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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Are you looking for a new variation on the standard truffle center preparation? Or, at least you have wondered if there is another way to do it. Why not try it whipped?
A light, airy, melt-in-your-mouth texture can be obtained by this method. After preparing your truffle center with the flavors, cream and chocolate, whip your cooled truffle center in a mixer until it becomes somewhat fluffy. The color will be noticeably lighter and the final density will be approximately 0.75gm/ml. After whipping, you can scoop or gently roll the center for enrobing.
This method is used in the hands-on lab sessions at our Chocolate Boot Camp® to show an alternative truffle preparation and it has been very popular with the students. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Tags:
Candy Making
Truffles
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Have you ventured into the land of chocolate covered pretzels? If so, we bet they’re a customer favorite! Saturday, April 26 is National Pretzel Day so this week’s tip is to celebrate! Below find a few fun ideas we found on Pinterest to use pretzels in confections. Do you have a unique idea for pretzels? Please share it in the comments below!
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Candy Making
Marketing
Seasonal
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Are you looking to get your customers and fans more engaged on Facebook?
According to this infographic from Kissmetrics, a blog focused on marketing analytics, photos get 53% more Likes, 104% more comments, and 84% more click-throughs than posts that include just text or links. That is a huge difference!
Ideas for posting pictures include:
· Production– let them feel like they’re behind-the-scenes of a candy store
· Product– remind fans how beautiful and delicious your chocolates and candies are and they may meet a temptation they just can’t resist
· Promotions – create great images highlighting promotions and sales happening in your store
· People – make it personal by posting photos of your staff and customers
This is just another great reason for investing in quality photos just like we mentioned in Tip # 67!
**If you’ve visited RCI’s Facebook page, you know that we love to post photos from RCI events and education courses. Check out photos from last year’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo and then visit retailconfectioners.org/annual to get registered for the 2014 Annual Convention & Industry Expo in St. Louis this June. The expo is FREE to confectionery industry professionals and full registration for the convention covers education sessions, some meals, networking receptions, behind-the-scenes tours and an awards banquet. It’s a week you don’t want to miss!
Tags:
Annual Convention
Marketing
Photos
Social Media
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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We’ve all heard of the annual employee performance review. You may even currently implement one in your own candy company. This week’s tip, though, is to move past only meeting with your employees to review their performance annually and instead check in with them on a quarterly basis.
It’s been said about annual performance reviews that if there is anything within the review that surprises the employee then it’s the fault of the manager for not communicating throughout the year. Therefore, how are you doing at communicating your level of satisfaction with your employees’ performance throughout the year? This week’s tip will help with that!
Rather than having a quarterly review, consider a more light-hearted or casual meeting where you check in with the employee. Consider using this time to review the goals you laid out together for the employee at the past annual review. In addition to providing your feedback, this is a great time to ask open-ended questions of the employee and provide an opportunity to provide feedback on his or her level of job satisfaction.
By checking in with employees throughout the year, you are keeping the lines of communication open which has been shown to increase employee satisfaction. And happy employees means happy customers!
Tags:
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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This week’s tip will help keep you on track for quality control. Take a sample of every product, label appropriately (lot code, date, etc.) and freeze it for a set amount of time. Then, if a customer calls and complains for any reason about your products, you have a frame of reference to be able to say this is the condition the product was in when it left our facility.
One RCI member does this and has a ziplock bag for each day. The company keeps the product for four months and then discards it. Regardless of how long you choose to keep the product, be sure that you have a system for organizing it within your freezer so that you can easily find the items and then also easily discard of them when the time period for keeping them has passed.
P.S. This week’s tip is from our Chocolate Boot Camp education course. Learn more about education courses offered by Retail Confectioners International at www.retailconfectioners.org/events.
Tags:
Candy Making
GMP's
Quality Control
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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| Rheo Thompson Candies (Taken at RCI 2012 Fall Regional) |
Wedding season is just a few months away which is what brought this week’s tip to mind. If you offer wedding or party favors, create a space in your store to let customers know!
By having a small display in your store of the types of favors available as well as the unique ways they can be packaged, you can easily showcase your offerings and potentially bring in additional revenue year-round by providing favors at events of all kinds.
You could even take it one step further and providing a pricing sheet. Some RCI members have a ‘menu’ of items that customers can take with them that lists what’s available as well as the prices associated with each item. Be sure to offer customized options as well – you never know what creative idea may spark a new product or offering you could add to your menu!
Tags:
Holidays
Marketing
Merchandising
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Looking to master moulding? We have a tip this week from the RCI Mechanics of Chocolate Moulding course held last September.
Moulds should be slightly cooler than the temperature of the chocolate you are putting into the mould. If your mould is too cold it will shock the chocolate and if it is too warm it will break the temper of the chocolate. Therefore, you should measure the temperature of your moulds before pouring chocolate into your moulds.
How do I measure the temperature of my moulds, you might ask? By using a thermometer, of course! Infrared thermometers measure the surface temperature of plastics and therefore are great for measuring your plastic moulds. A good rule of thumb is to aim for around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
A variety of infrared thermometers are available for purchase online. The following companies are listed under Machinery & Equipment (subcategory: Utensils) in the RCI Buyer’s Guide and may also have the thermometer that you need for your candy kitchen:
Chef Rubber
ChocoVision Corp.
Hilliard’s Chocolate System
International Foods & Ingredients, Inc.
Linnea’s Cake & Candy Supplies, Inc.
Savage Bros. Co.
Union Confectionery Machinery
RCI members can access the RCI Buyer’s Guide online by signing in to the member side of the RCI website.
Tags:
Candy Making
GMP's
Moulds
Suppliers
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Emotional intelligence is defined as the capacity to be aware of, control and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. As a business owner and/or manager, your level of emotional intelligence (EI) can mean the difference between having happy, productive employees who respect your leadership and having employees who feel uncomfortable with your management style.
The good news is that EI is something that can be developed; therefore, this week’s tip is to improve your EI quotient. To help you get started, here are 10 strategies to improve your emotional intelligence:
- Learn to Listen
- Adapt to Situations
- Never Give Up
- Communicate
- Empathize
- Setting Priorities
- Go the Extra Mile
- Forgive
- Show Courage in Difference
- Be Optimistic, Smile
Pick one strategy at a time from the list above to work on and before you know it, you’ll have enhanced relationships in both your professional and personal life.
This week’s tip was inspired by an education session presented by Geri Grossman at our 2013 Fall Regional. Save the date for the 2014 RCI Fall Regional Conference this August 25 - 27 in Las Vegas!
Tags:
Customer Service
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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In honor of Chocolate Mint Day next week (February 19), this week’s tip reminds you to have all mint-flavored treats stored separately from other confections.
While mint is refreshingly cool and goes great with chocolate, it is also an overwhelming flavor that can seep into the flavor of your other candies and chocolates. Therefore, it is recommended to store your mint flavoring as well as products containing mint separate from other goods. Some candy makers make a lot of mint chocolates and find that a completely separate “mint room” is necessary but if that is not the case for you, storing them in sealed containers will at least seal in the flavor.
Do you have other ways for storing your mint flavored products? Please share them in the comments below!
We hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day!
Tags:
Candy Making
Cleaning
Organizing
Packaging
Quality Control
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Conversation hearts have been around for more than 100 years and are still an extremely popular candy around Valentine’s Day. This week’s tip is to make a larger version of this seasonal favorite using Rice Krispy treats.
You can easily do this by taking a sheet of Rice Krispy treats and using a heart-shaped cookie cutter and then dipping the hearts in colored confectionery coating. After the coating has set for a bit, write custom sayings on the hearts using another different color of coating.
Another quick idea – allow shoppers to customize their treat with a personalized saying! Now you have a quick and easy Valentine’s product and your customers will love the chance to get their valentine a custom treat.
Tags:
Candy Making
Colors
Holidays
Seasonal
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