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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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This week marks part three and the final addition to our series on how to make the health inspector’s “nice list” this holiday season, inspired by a past article published in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine by Pat Huffman of Blommer Chocolate Co. Keep reading for five tips on how to best prepare your staff for a visit from your friendly, local health inspector.
STAY INFORMED
With today’s increased emphasis on food safety, the simple act of reading the new federal and local regulations and keeping your staff updated on new requirements is critical. Consider conducting brief meetings to cover a specific topic or provide updates on a regular basis.
IN-HOUSE INSPECTIONS
Get ahead of the inspector by designating a manager to perform weekly inspections. Contact your local health department to request the form they use to during inspections as a reference.
GET ORGANIZED
Every time we have to search for the right tool to do a job, we lose time and money. By keeping tools clean and stored properly, they are ready for use and keep us productive. More important, a neat manufacturing area immediately tells inspectors that we know what we are doing.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Getting the buy-in from your employees can be a constant struggle. It’s important to recognize that a commitment to food safety begins with an organization’s managers and owners. Every time we walk by a dripping faucet or step over a scrap of paper or a chocolate spill, we fail to teach our employees. By witnessing management who are as dedicated to keeping equipment clean as they are making quality candy, they teach their team by example.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
Signs, reminders, and brief, yet, oft-repeated videos, keep the message in the forefront of every employee’s mind, but nothing works better than setting an example personally.
One of the best ways to ensure your business makes it on the inspector’s coveted “nice list” is to assemble a team of trained and confident staff, who understand the big picture of why maintaining clean stores and manufacturing facilities is so important. After gaining this understanding, it is critical that your team be given proper guidance and tools to efficiently and effectively manage your business’s food safety initiatives.
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Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Organizing
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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In continuation of a three-part series on how to make the health inspector’s “nice list” this holiday season, we’re sharing tips on how to take control of potential pest infestations.
Food manufacturing and retail facilities are a haven for certain unwanted guests. Can you blame them? Who wouldn’t want to live in a candy factory? However, when pest control can account for up to 20% of your score during a health inspection, a poorly managed pest control program could land your business on the inspector’s naughty list, or even worse, the recall list!
According to foodqualityandsafety.com, “Up-to-date pest control documentation is one of the first signs to an auditor that your facility takes pest control seriously.” They recommend making the following important documents readily available should an inspector come a-knocking:
- Scope of service
- Pest activity reports
- Service reports
- Corrective action reports
- Trap layout maps
- List of approved pesticides
- Pesticide usage reports
- Applicator licenses
RCI member, Pat Huffman of Blommer Chocolate Co, offered the following advice in a past article published in Kettle Talk magazine:
GO PRO
In today’s world of ever-changing regulations, hiring a pest control service may be your best option. When looking to outsource this service, look for a reputable company with food processing experience. A residential pest control service may not have the necessary experience or training to handle food establishments.
KEEP IT REGULAR
At a very close second, the next most important element of pest control is regularity. Whether you perform this task yourself or hire a service, checking traps and applying pesticides in a safe and proper manner and on a regular basis is critical to success. Making sure that pesticides are stored away from food preparation areas and keeping good records of how they are handled are elements of an effective program.
These simple preparations can be your best defense against pests. Showing your inspector that you are in control of your pest control program will certainly help your business earn its spot on the nice list.
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Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Owning a Business
Pest Control
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Food safety never takes a holiday. In fact, the holidays are an especially important time to ensure food manufacturers and retailers are taking necessary precautions to ensure their products are not only delicious, but safe for consumption.
Whether a confectionery supplier or candy maker, your company should be prepared for an inspection from your perspective regulations agency at anytime of the year. In a past article published in Kettle Talk magazine, Pat Huffman of Blommer Chocolate Co., shared the following tips that could mean the difference from your candy business making it on the inspector’s naughty or nice list.
OVER, UNDER AND BEHIND
Areas over, under and behind equipment can be missed and will always attract the inspector’s attention. Simple installations that can be easily cleaned are always better than equipment with lots of hoses and wires that can get built up with chocolate.
TUNNEL VISION
The inside of a cooling tunnel is another area you can expect an inspector to look, in addition to air filters and any area with tape on it. These areas can collect dirt, insects (and their offspring) and cause problems if not checked and cleaned regularly.
SPOT CHECK
Regarding your retail stores, nothing sells better than a well-lit and spotlessly clean display. Fingerprints can be a normal problem every time a customer points to a product in a glass case. Keeping floors, air vents, and the entire store neat may be the best way to convince customers that they are in the right place. Cleaning behind fixtures is just as important as cleaning the front of fixtures.
Keep your business on the nice list this holiday season, by checking your list twice to ensure you don’t forget that spot!
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Cleaning
Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Start preparing now for Small Business Saturday on November 25, 2017. Unlike Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which are typically held at the big box stores, this is a day to celebrate small business and encourage holiday shoppers to visit the brick and mortar businesses that serve their local community. According to American Express, 112 million shoppers spent a reported $15.4 billion at their local small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2016.
Tips for a Successful Small Business Saturday
Create a Special Offer
Use this day as an opportunity to reach not only your current customers, but gain some new ones. Create a special offer that involves a discount for one-day only or free samples with purchase. Make your customers feel special by going above and beyond, enticing them to keep coming back throughout the holiday season. While you want customers to visit your brick and mortar store don’t forget your e-commerce customers. Create a special offer that could be redeemed online as well.
Use the Tools Provided by American Express
Since 2010, American Express has offered free marketing materials to businesses promoting the holiday. The Shop Small® Studio offers tools and templates for small businesses to create customizable marketing materials for their retail shop, website and social media sites in less than two minutes. Visit americanexpress.com/ShopSmall to find event ideas, inspiration and signage templates available to help small businesses spread the word at no cost.
Get Social
Use all aspects of social media to engage consumers, but make it about more than just a special offer. Think of creative ways to engage with customers and friends the week leading up to Small Business Saturday. Offer a special discount for liking the Facebook page, a drawing if the store reaches a certain number of likes, or unique specials to those that check in while shopping at your store. Use Instagram to post new products or specials throughout the week. Tweet store discounts, new products and special store hours for the day.
Make it a Party
Customers will want to be a part of your Small Business Saturday event if you make it like a party. One idea is to create a countdown in your store leading up to November 25th. Offer small incentives to get customers in the door on the day of the event. Having samples, coupons and a party atmosphere will really get people excited to be a part of this shopping day.
Involve Entire Community
Involving your community is a great way for local businesses to promote each other, driving traffic to multiple stores. Many communities are taking advantage of Small Business Saturday by having their own community-wide promotion or special marketing efforts surrounding this day. Contact your CVB or Chamber of Commerce to see if your city/town has any shop local, shop small efforts to promote this day.
Make your business stand out in your community by preparing for Small Business Saturday now.
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Holidays
Marketing
Owning a Business
small business
Small Business Saturday
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Imagine trick-or-treating as a kid and coming home to find out your neighbors were passing out items from their junk drawer instead of candy (old batteries, a stray sock, an unpaid bill).
Sound a bit like your email inbox? Every once in awhile you'll come across a real "treat" among a slew of marketing emails that evoke similar feelings to the time when the neighborhood kids toilet-papered your house (delete, delete, delete...).
For retailers, creating marketing emails that delight your customers, rather than make them shriek, can be tricky...If only there was a checklist to ensure you deliver perfect emails that engage, inform and drive action from your customer base this holiday season…
Below we've highlighted expert marketing tips (no tricks) from RCI partner, Constant Contact, from their easy-to-follow Holiday Email Template Checklist. Click here to read the full article from Constant Contact.
1. Holiday header
- From Name and Email
- Subject Line
- Preheader Text
These three elements could be the difference between your email getting opened or sent straight to the trash!
2. Holly, jolly email body
- Company Logo
- Text/Images
- Call to Action
3. Festive footer
- Social Media Links
- Address/Contact Information
- Unsubscribe Option
Don’t underestimate the power of making your business easily accessible. Make sure to include your contact information, such as a link to your website and a phone number, as well as links to your social media sites.
Check your list twice to create business-driving emails that delight your customers this holiday season!
RCI Members: Constant Contact Email Marketing offers a fast, effective way to get your message out to customers and keep your organization top of mind. Start your email marketing today and receive an RCI member discount of 20% for purchasing the 6 month prepaid option or a discount of 25% for purchasing the 12 month prepaid option. Already use Constant Contact? Contact RCI to begin receiving the member discount.
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email marketing
Holidays
Owning a Business
Resources
Tools
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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According to an American Express survey, 70% of shoppers state that they are willing to spend up to 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.
How does your customer service measure up? One way to find out is to develop a mystery shopper program for your business. According to Inc.com, “mystery shoppers provide objective quantitative and qualitative feedback about their customer experience and conditions.”
7 Benefits of an Effective Mystery Shopper Program
- Monitors and measures service performance
- Improves customer retention
- Makes employees aware of what is important in serving customers
- Monitors facility conditions
- Ensures product/service delivery quality
- Supports promotional programs
- Identifies training needs and sales opportunities
Many experts would advise you to hire a third-party to work with you to develop and implement a mystery shopping program that suits your business and in some cases offers consulting for how to best use the results of your findings. If you do choose to hire a third party, beware of mystery shopper scams. Look for a certified mystery shopping provider near you through the trade association Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
If you’re considering bypassing a third party, here’s three points to consider when creating your own mystery shopper program.
1. ESTABLISH CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
What do you wish to accomplish by employing a mystery shopper program (view the list of benefits above for ideas)? Use your goals for the mystery shopper program to determine the direction of your shopper evaluation. If your goal for the program is to measure service performance, your evaluation should focus on customer service.
2. CREATE AN OBJECTIVE EVALUATION
It is difficult to make improvements based on results to subjective survey questions such as “did you enjoy your shopping experience?” Instead, specific questions like “Did an employee greet you with ‘Good morning/afternoon/evening within five minutes of entering store?’” If the answer to this question is an overwhelming “no,” a corrective action should be easy to come up with.
3. FREQUENT SHOPPER
Experts agree it is best for mystery shoppers to visit your retail shop at least two to four times to set an accurate performance benchmark. "One shop every six months is so random that it reveals little," says Bob Phibbs with The Retail Doctor. "Over time, patterns emerge that make managing your customer experience much clearer."
A mystery shopper program can be a powerful tool to fix, change or improve your business, but the true value in an effective program is putting into place actionable steps to help you reach your end goals.
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Customer Service
Mystery Shopper
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Albuquerque, New Mexico is the destination for Retail Confectioners International’s (RCI) Fall Regional Conference. If you’re a candy maker, chocolatier or industry supplier, keep reading for the top 4 reasons why you should join RCI in the “Land of Enchantment” October 4-6, 2017.
1. Experience the most photographed event in the world.
Extend your stay to experience the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta—the largest hot air balloon festival and the most photographed event in the world. Conference goers can take advantage of a special partnership between RCI and Tour New Mexico to receive a discount on general admission and avoid the congested traffic and parking conditions of an event that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Visit retailconfectioners.org/balloonfiesta for more details.
2. Turn up the heat with the flavors of New Mexico.Discover the distinctly local flavors of New Mexico, such as red and green chiles and piñon nuts, while touring innovative businesses who have distinguished themselves by utilizing these local ingredients to create unique products, during RCI’s popular behind-the-scenes tours. Long-time RCI member, Buffett’s Candies has developed a reputation for their use of piñon nuts, which is unique to the southwest region. Other tours will include the Buffett family’s Popcorn Cannery, where they manufacture over 20 flavors of popcorn. Attendees will also tour one of the largest coffee roasters in the state, New Mexico Piñon Coffee, praised for their sweet and nutty custom pinon-flavored blends. During tours, attendees will experience the production sides of these facilities in order to gain perspective and inspire new ideas to use in their own businesses.
3. Learn how to look at your business with fresh eyes.
Learn how a taking a different approach toward common business and industry concepts such as growth, leadership, communication, flavor development and sales can help you take your business to the next level in this thought-provoking lineup of education:
- A Fresh Look at Growing a Business
- Leadership: New Mexico Style
- Learn the Language of Chocolate
- Local Flavor: Truffle Demo
- Optimizing Sales by Targeting Mobile
4. Watch authentic Flamenco come alive.
Experience the passion and energy of flamenco come alive during a private performance at Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque. Attendees will are sure to delight in the authentic Sevilla tapas served at this unique farewell reception Friday, October 6.
Although RCI has traveled to 35 states (plus Washington D.C.), 16 countries and four continents over the trade association’s lifetime, RCI has never traveled to New Mexico. Making this a long-awaited destination for many members looking to gain inspiration from the state’s distinctive culture and heritage.
“You never know what will spark the next great idea. At RCI, we enjoy creating event experiences that encourage the generation of new ideas,” says Angie Burlison, RCI’s Executive Director. “We support many small-to-midsize businesses who can use flexibility to their advantage to implement such ideas as a means to standout in their communities, as well in the industry.”
Registration for RCI’s fall regional event is welcome to members and non-members online at retailconfectioners.org/fall. Additional event details such as schedule, registration and hotel information may also be found there.
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Fall Regional
Leadership
Owning a Business
Travel
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Customer service today is customer driven and in the world of social media, businesses need to be ready to respond. Customers can share their frustrations online in real time, reaching a larger audience than just one or two. Learning to respond quickly and appropriately can often help with customer loyalty and retention.
Respond Quickly – It’s important to respond quickly on social media. It is hard to always respond to everything, but be sure to respond to at least 90% of disgruntled feedback.
Acknowledge Mistakes – Customers know that not everyone is perfect, which is why it is important if you know you were at fault to own up to that mistake. Doing so will likely gain the respect of this customer.
Communicate Offline – We have all seen disgruntled customers and business owners in a digital war of words and watched in dismay. If you are dealing with a very negative situation, take the conversation offline through a private message.
Get Personal – Customers often complain because they want you to respond and help resolve their issue. A personalized response from you or one of your team members will make a big difference in how they react to the response.
Go the Extra Mile – Don’t just resolve the issue with the customer, but take steps to go the extra mile. Give them a free item or offer something above what they are requesting.
Follow Up – Finally, follow up with the customer and make sure they are happy with your resolution.
You have great products and a great business; don’t let one customer complaint take over your social media presence. Take the time to put a plan in place to effectively respond when a complaint occurs and not only resolve the issue, but also retain a customer for life.
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Customer Service
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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If you attended RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo June12-16 in Chicagoland, there’s a good chance you took away a lot of great ideas and inspiration. After returning to your business, you might be feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do with the new knowledge you’ve acquired. Consider using a mind map to organize your thoughts and apply them to your business.
What is a mind map? It’s a diagram used to visually outline information. Typically it begins with a word, image or phrase in the center and then other ideas and images branch out from the center across the page. One of the key benefits of a mind map is that an idea doesn’t have to be full or complete or even in sentence form in order to be displayed. The idea is that the process of a mind map resembles how your brain actually works!
Tips for an effective mind map:
- Start with a large piece of paper (Give your brain room to think!)
- Use images, not just words
- Vary the size, color and alignment of your images and text
- Keep topics and labels short (Think big picture.)
Mind maps are useful tools for individual creativity and also can help to get creative ideas flowing among a team of people. In your next team brainstorming session, consider using a whiteboard or oversized Post-it to map out ideas as they’re given and see where mind mapping can take you! If you prefer tech tools to paper versions, check out MindMeld or Mindmeister.
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Creativity
Ideas
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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If you are in the food industry, chances are you are well aware of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Now that Halloween…Thanksgiving…Christmas…Valentine’s Day…Easter is now over, this is a great time for a refresher in this excerpt from RCI's Kettle Talk, written by Michael Koch of Morley Candy Makers/Sanders Candy.
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 finally published its “Preventive Controls for Human Food” guidelines. As part of the FSMA it outlines the mandatory requirements being placed on all food manufacturers.
The most important aspect of the law that everyone needs to realize is that it applies to all food manufacturers. If you think your company is too small and these regulations don’t apply to you, please understand you could be making a costly mistake.
As with many of the guidelines that the FDA enacts they have set forth a specific time frame for companies to comply. The timeline is as follows:
Prior to putting a plan together you must identify the individual or individuals in your organization that are going to administer your program. The 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.
Hazard Analysis
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.
Verification
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.
Recall Procedure
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.
The FSMA covers a much greater spectrum of the food chain and more details than covered in this brief article. 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, 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. Visit fda.gov for more resources and updates.
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FSMA
Owning a Business
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