gift shop for birthdays and holidays, Reid's customers have come to expect a variety of value-added gifts wrapped with a bow and ready to give.

“We love putting together gift packages for our customers,” said Carrie Peart of Reid Candy and Nut Shop. “We sell lots of giftware, but the twist is it's always tied or packaged together with our chocolate or nuts. We package our products this way because it allows our customers to purchase gifts that give them something to eat and something to keep.” Repeat visits from customers shopping Reid’s assortment of gifts indicates this clever tactic is working. “We hope the giftware item will trigger the memory of the chocolate treats that came with it.”

Photos: Reid Candy and Nut Shop

See for yourself how adding value to your products can help grow sales, attract new customers and put your brand top of mind for holidays and birthdays. Here’s a list of a few of Reid’s favorite gift items to incorporate into your gift packages. 

• Mugs
• Plates/dishes
• Votive holders
• Trinket boxes
• Garden ornaments
• Books

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

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Tip #290: How Not To Ruin Chocolate

With a pinch of moisture and a dash of heat, you’ve got the recipe to ruin perfectly good chocolate. But we’re not looking to ruin chocolate here! It may not be easy, but as a chocolatier, you are expected to craft delicious chocolate with a glossy sheen and perfect snap every time, without fail. However, thanks to a myriad of factors that can negatively affect  your chocolate at any given point, even the most skilled chocolatiers can have off days in the kitchen. To help, we’ve created this quick-reference guide to pinpoint common mishaps that can occur when working with chocolate so they can be easily corrected.

Chocolate is dry and powdery

When you rub chocolate and it feels dry and powdery, say “hello” to sugar bloom. Sugar bloom is caused by moisture. Dew forms on chocolate and gets absorbed by the sugar, leaving a dusty layer of crystals.

    Causes:

• High humidity (50% humidity or less is best)
• Cooling temperature was too low (below 50° F)
• Chocolates with a moist center were stored in a high-temperature room.

Chocolate feels greasy

If your chocolate feels greasy, you've got fat bloom. Fat bloom is caused when cocoa butter separates and moves to the surface of chocolate.

     Causes:

• Centers made with soft fats. Many nut centers can also cause fat bloom when in contact with incompatible fats.
• Proper storage temperature was not maintained.

Chocolate doesn't release properly from mould

Are your chocolate moulds putting up a good fight? Learn how to fight back with common causes for sticky moulds.

     Causes:

• Mould was too cold or too warm, causing chocolate in contact with the mould to lose temper.
• Mould was not clean.
• Too much or too little seed when tempering.
• Sugar bloom (see above)
• Center was too cool. Center must be close to the temperature of the chocolate.

Cracks in finished product

Sure, that chocolate bunny with a crack down the middle can still taste good, but it doesn't exactly send the right message to customers. Learn what's causing the problem below, so you can avoid it in the future.

     Causes:

• Cooling temperature was too low (below 50° F)
• Chocolate was in the cooler too long.
• Low viscosity of the chocolate

Other considerations

If you've covered all the bases above and are still unsure what's wreaking havoc in your candy kitchen, here's a few other common culprits you may have overlooked.

• Local climate conditions can greatly affect the environment of your candy kitchen and, in turn the results of your finished products. Take care to create an ideal environment for working with chocolate.
• Chocolate picks up and holds odor. Be careful when using products with a strong odor near chocolate, such as mint and even cleaning products.
• Be mindful of where air vents are blowing. Avoid air vents blowing directly on product.
• Keep moisture far from your chocolate making areas. A dishwasher giving off a bit of steam can have a negative effect on any product that is near it.
• Do not cook near chocolate. If you make caramel, for example, it should be made in a separate area.

Mistakes happen. Learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others through education and talking with fellow candy makers. By understanding what could go wrong and how to avoid or correct mistakes, you can avoid a great deal of unnecessary costs and frustration.If you have questions that are not addressed in this post, RCI members can login to pose questions to fellow members on RCI’s online forum, List Serve.

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Throwback Tip #253: Make Groundhog Day Sweeter

As one of our most popular posts from 2018, we’re bringing back this tip for Groundhog Day, just in case you missed it! Plus, we’ve added a bonus tip to make your 2019 celebration even sweeter!

Nestled snuggly between New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day is Groundhog Day on February 2. Although it may be a mystery to many of us as to why we give these furry little critters any merit when it comes to predicting the weather, there’s no question many consumers will be excited to participate in this American holiday. Here’s some ideas of how your candy business can take advantage of all the groundhog hype next month!

Groundhog Cupcakes by Bakerella on Flickr

Make Groundhog Day Sweet

Just when you thought those cuddly groundhogs couldn’t get any cuter, they took on a chocolate form! Baking blogger, Bakerella, created adorable little groundhog cupcakes using peanut butter cups and other candies (click here for ingredient list), but we think you could really do without the cupcake—unless you already happen to sell cupcakes or could partner with a local bakery. 

Of course, there are lots of options for substituting similar ingredients if you don’t have these items on hand—bonus points, if you make your own peanut butter cups! Another option would be to try chocolate-covered sandwich cookies in place of peanut butter cups for the head. If you don’t have mini marshmallows for the teeth, try using white sprinkles or piping white confectionery coating for the teeth. These little guys are almost too cute to eat!

Get Animated with GIFs

Tell your customers about your adorable chocolate groundhogs or other themed products by adding an animated GIF (pronounced "jif", like the brand of peanut butter, in case you're wondering) like this to a promotional email or social media posts. Adding animation to marketing messaging is super trendy now. According to MailerLite.com, animations are widely considered to be the best way to attract attention to your brand or to market your product online. Click here for more reasons why you should be using GIFs in email marketing.

RCI Member Savings! Constant Contact Email Marketing offers a fast, effective way to get your message out to customers and keep your organization top of mind. Start your email marketing today and receive an RCI member discount of 20% for purchasing the 6 month prepaid option or a discount of 25% for purchasing the 12 month prepaid option. Already use Constant Contact? Contact RCI to begin receiving the member discount.

BONUS TIP: Offer Winter or Spring Specials

If you don’t happen to have a bunch of groundhog moulds or other related products on your shelves on February 2, consider Groundhog Day as an opportunity to sell off any remaining winter-themed products (like snowmen and snowflakes) and encourage customers to welcome in spring with a fresh display of spring-related (think flowers and bright colors). You could leave it up to Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction to decide whether winter or spring confections are discounted, or offer a discount on both!

Don’t be afraid to get creative! Have fun with Groundhog Day this year and your customers will wish we celebrated this silly holiday more often!

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #289: Make Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Last Longer

If you sell chocolate-covered strawberries for the holidays, more specifically Valentine’s Day, and have found yourself working from sunrise to sunset to keep up with demand, this tip is for you. 

RCI member, Luisa Chocolatiere shares her pro tips for extending the shelf-life of these delicate fruit confections to best avoid working yourself ragged while preparing for one of the biggest candy holidays of the year.

1.) Clear communication

Although this first step will not affect the longevity of your strawberries, it will help you better prepare for the holiday. Requiring advanced orders for chocolate-covered strawberries helps create expectations for your production needs. Clear communication to your customer base is key to ensure their expectations are met too. The beginning of January is a great time to start to taking orders for Valentine's Day.

2.) Gently clean and air dry

The way you clean your berries could be contributing to unwanted mold. Follow these step-by-step instructions to minimize moisture and bacteria.

• Start by wiping away any dirt with a clean towel and discard unwanted mushy or moldy berries.
• Gently submerge berries in a solution of cold water and non-pasteurized apple cider vinegar (use approximately 3 tablespoons for every one gallon of water) for five minutes. The acidity of the vinegar will kill spores and bacteria on the fresh berries.
• Next, place the strawberries in a colander to drain excess water before air drying berries in a single layer on top of a dry towel.
• Once the strawberries are dry, they can be placed in their original containers, which have since been cleaned and dried as well, until they are ready to dip.

3.) Chilled storage

To keep chocolate-covered strawberries overnight without the harmful effects of refrigeration, place dipped strawberries on containers, which are on top of gel ice packs and they can store for up to 48 hours.

These tips may seem simple, but they have the potential to completely transform the way you operate your business leading up to Valentinue’s Day—for the better. Now with all that extra time saved up, you may be able to devote more of it to other areas of your business or spend it with family and, hopefully, get more sleep on the morning of Valentine’s Day! Let us know in the comments below what you plan to do with the time you’ll save with this tip!

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #288: 3 Ways to Leverage Food Holidays

What do potato chips, caramel and wine have in common? They each have a holiday to celebrate their gloriousness! However quirky, National Potato Chip Day may give you something more exciting to talk about on March 14, like your chocolate-covered potato chips or an experimental batch of peanut butter and potato chip truffles.

If potato chips don’t exactly excite you, there is literally a holiday (sometimes several) for every day of the year. With that said, there's likely a few you'd like to sink your teeth into. But before you go scouring the internet to fill in your promotional calendar, RCI has already done the work for you!

If you’re an RCI member, you will receive RCI’s 2019 wall calendar as you renew your membership. Not only will you find all those fun (and a few off-the-wall) holidays, you can also expect all RCI’s events, industry events and federal holidays in there too. Not a member? Join RCI today!

Here’s a few ideas to get you started, once you’ve determined which holidays best suit your brand.

1. ) Get ahead

Since most people don’t have National Potato Chip Day marked on their calendar, let them know you'll be celebrating at least two weeks in advance, so they can make plans to celebrate with you!

2.) Give the media a story

Your local media is always looking for interesting stories to share and your crazy potato-chip concoction may be just the ticket to get your business some screen time. So, tell them all about your plans in a press release—personally delivering said press release with some samples wouldn't hurt either!

3.) Open your doors

When you find a holiday that’s both a great fit for your business and has some legs, host an event or encourage customers to host their own events to celebrate. If other local events are happening in your community, find a way to get involved.

The goal for promoting these holidays is to drive sales and generate buzz, so get creative and have fun with the holidays that make sense for your brand.

SNEAK PEEK: This is a sneak peek of the latest issue of RCI’s member-exclusive magazine, Kettle Talk, now available online. RCI members can login at retailconfectioners.org/kettletalk to see the full digital issue, as well as past issues.

Not a member? Click here to learn more about RCI’s resources designed to help retail confectioners and their suppliers grow their businesses.