Trend Alert: Pistachio

Pistachios are not new to the confectionery world, but as you may have noticed this little green nut has been popping up in everything from coffees to cocktails, candy bars and even scented candles. Trend reporters, like Olam Food Ingredients (OFI), have identified the pistachio as the “up-and-coming nut of the moment.” 

Photo credit: Snickers, Lindt, Starbucks

According to OFI, “The pistachio is experiencing growth and taking center stage as an inclusion in many new confectionery products. Whether it’s whole kernels, pieces, powders or pastes, the pistachio is piquing people’s interest.”

In a 2022 flavor insight report, FONA reports almond, cranberry and chocolate as the top flavors paired with pistachio. Other popular flavors to pair with pistachio include caramel, white chocolate and matcha. There are many confectionery applications for pistachios including truffles, nougat, fudge, toffee, brittle, bark and more.

If you already make confections featuring the pistachio, now would be a good time to make a splash with a retail display or social media posts.

Not only do pistachios add a familiar and well-loved flavor, they can offer a nice burst of green color.

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10 Variations for your Peanut Butter Meltaways

Happy National Peanut Butter Day! We may be partial, but can think of no better way to celebrate than with a creamy, dreamy peanut butter meltaway. This sweet and salty combination is hard to beat!

For many confectioners, the peanut butter meltaway is a popular mainstay in their product line. If you have lots of customers who love your peanut butter meltaways, chances are they will perk up when you add a twist to this classic. We're not suggesting you change your recipe, but simply sharing inspiration to add to your collection of peanut butter confections.

Roasted Peanuts
This may seem obvious. Just as there are jars of creamy peanut butter and crunchy peanut butter at the grocery store, why couldn’t there be creamy and crunchy varieties of peanut butter meltaways? If you already make your peanut butter meltaways with chunks of peanuts, consider adding a smooth variety to your product lineup.

Crispy Rice Cereal
Candy makers have been adding crispy rice cereal to their peanut butter balls for decades. Consider this variation a nod to yesteryear or, better yet, blow their minds by experimenting with chunks of Rice Krispies Treats® (yes, with marshmallow) added to your recipe.

Graham Crackers
Adding graham cracker crumbs will create a firmer texture and a different, yet familiar, flavor variation. Some say this addition makes peanut butter meltaways taste more like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups®.

Sea Salt
Add course-ground sea salt to your peanut butter center for crunch and sprinkle on top to achieve crave-worthy saltiness, plus it just looks good!

Flour Salt
RCI member and Chocolate Boot Camp^© instructor, Randy Hofberger, uses fine flour salt in his recipe for peanut butter meltaways. In case you're not familiar with this ingredient, flour salt has been pulverized to achieve an ultra-fine, powdery consistency. This ingredient will enhance the peanut flavor while maintaining a super smooth, velvety texture.

Photo credit: Callebaut

Feuilletine Flakes
These crispy little wafers are sure to elevate your peanut butter meltaways. They can also be used for a simple, yet sophisticated garnish.

Banana Chips
Adding chunks of dried banana chips to your meltaways will deliver both crunch and flavor. If you’re really adventurous, experiment with adding banana chips and crispy bacon bits as an homage to Elvis Presley.

Marshmallow
Let your inner child lead the way! This could be a layer of marshmallow, marshmallow fluff or mini marshmallows…better yet, Lucky Charms^® mini marshmallows.

Vanilla + Almond Extract
Boost the nuttiness of your recipe by adding a splash of almond extract, along with the vanilla.

Quinoa
The addition of puffed crispy quinoa will bring with it a satisfying crunch, plus a halo of health benefits. Consider ways to make this option even more appealing to health-conscious consumers, such as reducing the sugar and covering in dark chocolate.

We hope this week’s post helps spark your creativity and allows you to go a little nuts with new variations to your peanut butter meltaway recipe.

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.

Generate Excitement with Limited-Edition Confections

Photo credit: Sour Patch Kids®

“Limited edition” products exist across all industries including technology, fashion, cosmetics and, of course, food. RCI member, Kate Wadman with Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate shares how companies big and small often use this strategy to break through the noise of evergreen activities (known for being relevant, though repetitive) in the market and pull consumers in.

Why does this work?

At its core, “limited edition” speaks to basic economics of supply and demand. Offering unique items for only a set time can increase demand and create an elevated value for those items, as well as the overall brand. This sense of immediacy and exclusivity kickstarts the desire to buy and experience.

“Limited edition” or “special edition” also gives the product a new or never-before-seen feel that generates excitement and plays on consumer FOMO or “fear of missing out.” Consumers are attracted to a new experience for simply that, something new. They also have an innate urgency to engage, because they don’t want to lose out and are fearful they may not have the same opportunity again.

Finding Inspiration

It’s one thing to create a limited-edition item. It’s another thing to keep the inspiration flowing for an entire line or consistent calendar of goodies.

To supplement ideation and creation of special-edition items, look to limited-time offerings in other spaces for inspiration or even to use as an ingredient itself. That’s exactly what Joe Sofia, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate Technical Advisor, did when tasked with exploring the limited/special edition concept.

Additionally, inspired by overarching industry trends of nostalgia and sensory, Joe looked to create a recipe rooted in the limited-time offer mindset, but would also come alive in its experience and pack an emotional punch. Enter Sour Patch Kids® cereal. A much-loved candy since the 1970s, Sour Patch Kids has seen its fair share of expansion into other items, but the recent jump to a cereal inspired by the flavor might be its most unique. And it certainly fit the bill for a unique and special offering.

Four simple ingredients later, Sour Patch Kids Bark was born. White confectionery coating served as the canvas for the cereal while preserving texture and a small amount of citric acid crystals amplify the sour. Topping it off with actual Sour Patch Kids candy, added additional color to hit sensory at another eye-popping angle. Click here to download the recipe from Joe Sofia and Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate. 

Opportunity To Play

It’s worth noting that not every limited-edition product works for everyone. It’s important to experiment and play around to create something that speaks to your specific customers. A great part of limited edition is that you’re not committed to it forever. If it doesn’t work, try something else. Once you land on the right flavors and the right mix, your limited-edition product can pack a powerful punch.

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.

Create a Branded Souvenir Chocolate Collection Showcasing Your Community

Showcase your local community by developing a branded souvenir chocolate collection using custom cocoa butter transfer sheets.

Susan Truax with Bruce’s Candy Kitchen teamed up with American Chocolate Designs to create a branded souvenir collection representing their tourist town of Cannon Beach, Oregon. To make the idea a reality, Susan and her team was, first, tasked with identifying four landmarks or events that could be translated into simple line-art designs and applied to chocolate-covered sandwich cookies.

Design mock-up from American Chocolate Designs

"It was easy to settle on the first two designs—Haystack Rock is a very recognizable and popular monolith in Cannon Beach and the cute tufted puffins that inhabit the area seemed like natural fits,” recalled Susan. She ran into a snag when the line drawing of the area's well-known Tillamook Rock Lighthouse didn’t turn out as expected. “Lesson learned, not every idea translates to a good design,” Susan reflected. “I replaced the lighthouse design with a sand castle to represent our Annual Sand Castle Contest, as well as memories made playing on the beach.” The fourth and final design was an outline of the state of Oregon with a heart.

Photo credit: Bruce's Candy Kitchen

In just four easy steps, American Chocolate Designs created their custom transfer sheets which were ready to be applied to chocolate. The finished products are displayed individually in Bruce's candy case as well as part of a four-piece boxed collection. The branded souvenir sandwich cookies have proven to be very popular, but not just with tourists. “The success of these branded products has even led several other businesses in our local community to order their own custom transfer sheets that we now use for their special chocolate pieces,” Susan added.

As in the case of Bruce's Candy Kitchen, custom cocoa butter transfer designs can help create unique and sweet opportunities for your business to highlight what makes your community special for a small financial investment. Your out-of-town customers will love the sweet souvenir of their visit and locals will take pride in sharing gifts that represent what makes your community special. 

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.

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The Best of 2022: 5 Most-Read Posts from the RCI Blog

Happy New Year! As we bid farewell to another year, we welcome you to join us in remembering the sweet moments of 2022. As an association, we are so grateful for the many opportunities we’ve had to gather together this year. Yes, we’re still celebrating the return of a full roster of events including education courses, regional conferences and the Annual Convention & Industry Expo! It was so nice to connect with old friends and welcome many new members! We’re already looking forward to another great year of events in 2023. Stay up-to-date on RCI’s event schedule by visiting retailconfectioners.org/events.

Here’s RCI’s most-read blog posts from 2022, in case you missed them the first time or could use a refresher.

1. Create Your Own Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix
In this popular post, we shared tips for creating your own brand of gourmet hot cocoa mix (including packaging ideas) and a few creative flavors which could be applied to your packaged hot cocoa mix or inside hot cocoa bombs.

2. Halloween Candy Shortage Could Mean Opportunity for Candy Makers
We highlighted three Halloween shoppers who may be left in the lurch with the impending candy shortage and how your business could capture sales by seizing the opportunity to meeting their unique needs.

3. EGGS-tra Easter Egg Inspiration
No matter if you like your chocolate Easter eggs more traditional or if you prefer a more unconventional approach, this post offered 5 sweet EGGS-tra themes to try for the holiday.

4. Fresh-Squeezed Inspiration: Lemon Confections 4 Ways
A quintessential spring and summer flavor, lemon and other citrus fruits are experiencing increased popularity as a source of immune-boosting vitamin C.

5. Retail Therapy: How to Create Merchandising Speed Bumps

As part of this five-part series, retail strategists and instructors at RCI’s Merchandising Boot Camp, Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, of KIZER & BENDER, shared how slowing shoppers down can increase sales.

We look forward to bringing you more great tips to help you build your business in 2023!

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.