Banana lovers rejoice! August 27 is National Banana Lover’s Day.

Why have a plain old banana, when you can celebrate with the following banana treats?

 

 

Dark Chocolate-Covered Banana Chips

Any banana lover would go, well, bananas over sweet and crunchy banana chips dipped in luxurious chocolate.

 

 

Peanut Butter Banana Bar

Here, Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company tops its chocolate-covered peanut butter truffle center with crunchy banana chips. Put a similar spin on your peanut butter meltaway with a sprinkle of crushed banana chips on top.

 

 

Chocolate + Banana + Raspberry Bar

Zotter Chocolate takes fruitiness to the next level by lightly coating its banana ganache with raspberry couverture, before layering on milk chocolate.

 

 

Peanut Butter Banana Bark

This recipe calls upon white chocolate, peanut butter and banana chips to make a tasty bark with crunch! Read more.

 

 

Banana Nut Chocolate Bar

This chocolate bar embodies the classic flavors of banana nut bread with dark chocolate, crisp banana pieces and toasted almonds.

If celebrating National Banana Lover’s Day sounds a-PEEL-ing to you, we hope this post has offered some fun inspiration to incorporate a new flavor profile. And if you don’t want to “reinvent the wheel,” as they say, look at your existing products. If you have an existing confection that already combines peanut butter and chocolate, consider ways you can add banana for a fresh, new twist.

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 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.

 

 

 

Looking for answers to these questions? Keep reading as Theresa Packard with CommerceV3, offers answers and actionable strategies to start implementing in your business immediately.

They say everything is better with chocolate, but is it?

In honor of National Candy Month, we’re sharing some oddly popular and some surprisingly tasty pairings. We’ll leave it up to you to determine if they really are better with chocolate.

 

 

Beef Jerky

This salty, sweet and chewy combination is sure to stir some excitement among jerky fans. Plus, with so many varieties of jerky available the options are seemingly endless. We suggest adding another element of texture by topping the chocolate coating with crushed nuts, candy pieces, drizzled caramel, dried fruit or savory spices like smoked paprika or red pepper flakes.

 

 

Cheetos^®

If your customers love your chocolate-covered potato chips, this seems like a natural next step. As an added bonus, coating Cheetos in chocolate will help to avoid the dreaded orange Cheeto fingers.

 

Chickpeas

 

Packed with protein and fiber, chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are super popular right now—see for yourself with a quick internet search. When chickpeas are roasted, they take on a crunchy snack-like quality. Try coating them in chocolate and sprinkling them with a little sea salt and you are bound to catch the attention of chickpea enthusiasts with this nutritious sweet treat.

 

Chili Peppers

 

Chocolate-covered chili peppers—perhaps with a dash of sea salt fall right in line with current flavor trends; spicy-salty-sweet. From habaneros to jalapenos to sweet peppers and everything in between, there’s so many varieties of peppers you decide how daring you want to be. **Bonus points if you stuff peppers with peanut butter.

 

 

Corn Nuts

We first learned about this addictive combo while touring the R&D department at The Blommer Chocolate Company in 2017. We give this sweet and savory mix of chocolate and toasted corn kernels two thumbs up. Try it for yourself and tell us what you think.

 

 

Onions

Chocolate-covered onions? It sounds like an April Fools’ Day joke. As the story goes, the idea started as a prank. Today, RCI member Mueller Chocolate Co.’s chocolate-covered onion has developed into a “cult favorite” for tourists and food bloggers visiting Philadelphia. For the record, it is unanimous that the chocolate-covered onion is as disgusting as it sounds.

 

 

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels

If you have combined chocolate with peanut butter and chocolate with pretzels, but you’ve never tried the three together, you’re in for a treat.

 

 

Pickles

It’s an annual tradition for Malley’s Chocolates of Cleveland to drench dill pickles in chocolate for St. Patrick’s Day—some could say this is the ultimate salty, sweet combination. Unlike the chocolate-covered onion, people seem to really enjoy this wacky combination.

 

 

Quinoa

The ancient grain, quinoa, brings along with it a healthy halo. Combine it with dark chocolate and dried superfoods like blueberries—this treat is not only packed with nutrients but it tastes good too. Rather than working with raw quinoa (which might chip a tooth), puffed quinoa is a better medium for coating in chocolate. Puffed quinoa is easy to make yourself (a lot like stovetop popcorn—check out this recipe) or you can buy puffed quinoa (see here).

 

 

Wasabi Peas

If you like the crunch of chocolate-covered Cheetos and the heat of chocolate chili peppers, these little spheres of goodness are the best of both worlds.

Creativity doesn’t have to stop here. You never know where your next creative culinary confection will come from. So, keep experimenting and have fun! And don’t forget to tell people about your next wacky combination on social media, in-store and even through a press release. Creative, out-of-the-box thinking may be just what you need to create buzz and get people to visit your store or website so they don’t miss out on all the fun!

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 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.

 

 

 

Celebrate National Fudge Day on June 16 by rolling out new, limited-time summer fudge flavors! Seasonal fudge flavors will keep your product offering relevant and interesting year around. Blue skies are the limit, but here’s some inspiration to get your ideas flowing for summer.

 

Photo credit: Pillsbury

 

Piňa Colada Fudge

Regardless of your actual location, this fudge is sure to send you to a tropical state of mind in an instant. This recipe is packed with dried pineapple, coconut, rum extract and chopped macadamia nuts for added crunch.

 

Credit: Granny’s in the Kitchen

 

Pineapple Upside Down Fudge

Transform this classic summer favorite into your new favorite summer fudge flavor! This recipe incorporates yellow cake mix to give it a unique texture—almost like a dense cake.

 

Credit: Shugary Sweets

 

Pink Lemonade Fudge

Who could resist their favorite summer beverage in fudge form? Refreshing lemon, plus a splash of berry flavor and so pretty in pink! If you’re looking for the quintessential summer flavor, here you have it! This recipe uses pink lemonade mix for flavor—we recommend embellishing each slice with a candy lemon wedge for irresistible cuteness!

 

Credit: How to Make Easy Fudge

 

Pool Party Fudge

If "Pool Party Fudge" doesn’t get you in the mood for summer fun, we don’t know what will! We especially love how this recipe incorporates Teddy Grahams^® on a little "floaty" to really drive home the visual.

 

Credit: Bakerita

 

S’mores Fudge

Another summer classic that will leave customers wanting s’more and s’more! This recipe calls for loads of mini marshmallows which can be toasted with a handheld torch or under the broiler in your oven.

We hope this post gives you plenty of inspiration—and, remember to take pictures of your summer products and share them on social media to help spread the word. Cheers to summer and the summer flavors we love!

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 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.

Want packaging that will help you rule the retail scene?! Keep reading for 3 fresh tips from CEO of Pearl Resourcing , Emily Page, to help your brand capture consumer attention and gain more sales.

Define Your Brand and Stick to it
Higher margins and customer loyalty is about defining your business as different and valuable among the competition through your product and the visual cues in stores and on packaging that help a customer identify you.

It’s important to utilize a brand guide, so every year and season your packaging stays within the visual guidelines. A brand guide will also make your brand recognizable over time and build brand equity. Don’t design in a vacuum on a computer without considering the existing line-up, and don’t design a single product alone. If you do, you may not realize its compromise on your brand image or store aesthetic.

Brand value comes when customers recognize your brand quickly through visuals, so you must be consistent to increase your value. Consistent color pallets in a store are soothing and attractive to the eye, yet contrast attracts attention. It’s a delicate art form, best advised on by a talented brand director to set the tone. Ask your art director to create a brand guide for all packaging design and store merchandising to follow. Then your whole team will be clear how to keep consistent in their independent projects.

 

 

 

When selecting packaging, consider how it will all display in store before you buy. People buy gifts for themselves or others to feel special—packaging adds to their “special” experience. Take customers on a journey by curating the in-store display with themed colors and shapes. When consumers are in your store, contrasting colors grab more attention than you realize, so even contrasting colors must be in harmony within a similar color family.

 

Take the time before you embark on a new design and consider what is working in your store. What items sell out? What do your employees say your customers are always asking for? Design with customer requests in mind. Pick complimentary and contrasting colors to use across your entire product line to create consistency. Display products to create visual variety, with a focus on unique shapes or colors, for giftable items to result in higher perceived value and acceptable price.

 

Drive Customers Back to Your Online Community
You want every first-time buyer to not only love your product, but also buy from you again. Make it easy for them to find you by including your website and exact social media handles on your packaging ( don’t just use the social media icons, this creates opportunities for spelling errors). Focus on a maximum of two or three social media platforms for customers to engage with you. They can learn more on your website.

Recapturing existing customers is always less expensive than acquiring new ones. Offer a coupon code to first-time buyers to encourage return online orders, allow them to familiarize themselves with your products and memorize their favorites. One sale can easily turn into two with very little investment.

Be sure to curate your e-commerce and social media experiences, so the brand story continues to impact their minds and hearts. You don’t need to post a lot, but it should be professional. The easiest and least expensive way to curate great content is to re-post fan content on social media. Encourage high-quality photo sharing by giving a discount code or free product to fans with the best photos. Or send free samples to influencers with an already clear fan following in your region, in exchange for a set number of high-quality photos you can use to get the best both diversity and social proof.

Understanding the unique elements of the retail shopping experience will help you make better branding decisions when ordering or designing packaging for your products.  By utilizing these tips, you can make a difference in how consumers view and engage with your products, allowing you to achieve even better sales.

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 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 .

About Emily Page: Emily has managed and launched multiple 7-figure product brands in Costco, Williams-Sonoma, Kroger, and Amazon as a Business Growth Consultant and CEO of Pearl Resourcing. She’s bringing you the expertise, resources, and mentors you need so that you can develop products and make them sell in her blog articles and her START TO SOLD YouTube channel and blog.

http://emilyannepage.com

http://pearlresourcing.net   

http://youtube.com/c/starttosold/