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.

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Tip #273: Don’t Skip This Step When Roasting Nuts

Not only do roasted nuts add satisfying crunch and crave-worthy sweet and salty flavors to chocolate confections, the pungent aroma of freshly roasted nuts, alone, can lure nearby shoppers into your candy store. This week’s brief tip, shared during RCI’s Chocolate Boot Camp^®, is a must for candy makers who roast their own nuts.

REDUCE THE RISK OF BLOOM

To reduce the risk of fat bloom, due to fat migration, wait at least 48 hours to coat roasted nuts with chocolate. This practice allows the oils to reabsorb into the nuts. Keep in mind, dry roasted and whole nuts will have less free fat than those that are oil roasted.

STOP CRACKS IN THEIR TRACKS

Waiting to enrobe roasted nuts will also help lessen the chances of unwanted cracks in these chocolate-covered morsels. Quick and easy tips like these will help ensure your nutty delights look and taste as good as they smell!

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.

Throwback Tip #82: Add RCI’s Classifieds Page to Your Web Favorites

Looking to buy or sell used confectionery equipment, post a confectionery job or purchase or sell a confectionery business? Start by adding the Classified Ads page on the Retail Confectioners International website to your website browser favorites as a quick reference.

The Classified Ads page is consistently one of the most viewed pages on RCI’s website. Both RCI members and non-members are invited to post an ad, in any of the following categories:

• For Sale
• Wanted
• Job Postings

Updates are made to the page on a regular basis and you’ll find a variety of used equipment and supplies available for purchase at any given time.

So, what are you waiting for? Take a moment to visit the Classified Ads page and add it to your web browser’s favorites. Then, when you have equipment to buy or sell or a job to post, be sure to post it with RCI.

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 #272: Why Dry? Learn Why Dry Cleaning & Sanitation Methods May Be Best

Did you know limiting the use of water is one of the primary means of controlling pathogens in low moisture food establishments (foodprotection.org)? If when cleaning, your workstation is always filled with enough soaps and suds to check your reflection, it may be time to consider practicing dry sanitation methods.

via Gfycat

Keep reading to better understand the difference between wet and dry cleaning methods and why dry cleaning is best, when possible.

Wet Cleaning & Sanitation

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.

Dry Cleaning & Sanitation
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.

Assess Level of Risk

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.

Before dragging out the bucket of soapy water to clean and sanitize equipment and work stations, consider if you can incorporate dry cleaning and sanitation methods into your regular cleaning routine.

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 #271: Ship Gift Baskets Like A Boss

Who doesn't love a great gift basket? Not only are they fun and interactive for the recipient, as they discover each different element carefully tucked inside, but for the retailer they encourage increased customer spending. Have you ever thought about shipping gift baskets? Follow these basic instructions, curated from RCI’s past Merchandising Essentials course and Rebecca Craig of Marie’s Candies, to ensure your gift basket arrives intact.

Directions

1. First, shrink wrap the gift basket to keep items in place. For aesthetic purposes, wrap gift basket in cello next.
2. Next, get a box appropriately sized for the basket, which should be approximately three to four inches larger than the basket to protect both the product and basket during shipping. Fold down any additional cello at the top of the basket to decrease the size of the box needed for shipping.
3. Place the basket into the center of the box and begin filling with packing materials until the basket fits securely in the box. Fold the lid closed and secure with tape.
4. If you are shipping chocolate during warm weather or to a warmer climate, include an ice pack of some sort. Always place ice packs in a resealable plastic bag to ensure nothing will leak onto your product if it would happen to break in the shipping process. Place ice pack as close to the product as possible. Secure the box with packaging tape box and it's ready for shipping.

An eye-catching gift basket may look great on a shelf or display table, but if you don't package your gift basket properly, it is likely to transform into a jumbled mess after it's been shipped across the country or even across town. Before offering this service to paying customers, try testing it out on a friend or family member first.

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 #270: Make Bacon Fans Squeal for International Bacon Day

Now that fireworks from the 4^th of July have fizzled, it’s time to look forward to the next major holiday! Many Americans have already started making arrangements for Labor Day on September 3, while our Canadian friends may be counting down until Civic Day on August 6, however, any bacon fan worth their salt is already salivating for International Bacon Day(otherwise known as “IBD” by bacon fanatics) on September 2.

Even if you don’t regularly observe IBD, you can agree the salty flavor and crunchy texture of bacon, paired with sweet chocolate is a match made in hog heaven (okay, maybe just heaven). There’s a seemingly endless array of ways to pair bacon with chocolate. Whether you’re working with bits, chunks, strips or not-so-delicate bacon roses, this little piggy may bring with it different requirements from your local health department that you should be aware of before you grab that skillet.

Here’s some ideas, if you decide to go whole hog:

Chocolate Covered Bacon on a skewer, from Taste of Home

Bacon Chocolate Covered Popcorn, from whitelightsonwednesday.com

Maple-Bacon Marshmallows, from Epicurious

If you don’t want to take the risk of using real bacon in your recipes, consider using bacon flavoring or smoked bacon sea salt for a more subtle flavor. Make your bacon confections sizzle by sprinkling with Sizzling Bacon Candy. Check out this past post about how to preserve the pop when incorporate popping candy into a truffle center.

If you really want to make your local bacon fans squeal, ask your fans to share ideas for bacon-related confections they’d like to see at your shop or let them vote for their favorite once you’ve narrowed down some realistic options. Not only is this sure to create some excitement amongst your fans, it will help identify if you have enough of an audience to really bring home the bacon!

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.

Throwback Tip #50: Swab Test for Cleanliness

Most candy makers would probably agree it’s easier to keep a super-clean facility when the bows and boxes aren’t flying during the holiday season. However, we all know food safety is just as important during your off season as it is during the peak of the holidays.

One way to stay on top of this anytime of the year is to regularly swab test the cleanliness of your facility. We don’t mean a visual test where you look to see if the area appears clean, but an actual scientific test for allergens, sanitation and etc.

Sample test kits are available to perform on-site tests of a variety of areas in your production zone. Neogen Corporation is an example of a member-recommended company that supplies sample test kits. Using their food allergen tests you can do on-site tests to detect a target allergen (see list of allergens here) in ingredients, liquids, clean-in-place rinses, finished foods and on environmental surfaces. They also have sanitation tests to detect the amount of food residue and other organic matter, such as bacteria, yeast and mold, that may remain after cleaning.

Neogen is just one example of the many organizations that offer this type of product, however, through more online research you may find another source that better suits your needs. Another option would be to send swabs to a lab to be more thoroughly tested. Along with many others that provide this service Merieux NutriSciences, formerly Silliker Labs who presented at a past RCI conference, provides food testing and sanitation information for confectioners and food facilities.

Ensuring the treats created at your facility are not only delicious, but also safe for consumption is an essential part of good manufacturing processes. RCI Members: Access additional materials on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) by logging in to the member side of the RCI website. 

Do you have other tips for maintaining a clean food facility in the midst of your busiest production schedules? Please share with our blog community in the comments below!

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 #269: Celebrate National Almond Buttercrunch Day on June 29

With National Almond Buttercrunch Day at the end of the month, now is the time to make plans to perfect your recipe or introduce this popular confection into your product line. Keep reading for expert tips on how to achieve the signature crunch as well as a formulation worthy of a national holiday.

ALL ABOUT THAT CRUNCH

According to Walter Richmond, author of Choice Confections, this buttery and crunchy treat is “one of the finest confections made.” So how do you get the perfect crunch? This confection’s signature crunch comes from a high cook temperature and the right formulation of ingredients, namely butter and sugar. Typically made by caramelizing sugar with butterfat at a high temperature of 290-300° F. Equally important, the ratio of butter and sugar will have an effect of the grain of the crunch. Richmond recommends 37-42 percent butter and 63-58 percent sugar (nuts excluded) for the confection to gradually become softer and melt in your mouth when eating.

Use the following formulation to adapt this classic recipe in your own candy kitchen.

Click here to download formulation

Maybe it’s the crunch or rich buttery goodness, consumers love buttercrunch enough to honor it with a national holiday. If you’re looking to gain a better understanding of how to make great buttercrunch (or toffee) with consistency or how to make corrections when issues arise, make plans to attends RCI’s upcoming Caramels, Toffees & Brittles course August 15-17, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Caramels, Toffees & Brittles offers students optimal hands-on learning experience while benefiting from the knowledge and skills presented by confectionery and chocolate experts.

Caramels, Toffees & Brittles is open to both RCI members and non-members. Event organizers encourage those interested to register now, as the course is limited to the first 24 registrants. For detailed course information, visit www.retailconfectioners.org/caramels.

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.

Throwback Tip #11: Make Less Mess with Moulds

Is shaking out excess chocolate from your moulds leaving your work place a mess? Sure, you have parchment paper to catch the chocolate as it falls, but it probably still lands in other undesired places. Dennis Witzel with Linnea's Candy Supplies says a small or medium plastic storage bin can take care of this problem for less than $10. Simply set the tub on your work table and set your mould upside down on edges of the tub, so gravity can drain the chocolate. Be sure the bin has a wide enough opening at the top allowing your mould to easily fit into it. When you are ready to shake the excess chocolate from your mould, place the mould into the tub so as you shake it, all of the chocolate that flies out will land in the tub—not on you, the floor or the table.      

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.

Use this Trendy Color to Stand Out

Looking for inspiration to launch a new product or add a fresh a new look in your retail shop? Look no further than Pantone’s Color of the Year, Ultra Violet. 

Said to evoke originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking, shades of Ultra Violet are increasingly used in packaging and graphic design by forward-looking brands seeking to stand out, according to The Pantone Color Institute.

Pantone.com

 Incorporate Shades of Violet into Products and Merchandising

Since it was first introduced in December, ultra violet has been the inspiration for apparel, cosmetic and home decor brands as well as well-known personalities and artists. Let ultra violet light the way for your product development efforts and even when ordering gift items and other merchandise for your retail shop.

Photos: Disco Strawberries, Spring Flower Lollipops by Sprinkle Bakes
and Blackberry Marshmallows by The Road to Honey

Create cosmic strawberries with metallic violet luster dust or take a more literal approach by incorporating edible violets into your candies, like Sprinkle Bakes (click here for easy lollipop tutorial). For a fresh spin on homemade marshmallows, add blackberry puree to get a natural violet hue (check out recipe).

Party City

Make an Impact with an Ultra Violet Candy Buffet

For maximum impact in your store, group together your favorite ultra violet (and other shades of purple) treats in a candy buffet. Consider adding violet lollipops, foil-wrapped chocolates, Jordan almonds, taffy and jelly beans to create more of a variety.

Gain inspiration from brands like Sephora and Gap for their use of
the color of the year in past product promotions. Images: xrite and Selectism

Create a Color of the Year Promotion

Pantone is recognized globally as the leading source of color information and trend forecasts. If you’re not already familiar with Pantone, there’s a good chance consumers in your community are, especially if your retail shop is near a university. According to an article published on NYTimes.com, “Pantone [has] tremendous influence over the visible elements of the global economy — the parts of it that are designed, manufactured and purchased.”

December is pretty much the Super Bowl for Pantone, after the Color of the Year is officially announced. You can expect consumer products in industries spanning from fashion to home décor, packaging and beauty products to jump on the bandwagon, why not the candy industry? If this seems like a good fit for your business, now may be a good time to identify these consumers.

Pantone’s color of the year could just be the spark of inspiration you need for a new product launch or fresh merchandising plan. Have you ever used Pantone’s color of the year as inspiration in your business? If so, please share in the comments below.

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.

Throwback Tip #9: Use Google Alerts

Whether you like it or not, people are talking about your business online. Be sure you’re aware of any online coverage your business receives by setting up Google Alerts. Using this free tool, you will be alerted via email when your business name or the name of a competitor shows up in Google results.

Creating Google Alerts is simple and you don’t have to have a Google account to use this free tool. Go to google.com/alerts to get started. In the search query field, enter the term(s) of which you wish to receive notifications. For the purposes discussed here, enter your business name in this field. You must create one alert at a time, but you can create multiple alerts (e.g., one for your business name and one for your signature product’s name).

To customize the delivery of your alerts, select “show options” before creating your alert. Here you will be able to select your preferences when it comes to the frequency of your notifications and the sources for alerts (e.g., news, blogs, videos and more). For greater accuracy, you may choose to limit alerts to only best results.

Now you can be in the know when your business is being talked about online!

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.

Throwback Tip #230: Refresh Your FSMA Knowledge

It has been seven years since the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law, which also means if you manufacture food and operate with less than $1 million in sales, September 17, 2018 is the deadline to comply with the FDA's regulations. This week's tip offers a refresher on FSMA and its requirements in an excerpt from an article written by Michael Koch of Morley Candy Makers/Sanders Candy for RCI's Kettle Talk magazine.

Click here for further clarification on compliance dates.

WHAT IS FSMA?

FSMA was designed to shift the focus on food safety from responding to contamination issues to a more proactive approach of preventing contamination before it happens. Through the passing of this law the FDA has gained more leverage in its ability monitor and control the safety of our food supply chain.

In September of 2015 the FDA published its "Preventive Controls for Human Food" guidelines. As part of FSMA, it outlines the mandatory requirements being placed on all food manufacturers to have and implement a written food safety plan.

Before putting a plan together, first, identify the individual or individuals in your organization that are going to administer your program. FSMA requires that your plan be written and managed by a qualified individual. Currently the only way to verify that an individual is qualified is to have your food safety administrator attend a certification course.

IDENTIFY HAZARDS

Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls (HARPC) is a documented food safety program that you need to develop and implement for your facility. The first step toward developing a HARPC is to conduct a hazard analysis for every food product you handle in your facility—this is not limited to the items that you manufacture. The second step is to put in place preventive controls for each food product to ensure it will not become contaminated and unfit for human consumption.

VERIFY PLAN’S EFFECTIVENESS

Verifying the effectiveness of your plan ensures preventive controls are consistently implemented and sufficient. Verification includes evaluating the accuracy of process monitoring, calibrating instruments, such as thermometers, and reviewing records to verify monitoring and corrective actions are completed. Product testing and environmental monitoring by a certified third party are also reliable verification methods.

CREATE RECALL PROCEDURES

Your plan must contain details on your recall procedures. If a contaminated product is shipped, you must be able to identify where the product has gone and have the ability to perform a recall. A recall plan should include the procedures for identifying the contaminated product. Having important contact information in the plan will help move the process forward. Contacts should include the local health department, local FDA office, news media and anyone else that you may deem important to the process.

FSMA covers a much greater spectrum of the food chain and more details than covered in this brief post. The realm of information and procedures that you are responsible for also cover such things as your supply chain management, good manufacturing practices, corrective actions and etc. The FSMA is no small task and it is designed to protect the consumer from obtaining contaminated products.

In order to operate a successful candy making business, it is essential that you are knowledgeable on federal regulations and take the proper action to ensure you are in compliance with FSMA guidelines. Click here for more resources and updates.          

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.

Surprising Tool to Keep Colored Cocoa Butter in Temper

Using an airbrush to apply colored cocoa butter to your chocolate moulds can help create a dramatic effect. But if you are using several colors at once, it may seem like a juggling act to keep them all in proper temper. 

RCI member, Brian Donaghy with Tomric Systems, Inc, says although colored cocoa butter usually arrives tempered, it is important to heat it slowly and then hold the cocoa butter in a 90℉ environment. Brian recommends using a yogurt maker to retain the temperature over time and help ensure the cocoa butter doesn't lose temper.

Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker YM80

With lots of options available online, most ranging in price from $29-$60, this piece of equipment could prevent your airbrushed chocolates from having a dull finish or sticking to the moulds.

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.

3 Ways RCI's Annual Convention & Industry Expo Will Help You Rock Your Candy Business

Wanna ROCK your candy business or chocolate shop? Retail Confectioners International (RCI) is cranking up the volume for the 2018 Annual Convention & Industry Expo in Cleveland, Ohio on June 18 through 22. Keep reading for three ways attending RCI's Annual Convention & Industry Expo will help you ROCK your candy business.

Education That Rocks

Get ready to rock with an energetic, interactive and funny keynote designed for the retail confectioner. Discover how to reinvent and revolutionize your candy business using innovative success secrets that created household names like The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Tina Turner and Aerosmith. Using the same techniques as these bona fide rockstars, attendees will learn how to:

• Create a grand vision
• Channel uniqueness into huge growth
• Use the three keys of awesome teamwork
• Build an action-oriented culture
• Drive and lead change

In addition to the keynote session “Opportunity Rocks,” attendees will learn how to outshine the competition through two days of education sessions led industry experts on the subjects of merchandising, product development and hiring. Attendees will also have the opportunity to apply key merchandising concepts during a hands-on workshop.

Game-Changing Insight

RCI takes education to the next level through exclusive behind-the-scenes tours. Gain a new perspective of your craft while touring the following rockstar local businesses, sure to inspire ideas to take home to your own retail shop.

• B.A. Sweetie Candy Company
• Gorant Chocolatier
• Linnea’s Candy Supplies, Inc.
• Malley’s Chocolates
• Mitchell’s Fine Chocolates
• Popped!
• Sun America LLC
• Tap Packaging Solutions

Rock Star Networking

Join RCI for a red-carpet after party you won’t forget! Dressed as your favorite rockstar, roll VIP-style with private access to all seven floors of exhibits at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Jam with an 80s tribute band, enjoy a hosted bar, capture memories in photos taken by the “paparazzi” and more!

Simply attending this event will expose you to relevant education, inspiring and insightful behind-the-scenes tours and network opportunities fit for rockstars. Don't miss this great opportunity to learn, connect and discover how we can help you build your sweet business!

Registration by April 20 and save $100 on the Convention Pass! Registration is open to RCI members and non-members with industry credentials. Visit retailconfectioners.org/annual or call 800-545-5381 for more details.

Tip #261: How to Fix Burnt Caramel

We’ve all heard the saying “don’t cry over spilled milk,” the same could be said for burnt caramel. Mistakes in the kitchen happen and sometimes there’s nothing you can do but put the mistake behind you and move on. Before pitching the botched batch, here are a couple ideas for salvaging your burnt caramel.

Masahiro Makino / Getty Images

One option would be to try masking the bitterness of burnt caramel by incorporating instant coffee into the mix. There is something comforting about this flavor combination, plus with an extra jolt of caffeine, the only tears shed over this concoction will be tears of joy. Try this recipe for cozy coffee caramels from TheSpruce.com.

If you're feeling adventurous, embrace the burnt flavor and use it as a opportunity to get creative. According to FoodIngredientsFirst.com, burnt caramel is one of the hot new flavor trends for 2018, “A burnt caramel flavor pairs the sweet, milky notes of the caramel with the deep and slightly smoky characteristics of burning the caramel.”

With National Caramel Day on April 5, you might just have to burn a batch of caramel “on accident” to celebrate! Share in the comments below if you have other solutions for fixing burnt caramel.

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.