RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo is right around the corner! If you haven’t done so already, there's still time to join RCI in Hartford, Connecticut June 3-7, 2019! Click here to see who’s exhibiting by viewing the expo floor plan which includes exhibitor company descriptions and contact information. 

Get the 2-Day Expo Ticket for only $5 with the promo code "RCIHigh5" (regularly $10 in advance or $25 onsite--as always, RCI members get into the Industry Expo for free). Visit retailconfectioners.org/annual for more information and to register to attend.

 

Not only are industry trade shows a great opportunity to see new product innovations and connect with suppliers and fellow confectioners, you can also save money on items such as packaging, equipment and ingredients. Many exhibitors will provide show specials just for those who take advantage of placing orders while at the show. For example, you could secure a reduced shipping rate or discounts on the same orders you may place a couple months from now, when the need arises. Keep in mind, most suppliers will allow you to place an order and arrange for later shipping dates so you could even place your Christmas order and know it will arrive at a later arranged date.

 

As an added incentive, every order placed during RCI’s Industry Expo is entered into a drawing for great prizes provided by exhibitors.

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.

Tags:  Annual Convention  Expo  Owning a Business  Show Specials 

 

 

With summer around the corner, now is a good time to start thinking about new and exciting summer treats to roll out. S’mores are a summer staple for sure, but why not reimagine flavor combinations that will entice shoppers to take their s’mores to the next level.

 

Here’s five of our favorite s’mores combinations to spark your creativity!

 

Simplegirlathome.blogspot.com

The Peanut Butter Cup S’more

For all the peanut butter lovers out there, this addition is a win-win! For a twist, suggest adding a swipe of jam to turn this into a PB&J S’more.

Jessfuel.com

 

The Sea Salt Caramel S’more

A sprinkle of sea salt will take everything to the next level, but imagine a melty sea salt caramel sandwiched between a toasty marshmallow and two graham crackers. If you have your own caramel sauce, this would be a great tie-in to achieve extra caramelly goodness! Yes, please! 

Sharedappetite.com

The Chocolate-Covered Potato Chip S’more

Encourage shoppers to add an extra layer of crunch to their s’mores with a couple of chocolate-covered potato chips.

 

Photo by Marty Woodcock

The Mint Chocolate S’more

Instead of a plain chocolate bar, pair marshmallows and a couple chocolate graham crackers with a mint chocolate meltaway.

Epicurious.com

 

The Toasted Coconut S’more

Adding toasted coconut marshmallows to a s’more is a sure-fire way to make any coconut fan melt. If toasted coconut marshmallows aren’t already part of your summer repertoire, we think they should be! Check out this recipe from Epicurious.

 

Marie's Candies

Once you’ve brainstormed all the different s’mores combinations available in your store, group them all together and display them as a “Build Your Own S’mores Bar,” as inspiration for shoppers’ to host a gourmet s’mores bar at backyard cookouts, birthday parties and even wedding receptions. We recommend including a sign with suggested flavor combinations featuring your confections, like RCI member, Marie's Candies.

Make your shop a one-stop destination for all the ingredients needed to make gourmet s'mores, including graham crackers, marshmallows and all the creative fixings!

 

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.

Tags:  Creativity  Flavors  S'mores  Summer 

As consumers, we love chocolate-covered nuts because they represent not one, but multiple craveable characteristics. Crunchy – check! Sweet and salty – check! Plus, as a good source of protein and healthy fats, they are often categorized as being a healthier and more satisfying treat!

However, when combining nuts and chocolate in confections oil migration often presents problems. Oil migration between the chocolate and nut or nut paste leads to changes in the quality of the confection, such as visible surface bloom, hardening of the filling and softening of the chocolate.

While oil migration is inevitable when pairing chocolate and nuts together, the following techniques will help avoid or slow oil migration, pulled from education led by Guittard Chocolate Company and the Oregon Hazelnut Marketing Board at RCI’s 2018 Fall Regional Conference in Portland, Oregon last fall.

 

 

• If using roasted hazelnuts, use a two-step roasting process.
• Select a chocolate with a fine particle size.
• Ensure the chocolate is well-tempered.
• When adding hazelnuts or hazelnut paste to tempered chocolate, the temperature of the hazelnuts should be within 1-2˚F of the temperature of the tempered chocolate.
• A thicker layer of chocolate around a hazelnut or hazelnut filling slows oil migration, bloom formation and textural change.
• Double enrobing with cooling between layers.
• Consider the shape and design of the confection to limit thin spots of coating.
• During storage, limit temperature fluctuations.

With these expert tips for fighting oil migration, you can create truly craveable treats using hazelnuts and other nuts. RCI members: Login at retailconfectioners.org/pasteducation to access this and other education recordings from past RCI events.

 

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.

Tags:  bloom  Chocolate  Chocolate-Covered Nuts  Nuts  Oil Migration  troubleshooting 

 

Did you know April 30 is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day?

 

When there’s a national holiday celebrating everything from potato chips to “talking like a pirate,” it may be difficult to take these holidays seriously. When you find a holiday that speaks to your heart, however, it can create an opportunity for you and your business to support a cause that you may not have otherwise thought would make sense for a candy business.

 

If helping our furry friends find a forever home makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, consider making these fun animal-themed treats as a way to raise funds for shelter animals in your local community.

Moonstruck Chocolate Co.

 

Chocolatey Critters

Use your strengths to create fun and creative confections inspired by the critters that melt our hearts. Moonstruck Chocolate Co. of Portland, Oregon has become famous for their four-piece “Critter Truffle Collection,” which consists of handmade truffles resembling a bunny, cat, mouse and none other than a chocolate lab.

 

kidsactivitiesblog.comandPinterest

 

DIY (Decorate-It-Yourself) Dog & Cat Cookies

It will be raining dog and cat-lovers in your candy shop if you invite families to decorate their own chocolate-covered sandwich cookies like their favorite pets, in exchange for a donation to your local animal shelter. Click here for an easy step-by-step tutorial to make these cute cats by kidsactivitiesblog.com.

 

Party Animal Crackers

Animal crackers hold a special place in the heart of both kids and kids-at-heart, but when coated in chocolate that’s a game changer. When sold in small portions, these make great birthday party favors or a fun snack. Consider donating a portion of your sales of chocolate-covered animal crackers to a charity that serves animals.

 

Handmade Charlotte

 

Candy Bar Pups

These treats are so doggone cute, we couldn’t resist sharing! Although these are made using a Twix candy bar for the body, a Tootsie Roll for the ears and a Hershey Kiss for the head, you may be inspired to use other products that you make and sell in your own store. Click here to view the tutorial.

 

 

Left to right:Boehm's Candies & Chocolates,Bomboy's Home Made Candy

 

Pet-Friendly Dipped Treats

We all know chocolate isn’t safe for pets, however, RCI members, Boehm’s Candies Chocolates of Issaquah, Washington  and Bomboy’s Home Made Candy of Havre De Grace, Maryland sell special dog treats made with safe alternatives that don’t contain actual chocolate. Boehm’s Candies offers 1.5-ounce dog treats dipped in peanut butter or white confectionery coating, while Bomboy’s Home Made Candy of Havre De Grace, MD sells Vanilla-Dipped Dog Bones for man’s best friend.

 

Sharing your animal-themed treats on social media are sure to catch people’s attention, especially if they’re not what your followers are used to seeing from you. Use this opportunity to tell your community about National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day and how they can show their support—by donating, adopting or volunteering (contact your local shelter for more ideas specific to your area). Encourage your followers to share your post with their animal-loving friends, and even if they don’t visit your store, at least your efforts will help create awareness about a cause that is important to you.

 

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.

Tags:  Animals  Charity  Creativity  Dog Treats  Holidays  Member Ideas 

For entrepreneurs, the challenges of purchasing for a business are an everyday concern. In this week’s post, RCI 1st Vice President, Barry Bomboy of Bomboy’s Home Made Candy, shares five purchasing habits that help his family’s business maintain or increase the quality of their products while staying conscious of the bottom line.

 

COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

As a member of RCI, we have been able to network with other great companies and build relationships, which allows us to have greater purchasing options. In some cases, we are able to combine our orders with other companies' orders to purchase ingredients and supplies. This allows us to collectively meet larger minimums and receive better pricing.

 

Cooperative purchasing can add great value to your business, however, you may have to adjust your buying patterns to get this type of cooperative buying to work. It is important to figure out who has the best options for receiving larger shipments and make sure you have the storage available for a larger purchase. You may be at the mercy of someone else’s buying schedule, but when you join forces you will find that your buying power can save a significant amount of money, which goes right to your bottom line.

 

STAGGERED DELIVERIES

We try to schedule our deliveries so that they are staggered at a pace that will allow us to keep our everyday flow moving. We want to make sure we have raw materials for manufacturing and also packaging materials for finished goods. We also have to ensure that we have enough space to continue working and to store inventory. We are able to schedule seasonal employees based upon the delivery dates we have chosen to keep production at a maximum.

 

KEEPING RECORDS

We keep records of all of our purchases and sales leading up to and during each holiday season so we can plan for the following year. At the end of a season, we ask ourselves if the timing worked and if we had enough or too much inventory. We track not only what we sold, but also how much and when it sold. We feel that we can never have enough notes to make the following year better.

 

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Another challenge is making larger purchases of equipment for manufacturing and packaging. To prevent unnecessary spending, we, first, have to answer the following questions:

 

• Do we need it?
• Will it improve efficiency?
• Is there room for it?
• Do we need to change electric hookups or plumbing?

By taking steps to address these questions, we are able to avoid making decisions that could be counterproductive, if for instance, the equipment is of no use because we don't have room for it or we don't have the proper electrical hookups.

 

TRACKING WEATHER

Lastly, there is one other major item that we track from year to year, because we are located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country: weather. We know that our sales could have been affected by that major snowstorm that hit three days before Valentine’s Day or a late 85-degree Easter. Our customer’s buying habits often reflect that our business is driven by weather.

 

Look for ways to incorporate one or more of these proactive approaches to help you form smart purchasing habits that will propel the success of your business.

 

Now is the time to start planning for the holidays! Explore what’s new in the confectionery industry and connect with fellow candy makers, chocolatiers and suppliers at RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo on June 3-7,2019 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT. Register by March 29 to get the best rates!

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.

Tags:  Annual Convention  Orders  Owning a Business  Purchasing  Suppliers