Image Credit: Dan's Homemade Candies

If your caramel corn sticks together and becomes difficult to separate, adding lecithin will help. Randy Hofberger of R&D Consultants advises mixing lecithin with a little oil and adding this mixture at the end of your caramel corn recipe. This will help the caramel spread apart easier and save you the hassle of manually pulling it apart. 

Allergy Alert! It is advised that individuals with soy allergies do not consume products that contain lecithin. Although lecithin is a byproduct of soy, there is always a chance soy protein will find its way into lecithin. Lecithin derived from sunflower or canola are more allergy-friendly alternatives to soy. 

Don’t cry over spilled lecithin.

Resist the urge to clean spilled lecithin with a damp cloth or spray cleaner, which will only gump up and make it worse. Instead, cover the spill with sugar and it will clean right up.

 

This is an excerpt from Kettle Talk, 1st Quarter 2012, page 11. RCI Members: Click here to login and view full article on lecithin written by Bonnie Nolen of Candy House Gourmet Chocolates in Joplin, MO. 

Tags:  Candy Hacks  Candy Making  Caramel Corn 

Photo credit: (from left to right) Cristopher Rodriguez, Alex Yosifov, Patrick Doheny, Flickr

Sweetest Day takes place on the third Saturday in October. While the holiday is more significant for candy makers in the Great Lakes region (Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit being the biggest Sweetest Day cities), the holiday is gaining in popularity throughout the country every year. Some RCI members even report sales from Sweetest Day exceeding Mothers Day!

The history dates back to 1922 when Herbert Birch Kingston, a candy maker from Cleveland, decided to give candy and small gifts to the city’s orphans and people confined to their homes, all who are often forgotten and neglected. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. For years to follow, other Clevelanders began to participate in the tradition, which came to be known as "Sweetest Day.”

In time, the idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged broadened to include everyone from family and significant others to coworkers and acquaintances with a kind act or a small remembrance. With a little help from movie stars in the 1930s, the idea quickly spread to other cities all over the country.

Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious sentiment or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.

For many people, remembering takes the form of gift-giving. For this reason, Sweetest Day offers an unique opportunity to offer all kinds of gift items. Falling midway between Father's Day in June and Christmas in December, Sweetest Day provides an occasion for the opening of fall merchandising programs and the promotion of various products, not the least of which is candy and boxed chocolate.

Bon Bon Bon of Hamtramck, Michigan to build World's Longest Boxof Chocolates for Sweetest Day.

Bon Bon Bon of Hamtramck, Michigan created buzz by announcing plans to build the World’s Longest Box of Chocolate in celebration of Sweetest Day. Click here to read article covered by MLive Media Group.

 

Other Ideas to Promote Sweetest Day 

• Remind customers when talking with them of the coming of Sweetest Day.
• Let your local newspaper know about Sweetest Day and what preparations your business has made to help customers celebrate it.
• Be prepared to explain Sweetest Day and to make suggestions regarding appropriate gifts, keeping in mind that the possibilities are limitless.
• Create a prominent display of merchandise for Sweetest Day.

Tags:  gifts  Holidays  Sweetest Day 

World Teacher’s Day is Sunday, October 5 and you can bet many parents in your community will be scouring social media (especially Pinterest) for the perfect gift to thank the special teachers in their life…or sweeten them up a bit before they have to spend the week with a classroom of children that just seem like they’re on a sugar high! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your business on the radar with goodies worthy of an A+.

Apple Box byCharlie's Chocolate Factory of Vancouver

Charlie’s Chocolate Factory shared their Apple Box (pictured above) during Candy Clinic at the 2015 Annual Convention, with a cleverly added hole for a gummy worm to pop out. RCI members can view videos from Candy Clinic on our website at www.retailconfectioners.org/candyclinic.

Photo:Amanda's Parties To Go

Click here for an easy-to-follow tutorial (with lots of photos) on how to create these cute Oreo Apple Pops.

 

In addition to offering great gift ideas, help your customers celebrate teachers by holding a favorite teacher contest. It’s a fun avenue to recognize the great teachers in your area and also create some awareness for your company.

 

First, create a beautiful gift basket that will go to the winning teacher and have it on display in your store. For the contest, invite your customers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, etc. to nominate their favorite teacher and include the reason they have nominated him or her. To increase excitement for the contest, you could also give a box of your chocolates or “mini” gift basket to the nominator of the winning teacher.

 

Add excitement to the contest by spreading the word through press releases, radio spots, school newsletters, etc. Everyone will also want to know who wins so be sure to get a photo of the winner with his or her nominator and post it on social media and in your store.

Tags:  Candy Making  Chocolate  Contests  Creativity  Events  gifts  Marketing  Oreos  Photos  School  Social Media  Teacher 

 

As the temperature outside starts to cool, heat things up by adding sweet and spicy treats to your product lineup. Not only are spicy flavors incredibly trendy right now, a little heat from red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper can produce a more dynamic flavor in any confection. As a general rule, spice balances sweet and vice versa. If you have a product that has been described as “too sweet,” try adding a hint of spice to the recipe to better balance the sweetness.

 

Javier Sanchez, with Savage Bros. Co., took a traditional confection to the next level during his demonstration at last week’s Philadelphia Candy Show. Red Pepper Peanut Brittle is perfect for chilly tailgate parties and bonfires, or as a gift for the heat-seekers among us.

Red Pepper Peanut Brittle

Recipe by Savage Bros. Co.

Ingredients:

4.5 lbs sugar

3 lbs corn syrup

1.5 lbs water

4.5 lbs raw peanuts

1 lb butter

.38 oz vanilla

1.13 oz baking soda

.5 oz salt

2.5 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Prepare cooling table with warm water flow. Set kettle temperature to 400 degrees. Place sugar, corn syrup and water in kettle and bring to a boil. At 250 degrees, slowly add peanuts so not to decrease temperature. At 280 degrees, add butter.

At 290 degrees, turn off heat and start the water flush for 45 seconds. Add red pepper flakes and mix. Add salt, baking soda and vanilla. This will allow brittle temperature to reach 300 degrees by the time it’s finished mixing.

When ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, pour onto warm table or tray and either shake pan or use a spatula to spread brittle to desired thickness. Slowly start to cool table down.

Tags:  Candy Making  Creative Flavors  Fall  gifts  Peanut Brittle  Peanuts  Recipe  Red Pepper  Spicy  Sweet and Spicy  Trends 

The Philadelphia Candy Show is right around the corner. If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’re sure to see a lot of familiar faces and are looking forward to catching up with old friends. Even the most seasoned trade show attendees can expect to meet a lot of new people, which means a lot of (sometimes awkward) small talk.

For some, networking comes naturally, but for others it can be paralyzing (and did I mention, awkward?). Here are some of our favorite tips from TheMuse that, with practice, will eventually earn you a black belt in networking. Feel free to first warm up your networking muscles with RCI at booth #413 at The Philadelphia Candy Show in Atlantic City, New Jersey August 30 – September 1, 2015.

1. Dress for Success

If you look great, you’ll feel great too!

 

• Wear something that makes you feel great.
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Don’t bring a large bag.

2. Set goals.

Setting goals will give you something to work towards. As you achieve your goals, you will build up confidence and get a lot practice in the process. Here’s some examples to get you started:

 

• Meet five new people.
• Learn something new.
• Start three conversations.

3. Have a few conversation starters in mind.

It’s not as intimidating to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger when you have a game plan. Start with the classics and once you’re warmed up, you may want to go for something a bit more fun.

 

• “Have you been here before?”
•  “How did you get started in the industry?”
• “I’m just here for the carrot sticks, what brings you here?”

4. Get everyone’s business cards.

When it comes to making lasting connections, collecting business cards from acquaintances is just as important as passing out your own business cards.

 

• Take notes about each person you meet, their interests and your conversation.
• Follow up with a friendly email within 48 hours.

5. Use a non-awkward closer

 

 

• “It’s been so great chatting with you, but I have a few more people to connect with.”

Tags:  Events  Networking