Super Bowl is a week from this Sunday and according to this infographic on 2012 Super Bowl parties, more than $50 million will be spent on food for Super Bowl parties across the country. That’s why this week’s tip is to join the madness and incorporate a few Super Bowl themed items in your candy store.

 

While you can’t legally use the logos and likeness of the competing Super Bowl football teams, you can use their team colors to create beautifully themed hostess gifts and party platters. How about football shaped cookies using icing with team colors? Or, try football shaped chocolate moulds with a stick in them to make football pop bouquets. Since eight million pounds of popcorn were consumed at Super Bowl parties last year, consider making salty snacks such as popcorn and pretzels mixes. The product possibilities are endless!

 

Be sure to spread the word among your customers using your website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and whatever social media networks your customers are accustomed to, and encourage them to come to your store for their Super Bowl party treats. Remember, great pictures speak a thousand words so be sure to post beautiful pictures.

 

Do you have other ideas for joining Super Bowl madness and your candy store? Please share them in the comments below!

Are you ready for Small Business Saturday on November 24, 2012?

 

 

Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.  Situated right between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s a great opportunity for you to promote your store to holiday shoppers as a local business.

 

American Express and Constant Contact have put together great online kits to help small businesses promote themselves and Small Business Saturday leading up to this special day. From downloadable signage to sample copy and outlines, these kits are great places to start planning your marketing efforts.

 

 

We hope these tools help to make this year’s Small Business Saturday an extremely successful day for your stores!

 

RCI Members: Be sure to check the recent Kettle Talk issue for more tips on marketing Small Business Saturday in your store!

 

One of the great things about Rice Krispies treats is that they can be formed and cut to take on a plethora of shapes. In preparation for Halloween, this week’s tip is to shape your treats into a variety of Halloween-themed shapes. From pumpkins to candy corn to witch’s hats, many Halloween shapes are easy to form and then you can use colored white chocolate and/or coating to “paint” them and use other candies in your store to add fun embellishments. A variety of sizes, from snack-size to a full-size serving, will give your customers options.

 

Extra tip: Place the treats on a lollipop stick and you can create a bouquet of Halloween-themed treats that will make a great display for your store and catch the eye of your customers. 

A few weeks ago we shared tips for incorporating fall flavors into your mix. One of the most-loved fall flavors is pumpkin. This week our tip is to think outside of the box for incorporating this flavor. Actually, we want you to think inside the box, or pumpkin in this case, and use pumpkin seeds in your product mix.

 

We know there are lots of ways to incorporate pumpkin seeds but here are just a few to get your creative juices flowing:

·         Top your chocolate bark with pumpkin seeds. For the sweet and salty flavor we all love, first salt your seeds before putting them on the bark.

·         Create a trail mix using pumpkin seeds, dried fruit and chocolate chips.

·         Mix pumpkin seeds into your brittle for an added crunch. (This idea was shared at a recent Candy Clinic idea-sharing session. RCI members may watch Candy Clinic videos on the member side of the RCI website under ‘Past Education Sessions’.)

·         Candied pumpkin seeds add just enough sweetness to not overwhelm the great flavor of the seeds. You can find a variety of candied pumpkin recipes by doing a quick internet search.

 

If you have other great ideas for incorporating pumpkin seeds into your product mix, we’d love to hear it! 

 

Fall is just around the corner so today’s tip is to be inspired by this beautiful season and incorporate some of the flavors, scents and colors of fall into your product mix. We’ve gathered a few fantastic fall flavors to get your creativity flowing.

 

Ideas: pumpkin spice truffles, pumpkin seed bark

 

Ideas: pomegranate-infused ganache, chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds

 

Ideas: caramel apples (of course!), chocolate-covered freeze-dried apples

 

Ideas: caramel popcorn balls, rice krispie treats dipped in caramel (even better, cut them into fall-themed shapes such as pumkins or leaves!)

 

Ideas: add cinnamon to a variety of products from popcorn to truffles, chocolate-covered cinnamon sticks

 

Ideas: dried cranberries and chocolate bark, nut mix with dried cranberries

 

We’ve also seen quite a few stores mix seasonal flavors for a unique and fun flavor experience. For example, a cranberry and pomegranate bark or cinnamon-infused caramels. Have fun with it and your customers will thank you for it!