Tip #329: 4 Ways to Improve Quality Control Practices

It doesn’t matter how great your confections look or taste if your business does not place an emphasis on food safety and quality control. This week’s blog post identifies four ways to ensure the safety and quality of your products with practices that you could start today.

Identify Risks

To best prevent potential hazards during the making of any food products, it is important to identify areas of potential risk. Create a Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan to prevent biological, chemical and physical hazards during the production process that could cause a threat to food safety. RCI members, login to watch a video on how to properly identify potential risks and develop an effective HACCP plan in the past education presentation, A Practical Approach to HACCP Planning (click link to view).

Train Employees on Proper Hygiene

“Proper hand hygiene is the food [manufacturer’s] first line of defense against food contamination,” said Jim Grubb of GOJO Industries. “Bacteria, viruses, and parasites can be transmitted from person to person and from persons to food, so health and hygiene of the workforce is extremely important,” (Quality Assurance Magazine).

When identifying areas for potential risk effecting food safety, it is important to also look at current staff hygiene procedures. Since poor employee hygiene practices can lead to contamination, don’t assume staff members are washing their hands properly and at the appropriate times. Common problems with employee hygiene practices include poor hand washing practices, not washing at the right location in comparison to the production areas; manual sinks that are not kept clean; using cold water temperatures for hand washing and a poor overall food safety culture. Click here for tools and resources to train your staff on proper hand washing.

Use Both Wet and Dry-Cleaning Methods

Did you know limiting the use of water is one of the primary means of controlling pathogens in low moisture food establishments (foodprotection.org)? You are probably already using wet cleaning and sanitation methods which utilizes water and/or detergents to remove residue. When wet cleaning, it is extremely important that even the nooks and crannies of machinery is dry, because it is in these hard-to-reach places where bacteria can be difficult to remove and when water is present bacteria can grow.

The benefit to employing dry cleaning and sanitation methods, is that it allows you to remove food residue with little or no water application, significantly reducing the opportunity for bacterial growth. Dry cleaning can be as simple as surface cleaning with a vacuum or alcohol-based wipes. More detailed cleaning may be performed with a steam cleaner or dry ice cleaner.

When determining which method of cleaning is best, it is important to assess the risk level of the area in need of cleaning. Different areas of your facility may have a different level of risk, just as different ingredients would. It is important to understand what you are trying to remove when cleaning or sanitizing different work stations. According to Quality Assurance Magazine, it is essential to ensure all products used to clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces are approved by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in addition to being verified and validated.

Collect Retention Samples

It is important to know and understand the shelf life of your products and collecting retention samples is the best way to test product limitations, so you can adjust recipe formulations if issues arise or advise customers on the best timeframe to enjoy your products.

When testing the shelf life of your product, variables, like packaging, must remain the same. For example, when testing your products, make sure they are stored in the same packaging they would be sold in. If they are shrink wrapped before selling (which is highly recommended), shrink wrap the product before storing them for testing. Anticipate how your customers would store your products, if not consumed right away. Would they store them in the refrigerator or in the pantry? Consider a reasonable length of time a consumer may store your products before consuming them. If you are unsure, ask a small group of loyal customers or friends and family.

Over time, enlist experienced tasters (this could be staff members or, again, frequent customers) to review your products for consistency and quality. If you run into issues with product quality, RCI members can login to pose questions to fellow members on RCI’s online forum, List Serve.

This week’s tips may require extra work, however, the benefits of taking a proactive approach to quality assurance often outweigh the risks of not practicing such precautions. Comment below on practices your company employs to help ensure your products are consistently safe for consumption.

Crave more? If you like what you read here, 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. 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.

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

Tip #274: Retain Samples for Quality Control

When a delighted customer purchases a box of assorted chocolates from your shop, ideally, the box of chocolates would be consumed right away or at least within a week. In the event they are stored away in a cupboard for a special occasion or (dare, I say) forgotten, do you know what your products would look or taste like in two to three, or even four months? This week’s tip offers reasons for obtaining retention samples and advice on how to do so.

It is important to know and understand the shelf life of your products and collecting retention samples is the best way to test product limitations, so you can adjust recipe formulations if issues arise or advise customers on the best timeframe to enjoy your products.

When testing the shelf life of your product, variables, like packaging, must remain the same. For example, when testing your products, make sure they are stored in the same packaging they would be sold in. If they are shrink wrapped before selling (which is highly recommended), shrink wrap the product before storing them for testing. Anticipate how your customers would store your products, if not consumed right away. Would they store them in the refrigerator or in the pantry? Consider a reasonable length of time a consumer may store your products before consuming them. If you are unsure, ask a small group of loyal customers or friends and family.

Over time, enlist experienced tasters (this could be staff members or, again, frequent customers) to review your products for consistency and quality. If you run into issues with product quality, RCI members can login to pose questions to fellow members on RCI’s online forum, List Serve.

Regularly retaining samples of each batch could prove useful if you ever experience a product recall or customer complaints. At a past Chocolate Boot Camp course, RCI member, Candy House Gourmet, shared that they regularly take three samples of every product, label them each with a lot code and freeze the samples in a Ziploc freezer bag for four months. If a customer calls and complains, they can reference the quality of the product when it left their facility.

This week’s tip may require some extra steps and additional storage, however, the benefits of taking a proactive approach to quality assurance often outweigh the risks of not practicing such precautions. Comment below if you take retention samples of your products and what you’ve gained from this practice.

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 #28: Taste Test Your Products for Flavor Consistency

Are you tempted to eat your chocolates as you walk by the packaging line? We have two great reasons to embrace the role of a frequent taste tester of your products without the guilt: quality and consistency. As the owner or manager of a candy store, you want to have complete confidence the products you are selling are not only delicious, but the same level of quality and flavor each time.

When a customer purchases a box of toffee, they expect to purchase the exact same product every time. Therefore, it’s extremely important to regularly taste your candies to ensure they meet your standards for quality and flavor.

Routine Taste Testing

If you have a quality control manager, consider adding a consistent taste testing program to their routine. The frequency for taste testing may vary depending on how often you produce a particular product, but at least weekly would be the minimum recommendation.

You’ve taken the time to achieve a great flavor, so take the time to ensure it’s consistently the same great flavor your customers expect.

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 # 221: Caramel Cures: Avoid a Sticky Situation

Known for its characteristically smooth and chewy texture, caramel is one of the most popular and beloved candies. However, even caramel’s biggest fans are not willing to risk dental work for sticky caramel. If creating an unhappy customer isn’t enough, caramel that is too sticky can also lead to difficulties during the manufacturing process, thus creating a very sticky situation.

Below we’ve identified the top seven common causes for sticky caramels and possible solutions, presented at RCI's Caramels, Toffees & Brittles course.

1. Not enough fat – Increase the percentage of fat and/or the amount of milk being used in the recipe. A minimum of 8% fat is recommended when making caramels. 

2. Excessive inversion – Inversion occurs when sucrose (a disaccharide) is broken down into glucose and fructose. This can be caused by extended cooking times (especially under acidic conditions) and the use of the enzyme invertase. Increasing reducing sugars will add to the flavor and color of caramel – but too much can cause excessive stickiness.
   
   Check the pH of premix, water and other ingredients, including scrap, to identify excessive inversion as the problem. Caramel premix should have a neutral pH (6.8-7.0). 

Two possible solutions for adjusting pH levels:

a)     Add low-pH flavors at the end of cook sequence or use buffered flavors.

b)    Increase premix pH with the addition of basic salts, such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate (both considered natural and should be approximately 0.1% of batch)

3. Not enough milk – A minimum of 3.7% milk protein solids or higher is recommended

4. Low cooking temperature – Increasing the final cooking temperature slightly will produce caramel with a harder texture. Even one or two degrees can make a significant difference. Additionally, do not allow the moisture from the cooking process to drain back into the kettle.

5. Too much corn syrup – Too much corn syrup can create a tender caramel, but also lead to stickiness and lack of body. Adjust the ratio of sugar to corn syrup (reduce the corn syrup or dextrose equivalent of corn syrup)

6. Too much humidity – An overly humid environment can make caramel sticky and create a less than desirable layer of scum on its surface. Too avoid exposure to excessive humidity, pack and store cooked caramel away from steam kettles and in an area with a relative humidity of 40-50%.

7. Lack of emulsifiers – The addition of mono and diglycerides (generally 1-1.25%) will produce caramel that is less sticky.

Great caramel doesn’t happen by accident. With all the factors that play into the science of making caramel, even one or two degrees, for example, can mean the difference between coveted caramels and a sticky mess.

Make your customers stick, but not your caramels! Registration for RCI’s Caramels, Toffees & Brittles course opens tomorrow, February 15. This three-day intensive course is designed to help candy makers (RCI members and non-members) understand the science behind recipe formulations and learn troubleshooting techniques for caramels, toffees and brittles. Participants will gain hands-on experience in the kitchen making variations of these coveted confections for several different applications.

Visit retailconfectioners.org/caramels for more information and to register for the course, starting February 15. Note: This course is limited to the first 24 registrants and is expected to sell out quickly.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip # 212: Make Customer Satisfaction a Cultural Attribute of Your Business

Customer service specialists for L.L. Bean, Inc., an outdoor retailer widely recognized for their exceptional customer service, led an educational session on the subject of customer service during RCI’s Fall Regional Conference in Portland, Maine in 2015. Liza Gerry and Valerie Marshall, who each have nearly thirty years of experience leading customer service initiatives at L.L. Bean, shared five tips to make customer satisfaction a cultural attribute of your business. 

BONUS: We’ve added specific ways you, as a retail confectioner, can apply each tip to your sweet business.

Top Five Customer Service Tips

1. Empower employees to do the right thing – Develop a service culture where your employees feel they are brand ambassadors, who have as much confidence in your brand as your most loyal customers.
   
   
   How do I apply this to my business? To create your own brand personality, think about what cultural attributes are most important to you and your business. Offer 3-5 characteristics for your staff to focus on and share examples of how these attributes can help them address customer service in a way that best reflects your brand.
   
   
   Print reminder cards, like the one below, and post them in visible areas such as the break room, in the restroom and near the cash register. Provide extra copies for staff to place in their private workspaces.

2. Invest in training and communications – Never assume your team shares the same viewpoints on customer service as you do. Each member of your team brings their own unique personality and experience, which are like puzzle pieces that make up your company culture.
   
   
   How do I apply this to my business? Clear expectations for customer service should be a key element of your employee training, just as important as dress codes and safety policies.
   
   Additionally, ongoing communication is vital to remind staff of the company’s customer service policy. Share tips on how to achieve customer satisfaction through regular team huddles, a private Facebook group for staff or by printing newsletter-style handouts.

3. Let customers define “good service” –  According to L.L. Bean’s President and CEO, Chris McCormick, “you can’t tell customers, ‘you will be satisfied’ – they need to arrive at that conclusion on their own through the service experience itself.” 

How do I apply this to my business? Provide opportunities for customers to share their feedback on your service through a social media site or an email survey. Even if the feedback is negative, it gives you the opportunity to make improvements and lets your customers know you value them.

4. Offer a consistent, high-quality experience before, during and after their purchase across all channels to show you’re engaged with them throughout their journey. 

How do I apply this to my business? To ensure you are consistently offering the best customer experience, play the role of a consumer regularly, both in-store and online. This will help you identify areas where improvements are needed.

5. Guarantee 100% customer satisfaction – Satisfied customers make repeat customers.

L.L. Bean’s 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is the pinnacle of their customer service efforts and appears on their website, in their catalogs, in their stores and on every single receipt. While this guarantee serves their customers very well, according to Liza it serves L.L. Bean very well by making their customers the best “vocal champions” of their customer service. Clearly, making this worth standing behind.

How do I apply this to my business? What guarantee could you offer that would ensure your customers are 100% satisfied with your product or service. Consider offering a freshness guarantee. Clearly define what it means to be “fresh” and include a made-by date on each package. This gives customers the confidence that they are getting fresh products with every purchase and it gives you the opportunity to talk about it a lot.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #190: Don’t Sweat It! Stop Sea Salt Caramels from Sweating

Suffer from sweaty sea salt caramels? Take tips from fellow candy makers and RCI members on how to avoid this common problem, as discussed through RCI’s member forum, List Serve.

“We are looking for a high-quality sea salt for our caramels. We experience problems when storing salted caramels in our cool room (50 degrees – 50% humidity). The sea salt seems to sweat or become clear on the caramel when stored.” - M. Mootz, Michael Mootz Candies, Inc.

“We do not store our sea salt caramels at a reduced temperature due to similar issues, we store [sea salt caramels] at factory room temperature.” – T. Hicklin, Candy House Gourmet

“Some salts are harder than others. Pink Himalayan sea salt is harder and more dense. It is less likely to absorb moisture.” – R. Hofberger, (retired)

“I would recommend dehumidifying to at least 40%. If that can’t be done, shrink wrap the boxes/cases. Completely enclose the product and then store. It works very well.” – Marty Lyp, Peterbrooke Chocolatier

If you’re a member of RCI and you would like to get in on the conversation, click here to subscribe to List Serve. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business. 

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? 

Tip # 184: Register Your Business with the FDA

In an effort to protect the public and ensure safe food is provided by food manufacturers, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires registration of all food manufacturing facilities. These regulations are part of the Food Safety Modernization Act enacted in 2011. We’ve provided answers below to some common FAQs regarding registering with the FDA.

Why is food facility registration a requirement?

Food facility registration will help the FDA determine the location and source of a potential outbreak of food-borne illness and quickly notify facilities that may be affected.

Who has to register?

The registration requirements apply to food facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for human and animal consumption in the United States. Therefore, if you are a facility making chocolates and candies, then you should be registered with the FDA.

Do I register one time?

Food facilities are required to submit an initial registration to the FDA only once. After that, you must renew registration with the FDA every other year during the period beginning on October 1 and ending on December 31 of each even-numbered year. This means every food facility should be renewing their registration this year as 2016 is an even-numbered year.

Do I have to resubmit all information to renew?

FDA will provide an abbreviated biennial registration renewal process for a registrant of a facility that has not had any changes to its registration information.

Does it cost to register? There is no fee for registration or updates to a registration.

How do I register? Register online at FDA.gov by entering a search query for “Registration of Food Facilities,” or request the paper materials by calling 800-216-7331 or 301-575-0156.

How is registration confirmed? After you register your facility, the FDA will confirm the registration and assign a registration number. The information provided here is directly from the FDA website, FDA.gov. For direct links to materials from the FDA, including industry guidance for food facility registration, visit the GMPs page on the RCI website when signed in as a member (found under the Member Resources tab).

Not a member? Learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business at retailconfections.org/join.

Tip #155: Check Your Temper

This week’s quick tip? Check your temper!

While we don’t want you to have a temper tantrum during the peak of the holiday season, we’re actually referring to checking the temper of your chocolate. As production aims to keep up with the demands of the holidays, it may be easy for production staff to get sidetracked and assume your chocolate is well-tempered and ready to move into the assembly line. However, not keeping a close eye on your chocolate’s temper is a costly mistake.

Many of our candy making members have a system in place to verify their chocolate’s temper every hour. While verification processes may vary, just be sure that you have a process in place, even if it is a simple pen and paper system.

How often do you check your temper? Leave us a comment below!

Tip #151: Get Employees to Flip Large Moulds

It is almost the season for making life-size chocolate Santas. Ok, we realize they aren’t really life-size but some of the pretty large ones could definitely be life-size for a child!

Either way, this week on the blog we have a small but useful tip to help you evenly distribute the chocolate in your life-size moulded Santa Claus. Since these huge moulds aren’t likely to fit on a mould spinner, most candy makers seem to have a special way of spinning and flipping the moulds to be sure the chocolate doesn’t all gather on one side as it hardens. To help with this process our tip is to make a rule for your staff that each time they walk by the mould they need to flip it.

Be sure every staff member knows and understands the reason for this rule is to evenly spread the chocolate inside the mould to help ensure they’ll follow it. Additionally, it would be wise to assign a staff member to be in charge of ensuring the mould is flipped on a regular schedule. For example, if it needs to be flipped every five minutes and no one walks by for 10 minutes, this staff person would be the one to flip it at the five minute mark. It would probably be helpful to have a pen and paper chart nearby for staff to initial and write the time when they flip the mould.

By involving all staff to flip your extra large moulds you’ll be creating a team environment where everyone pitches in, in addition to adding an element of quality control,  

P.S. This tip came from our Mechanics of Chocolate Moulding education course held last fall. Attend RCI’s next education course, Chocolate Boot Camp®, by registering online today at retailconfectioners.org/bootcamp.

Tip #143: Use Water at Room Temperature for Chocolate Tastings

Tasting Tray from RCI's Chocolate Boot Camp

As you know, quality control requires that you taste test your products, including the chocolate ingredients you use. Therefore, today’s tip is a quick one that will help you get the most accurate flavor when doing a chocolate tasting.

The tip? Use room temperature water to cleanse your palate between tastings rather than cold water. Because cold hardens the fats in your mouth it affects tasting. However, room temperature water is one way to help ensure that you taste the full and accurate flavor of the chocolate.

P.S. Today’s tip was from RCI’s Chocolate Boot Camp education course. Registration for our 2015 session recently opened online. Visit retailconfectioners.org/bootcamp for more information.

Tip #137: Help Caramel Stick to the Apple

Caramel apple season is just around the corner and we have a quick tip for you on making this customer favorite. Do you have problems with the caramel you worked so hard to make just slipping off the apple as it sets? If you’ll take the extra step to wipe down each apple with a damp cloth prior to dipping then you’ll help to remove any of the waxy residue that rests on the apples.

Still need a little more help? One of our Chocolate Boot Camp instructors suggests adding white compound to the caramel at a 5 to 1 ratio to help it better adhere to the apple.

Do you have a tip for a solution to this common problem? Leave us a comment below! 

Tip #133: Extend Truffle Shelf Life

Truffles are a consistent customer favorite but their delicious centers also have a high water activity which means the shelf life is limited. This week’s blog tip is to consider ideas to decrease water activity and therefore extend the shelf life of your truffles.

One idea is to use invertase, an enzyme derived from yeast, as an ingredient to bring down water activity in your truffle centers. Additionally, syrups such as honey will work similarly. Or you may also use potassium sorbate. Talk to your ingredients suppliers to determine the right amount to use for your specific truffle recipes.

Do note that if you claim that your products are all natural, you should pay close attention to how you choose to extend shelf life of your products. See this story on a bagel company who received a warning from the FDA for labeling their bagel as all natural because their blueberries contained potassium sorbate.

P.S. You’re invited to join RCI at our Fall Regional Conference next month! We’ll be connecting in Las Vegas August 25-27 and you can register online now at retailconfectioners.org/fall. Register by July 25 to save $100 on full registration!

Tip #128: Use a Heat Gun to Quickly Melt Wafers for Seeding

This week’s tip is quick and easy and may save yourself a headache as you temper chocolate in small batch tempering machines.

Are you using chocolate wafers as seed for your tempering unit? Before putting them in the feed of the tempering machine, quickly (don’t overheat!) use a heat gun on them to form one large clump or block of wafers. By doing this, you will help keep the wafers from sneaking through the blade and over-tempering your chocolate.

See? Quick and easy!

This week’s tip was shared during our Chocolate Boot Camp education course. RCI will be hosting a Creams, Fondants & Fudges course August 5-7 in Dayton, Ohio. Visit retailconfectioners.org/events to stay up-to-date with RCI's education course offerings in the coming year.

Tip #124: Control the Temperature of Your Packaging Room

You’ve made a delicious product covered in chocolate and now it is time to package it. Have you considered how the temperature of the packaging room or area will affect your product?

This week’s tip is to control the temperature of your packaging room or area in order to protect the integrity of your products. Oftentimes the focus of room temperature is on the cooking or kitchen area but the temperature and relative humidity of the packaging area is important as well. For example, conditions with high humidity will lead to moisture condensation which will eventually result in sugar bloom on the product’s surface. Additionally, conditions that are too warm could melt your products.

Confectionery experts recommend that the packaging area be maintained at 65° to 70°F with a relative humidity of maximum 65 percent. To help with control, install a thermometer that measures both temperature and relative humidity and assign an employee to check the measurements on a regular schedule.

Temperature control is one of many factors and variables that should be considered as you prepare product for customer distribution. The decisions you make about these items can help to prolong the beauty and shelf life of your confections.

Tip #115: Keep Samples of Your Product on Hand

This week’s tip will help keep you on track for quality control. Take a sample of every product, label appropriately (lot code, date, etc.) and freeze it for a set amount of time. Then, if a customer calls and complains for any reason about your products, you have a frame of reference to be able to say this is the condition the product was in when it left our facility.

One RCI member does this and has a ziplock bag for each day. The company keeps the product for four months and then discards it. Regardless of how long you choose to keep the product, be sure that you have a system for organizing it within your freezer so that you can easily find the items and then also easily discard of them when the time period for keeping them has passed.

P.S. This week’s tip is from our Chocolate Boot Camp education course. Learn more about education courses offered by Retail Confectioners International at www.retailconfectioners.org/events.

Tip #111: Store Mint in a Different Room or Container

In honor of Chocolate Mint Day next week (February 19), this week’s tip reminds you to have all mint-flavored treats stored separately from other confections.

While mint is refreshingly cool and goes great with chocolate, it is also an overwhelming flavor that can seep into the flavor of your other candies and chocolates. Therefore, it is recommended to store your mint flavoring as well as products containing mint separate from other goods. Some candy makers make a lot of mint chocolates and find that a completely separate “mint room” is necessary but if that is not the case for you, storing them in sealed containers will at least seal in the flavor.

Do you have other ways for storing your mint flavored products? Please share them in the comments below!

We hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Tip #107: Clean Behind Candy Cases

You’re very diligent to clean fingerprints and smudges on the front of your candy cases but have you given thought to how often you clean the inside of your cases and other fixtures? This week’s tip is to remind you that cleaning behind fixtures is just as important as cleaning the front of cases and fixtures.

As you know, presentation matters when it comes to displaying your beautiful chocolates and candies in the store. You may not think the inside of your cases would get dirty but dust could collect there in addition to smudges from moving product in and out of the case. A pristine case will help increase the perceived value of your products so take the time to ensure it is clean both inside and out.

How often should you clean the inside of your cases? That depends on how often the doors to the cases are opened, when product is moved, etc. Whatever you decide, be sure it is added to the cleaning schedule so employees don’t overlook this important task.

P.S. This tip was from the GMP series featured in the Jan/Feb/Mar 2012 issue of Kettle Talk. RCI members may access the entire series by signing in to the RCI website and viewing Kettle Talk issues from 2012.

Tip #101: Keep the Chocolate Curtain on Enrober Close to Centers

Out of respect for confectioners’ busy holiday schedules, December’s blog tips will be quick tips.

Have you had issues with air pockets showing up on your enrobed confections?  This week’s tip is to be sure the chocolate curtain on your enrober is as close as possible to the centers or confections being enrobed to avoid air pockets. If the curtain is too far above your centers, then there is more of an opportunity for air pockets to form.

This tip was shared at our 2013 Chocolate Boot Camp education course. Learn more about this hands-on course for confectioners at retailconfectioners.org/bootcamp.

Tip #96: Require Consistency from Your Suppliers

Your customers expect that each time you make a product that it will look and taste the same way as when they purchased it the last time. Your product is just as good as the ingredients you use to make it. Therefore, this week’s tip is to require your suppliers to be consistent with their own products.

Many times we hear from small businesses that they don’t feel they have the ‘clout’ to demand anything from their suppliers because of their size. However, we always remind those businesses that their own livelihood and success is dependent on the quality of their raw materials. Therefore, as a paying customer they have just as much right as any other business to require a consistent product from their suppliers.

As part of requiring consistency of your suppliers, be sure to regularly test each supplier shipment for consistency in characteristics such as taste, size and odor. Remember, if your raw materials and suppliers are dependable, you increase the chances of your finished product being consistent as well. And a consistently delicious product will keep your customers coming back for more!

This tip was inspired by an article in our Good Manufacturing Practices series found in all four 2012 issues of Kettle Talk. RCI members may access past issues of Kettle Talk by signing in as a member on the RCI website. 

Tip #90: Increase Your Popcorn Shelf Life by Air Popping

A couple weeks ago we posted a tip on a fall favorite – caramel apples. Another favorite treat during the holiday season, and a growing snack trend this year, is popcorn. This week’s tip is quick and will help increase the shelf life for your popcorn.

To increase shelf life, we suggest air popping your popcorn. Because popping with oil increases the chance for rancidity, if you air pop your popcorn, the shelf life of your product is increased.  It’s that simple but it works!

While we’re sure your popcorn is so good it’ll be flying off the shelves, we hope this quick tip will help you be able to pop your popcorn ahead of time so you can meet the demand for this great treat!

P.S. We’re having a great week in Buffalo, New York for our Fall Regional. Be sure to check out event photos on the RCI Facebook page!