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 Valentine’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!
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