Surprise Customers with Smash Balls

Smash eggs have definitely been having a moment the last couple Easter seasons! Don’t let this smashing opportunity pass with the holiday! Read on for ideas to keep this fun trend going all year long!

RCI member, Graham’s Chocolates of Geneva, Illinois offers an element of surprise with “Smash Balls” for basically every occasion. What started as a Christmas product, has proved to be popular for customers looking to capture the element of surprise.

Graham’s Chocolates offers Smash Balls for birthdays, baby gender reveals, marriage proposals with “Will you marry me?” revealed inside and more. Celebrating holidays like Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween and New Year’s have also proven to be popular applications for the Smash Ball, revealing treats such as truffles, chocolate-covered sandwich cookies and Jordan almonds. The addition of colored sanding sugar creates an exciting burst of color when the chocolate sphere is smashed.

Have smashing success helping your customers celebrate important moments in their lives by adding your own spin on smash balls!

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Trend Alert: Chocolate Fidgets

If you have children, fidget toys have likely infiltrated your home. Designed to help with focus and attention, fidget toys come in many shapes, sizes and colors. You may already sell fidgets in your store—if they sell well, that’s all the more reason to make edible versions. If you don’t currently sell fidgets in your store, this could be a missed opportunity to target consumers shopping for youngsters.

Fidget Spinners

In the midst of the fidget spinner craze a few years ago, RCI member Vande Walle’s Candies began making what they called “Fidget Non-Spinners.” During her Candy Clinic presentation, Tess Vande Walle explained, “They don’t spin, but they taste better!” To create a replica, Vande Walle’s filled the packaging from an actual fidget spinner toy with colored white chocolate. There are, however, a number of inexpensive moulds on the market to make chocolate fidget spinners.

Photo credit: The Soccer Mom Blog

Pop Its

More recently Pop Its—flexible silicone toys akin to Bubble Wrap—began popping up in retail shops, birthday favor bags and school playgrounds everywhere. These wildly popular fidgets are available in a seemingly endless variety of colors, shapes and sizes from sparkly pink mermaid tails to rainbow striped cars. Like the Beanie Babies of yesteryear, many kids aspire to collect them ALL.

Photo credit: Facebook.com / Anderson’s Candies

The already popular toy took a sweet turn when TikTokers started filling them with candy and melted chocolate. See for yourself in this video by HelloWondeful. RCI member, Anderson’s Candies, took advantage of the trend by creating their own versions just in time for Easter. We love this idea because it not only provides a treat to eat, but also a toy to keep and enjoy!

While anyone could create this on their own with a couple ingredients from the grocery store, confectioners can highlight the superior quality of your chocolate and get creative with different fillings. Although M&M candies seem to be a popular choice on TikTok, consider filling the cavities with peanut butter meltaway, caramel, roasted nuts or other popular fillings before capping it off with chocolate. Better yet, why not use a variety of fillings to create a mystery of sweet surprises? Note: Look for Pop Its made with FDA approved or food-grade silicone.

Photo credit: Etsy / Cherry Bay Cakes

With lots of holiday themed Pop Its on the market, this trend could also make for great holiday gifts for kids. We like how Cherry Bay Cakes created an Easter themed chocolate Pop It with pastel M&Ms and a custom tag that reads, “Hope you have a poppin’ Easter!”

Keeping a pulse on trends with kids’ toys are a great way to identify ways to appeal to consumers looking to buy treats for the kids and kids-at-heart in their lives. 

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's 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. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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

Say “hello summer!” with Transfer Sheets

 

There are so many reasons to love summer! Warmer temperatures, longer days, RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo (mark your calendars for July 25-29, 2022) and a whole lot more fun that you don’t get to have indoors during the cooler seasons!

Admittedly, we’re counting down the days until the first day of summer on June 21 (77 days from when this post was first published)! If you’re looking to introduce new flavors to your product lineup this summer, we’ve got some fun and easy ways to make your mark this upcoming season!

Photo credit: American Chocolate Designs

Cocoa butter transfer sheets are a great visual option to denote summer flavors like coconut, banana, and citrus flavors and themes on your chocolate-covered treats. Transfer sheets can be used on any number of chocolate treats, such as truffles, dipped sandwich cookies and bark. For those who sell ice cream or gelato, RCI member American Chocolate Designs suggests garnishing with a piece of decorated chocolate to emphasize the flavor or add the finishing touch for a theme.

Photo credit: Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, RCI Candy Clinic; Easy Baked

Is there anything that says summer more than a pair of brightly colored flip flops? RCI member Bruce’s Candy Kitchen of Cannon Beach, Oregon uses a cookie cutter to cut out slab marshmallow in the shape of a flip flop base before dipping it in chocolate and adhering various chocolate transfer sheets to achieve the bright colors and fun designs found on flip flops. This look could also be achieved with chocolate-covered Nutter Butter cookies.

What creative uses for chocolate transfer sheets have you discovered for summer? Share your ideas on RCI’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/RetailConfectioners. Cheers to summer!

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's 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. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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