Level-Up Your Candy Business: Register now for RCI's Annual Convention & Industry Expo

Looking to level-up your candy business? If so, don’t miss RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo at the Buffalo Convention Center in Buffalo, New York June 17-21, 2024.

Discover what’s new at the Industry Expo

As part of the week-long convention, there will be a two-day expo on June 18 and 19. Explore what's new in the confectionery industry and meet reputable industry suppliers of the following products:

• Ingredients
• Machinery
• Equipment
• Packaging
• Wholesale
• and more!

Click here for full details, including a list of companies exhibiting. Regularly $10 in advance or $25 onsite, register for the Industry Expo for only $5 with promo code “RCIHigh5”.

Education Designed for Candy Businesses

Want to enhance your experience with education? Register for a 1-Day Education Ticket for just $225 and get ready to be inspired, challenged and equipped with thought-provoking education led by experts in their fields and crafted to meet the unique needs of the retail confectioner.

During the opening education session on Tuesday, June 18, Stephanie Stuckey of Stuckey’s Corporation will share insight into how she saved her family’s business from ruin with the sweet revival of its nostalgic brand, made famous for its pecan log rolls. Stephanie will share stories from her upcoming memoir, UnStuck: Revival of an American Icon, and provide insights and tips to anyone looking to add new energy to their lives. With no entrepreneurial experience prior to taking over her family's business, she embraces her weaknesses as opportunities to learn, and she celebrates her strengths. She treats every day as an adventure in which the unexpected is likely to happen, while following her grandfather's and father's ideals: work hard, be fair and have fun.

Wednesday’s education programming will feature engaging roundtable discussions, offering you the chance to delve into topics based on your unique needs and interests. Topics include business operations, candy production, retail and marketing, leadership and more. Additional education will be available to help attendees learn to:

• Share the magic of chocolate with all age groups.
• Transform likes to sales with irresistible social media content.
• Create a lasting legacy with strategies for business succession.

Educational sessions will be presented on Tuesday, June 18 and Wednesday, June 19. Click here for full descriptions of the education sessions offered at RCI’s 2024 Annual Convention & Industry Expo.

For a comprehensive schedule of the week’s events, visit retailconfectioners.org/annual. While the convention is hosted by RCI, all confectionery professionals are invited to attend. Registration is required for education sessions, the Industry Expo and all convention events.  Register now and join us in Buffalo, New York June 17-21, 2024!

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.

Get a Jump Start on Holiday Bows with this Innovative Solution

We all know a beautiful bow can be the perfect finishing touch to any gift. Crafting enough bows to keep up with needs during a busy holiday season can seem like a daunting task. We recommend getting a head start on making your holiday bows during the slower summer months.  

Some candy makers make hundreds and even thousands of bows for the Christmas season alone, so tackling this task ahead of time is essential. But what do you do with your inventory of bows in the meantime? Storing them in boxes and totes can take up valuable space, while resulting in smashed bows that take more time to fix.

As a solution to this problem, Dietsch Brothers of Findlay, Ohio uses 16-gauge steel wire, to create round wire frames to serve as “bow wreaths” and strips of wire to form what we call “bow garland.”

Photos courtesy of Dietsch Bros.

A single bow wreath can hold 40-60 wire-ribbon bows, which Dietsch Brothers hangs in between aisles and at the end of shelving units in back rooms that are unoccupied during the summer. For the wire-ribbon bows, they keep an extra roll of ribbon to make the ribbon tails. Once it’s all assembled, they cut the tails and add finishing touches to make each ribbon perfect.

The bow garland is utilized for more delicate bows made of sheer ribbon. Their team can string 90-100 sheer-ribbon bows across the wire “garland,” which hangs from the drop ceiling. Each garland is labeled based on what product the ribbon is intended for. For as little as $5, you can purchase 100-feet of steel wire at a local home improvement store.

Carving out small chunks of time to craft beautiful holiday bows throughout the summer helps save Dietsch Brothers precious time and this innovative way of storing bows not only saves space it also means time isn’t wasted with re-shaping bows during the heart of the bustling holiday season.

Want more ideas like this? Attend RCI’s 2024 Annual Convention & Industry Expo to meet industry suppliers and candy makers! Register now to join us in Buffalo, New York June 17-21, 2024! Save with early-bird rates available through April 26, 2024.

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.

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!

Looking for more smashing-good inspiration? Registration to attend RCI’s 2024 Annual Convention & Industry Expo! Register now and join us in Buffalo, New York June 17-21, 2024! Save with early-bird rates available through April 26, 2024.

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.

5 Fresh, New Ways to Feature Strawberry

As temperatures rise, now is a great time to start experimenting with fresh ideas. This week, we’re bringing a burst of fresh flavor by sharing five ways to feature strawberry in your spring and summer product lineup.

Photo credit: California Strawberries

Strawberry Peanut Butter Cups
Put a fresh spin on the classic peanut butter cup with the addition of freshly slice strawberries. Click here for a recipe from California Strawberries.

Photo credit: California Strawberries

Matcha-Covered Strawberries
Perhaps an unexpected twist on chocolate-covered strawberries, the addition of matcha powder to the white chocolate is sure to pique customer interest.

Photo credit: Bridgewater Chocolate

Chocolate Strawberry Pearls
With the slight crunch of dried strawberry in the center of layers of white chocolate and strawberry-flavored chocolate, these delicate pearls made by Bridgewater Chocolate are an elegant way to showcase strawberries.

Photo credit: Taste of Home

Strawberry Pretzel Bark
Here’s a new take on the summertime classic, strawberry pretzel dessert. With its natural berry notes, ruby chocolate is a natural fit for pairing with strawberries.

Photo credit: Milk Bar

Strawberry Shortcake Truffles
Combining all the creamy, salty, buttery, fruity, unforgettably tasty flavors of strawberry shortcake in a single bite, Milk Bar’s strawberry shortcake cake truffles are made with strawberry-studded vanilla cake, soaked in strawberry milk and rolled in strawberry shortcake crumbs. Milk Bar’s founder and television personality, Christina Tosi, shares her recipe here.

As fresh strawberries begin popping up in farmers markets, take advantage of your local harvest. Even if you don’t follow some of these recipes exactly, use them as inspiration to create a recipe that is totally unique to your brand!

Registration is now available for RCI’s 2024 Annual Convention & Industry Expo! Register now and join us in Buffalo, New York June 17-21, 2024! Save with early-bird rates available through April 26, 2024.

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.

Troubleshooting Seeing Stars in Fudge & Pralines

Are you tired of your candies sporting mysterious white splotches on their surface, commonly described as “stars?” RCI member Randy Hofberger of R&D Candy Consultants explains that the culprit behind these white splotches on the surface of grained confections like fudge and pralines is uncontrolled sugar graining. Taking control of sugar crystallization will not only improve the appearance of your products, but also contribute to a smoother mouthfeel by achieving a smaller crystal size.

So, how can you regain control over sugar crystallization?

FUDGE

There are several different ways to develop a grain in fudge. Influencing factors include the formula, temperature, process and time. While there can be many ingredients in a fudge formula—the ratio of sugar to syrups (aka doctoring agents, such as corn syrup, invert syrup, sorbitol, etc.) controls the rate of crystallization and to some extent crystal size. Basically, you need more sucrose solids than syrup solids to cause a grain. The higher the syrup percentage, the longer it will take to grain and the smaller the crystal size. It is difficult to control crystallization with a formula containing little or no syrup.

The two most common methods of graining fudge are:

1. Adding 10-20% fondant at a temperature below 175- 180°F to induce a grain. Transferring the cooked syrup to a cold kettle and adding chocolate liquor will help to cool down the mass. Lower percentages of fondant or hotter temperatures can result in uncontrolled sugar crystallization.

2. Mechanically developing a sugar crystal. For this method, the hot cooked mass is cooled to about 110-125°F, undisturbed before agitation begins. Agitation may be the mixing action of a cream beater or the working action of scrapers and paddles on a table—à la Mackinac Island fudge. Working the fudge at hotter temperatures can make a grainy, coarse textured fudge rather than one that is creamy and melt-in-your-mouth smooth.

PRALINES

Pecan pralines are also subject to having white spots on the surface. This is discussed in Walter Richmond’s book, Choice Confections. Many of the same issues and solutions used in fudge can be applied to pralines. More corn syrup in the formula will reduce spotting, but it will make the pieces less tender. As with fudge, the cooked mass should be cooled before starting the graining process. Most pralines are grained by rubbing the paddles on the side of the kettle until mixture appears cloudy. There is a little art involved and if done excessively the pralines will become sugary in appearance and texture. Another way of developing smooth sugar crystallization is to add fondant after it has been cooled.

A common challenge with pralines is when the last portion in the kettle becomes thick and over grained. Placing or nesting your kettle within another kettle will help to reduce heat loss and allow more time to deposit praline clusters before thickening occurs. Furthermore, nesting your kettle in another kettle with hot water will extend this time even more.

As mentioned earlier, formula, temperature, process and timing all affect the tendency of spotting to occur. While a night sky full of stars is good—candies dotted with stars is not!

Registration is now available for RCI’s 2024 Annual Convention & Industry Expo! Register now and join us in Buffalo, New York June 17-21, 2024! Save with early-bird rates available through April 26, 2024.

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.