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Best of Easter: Top 5 Easter Posts from the RCI Blog

Posted By RCI, Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Updated: Thursday, September 26, 2024

Photo credits: Chocolate Pizza Company, Sarris Candies, Marie's Candies

 

This week we’re highlighting our favorite Easter-themed blog posts featuring a treasure trove of ideas to help make this your best Easter season yet! Discover a simple solution for executing custom Easter baskets, inspiration for over-the-top Easter egg offerings, tips on hosting a hands-on Easter-themed event that will have everyone hopping with joy and more!

 

 

 

A Simple Solution for Offering Custom Easter Baskets

Shoppers love to create their own custom Easter baskets, but for the retailer it can be time-consuming and involve complex pricing strategies. Read here for a more simplified approach that makes it more efficient for your retail shop and your shoppers.

 

 

 

Creative Easter-Themed Product Names Generate Interest

Want to refresh your line of confections for Easter with little to no effort? You don't have to create entirely new recipes or invest in costly advertising campaigns to get customers excited about your products; all you really need is a bit of imagination. Renaming existing treats with Easter themes can boost interest and sales without altering the product itself. Read more to discover clever tips.

 

 

EGGS-tra Easter Egg Inspiration

No matter if you like your chocolate Easter eggs more traditional or if you prefer a more unconventional approach, here’s creative ideas to take your chocolate Easter eggs to the next level. Read more.

 

 

 

How to Create a Faux Chocolate Bunny for your Easter Display

Create impressive, moulded chocolate bunny displays, but without the chocolate! Check out this member tip for step-by-step directions to a chocolate look-alike Easter bunny (or turkey, life-size football, snowman, Santa, etc.) that can be reused year after year! Read more to learn how.

 

 

Increase Easter Sales: Host a Peeps Pop Event

Hosting an “Easter Bunny Peeps® Pop Event” is a great way to create buzz about your store while increasing sales and foot traffic leading up to Easter. Read more to learn how.

Add an extra sprinkle of excitement to this year’s Easter celebration with inspiration from our collection of blog posts, whether that’s in the form of a more efficient process, an unexpected twist on your classic offerings or a chocolate-covered Easter event. Tell us more about how you plan to boost sales and attract more customers during Easter on RCI’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/RetailConfectioners.

Crave more?Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's 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. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  Best of  Easter 

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Creative Easter-Themed Product Names Generate Interest

Posted By RCI, Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Updated: Tuesday, September 5, 2023

 

Want to refresh your line of confections for Easter with little to no effort? You don't have to create entirely new recipes or invest in costly advertising campaigns to get customers excited about your products; all you really need is a bit of imagination. By giving your existing confections a new name themed for Easter, you can create more interest and drive sales  with simple additions or, better yet, without actually changing anything but the name. In this blog post, we'll explore some creative ways to give your confections a fresh twist for the Easter season.

 


Photo credit: Abdallah Candies

 

Rabbit Tails

Simply rename your chocolate-covered marshmallows as “Rabbit Tails” for a quick and easy refresh. Cute labels, like the one pictured from RCI member Abdallah Candies, can be created on Canva to draw attention and add excitement to an existing product.

 

 

Bunny Feed + Bunny Poop

Just for the Easter holiday, RCI member Bruce’s Candy Kitchen renamed candy-coated, chocolate-covered sunflower seeds as “Bunny Feed.” They also sell packs of colorful Sixlets® as “Bunny Poop.”

 


Photo credit: Marie’s Candies

 

Cottontail Crunch + Chick Feed

Add pastel-colored Easter candies, jelly beans, yogurt-covered raisins or (whatever spring treats you have on hand) to your existing trail mix or caramel popcorn and give it a clever name like, “Cottontail Crunch” or “Chick Feed." Target sells a limited edition Easter-themed trail mix called “ Bunny Bait” and RCI member Marie’s Candies adds Easter candy corn to roasted peanuts for a sweet and salty “Bunny Tracks Mix.”


Photo credit: Williams Sonoma

 

Bunny Bark

Make subtle changes to your existing bark recipe by adding pastel sprinkles or candies and rebrand it as “Bunny Bark.”

The goal is to bring excitement and fun to your normal offerings, making something new with very little change or without changing anything but the name. Look through your inventory to identify items that can be reimagined for Easter. With a little creativity, you could see a bump in lemon buttercream sales by rebranding them as “Ducktails.” Or why not rename your coconut creams as “Cottontails" for the holiday?

Capture the spirit of the season with a little imagination and every bunny will want a taste of your Easter-themed treats!

Crave more?Click here  to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's 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.  Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business .

Tags:  Creativity  Easter  Marketing 

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Increase Easter Sales: Host a Peeps® Pop Event

Posted By RCI, Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Updated: Tuesday, September 5, 2023

 

Easter is one of the biggest holidays for many candy shops. Hosting an “Easter Bunny Peeps® Pop Event” is a great way to create buzz about your store while increasing sales and foot traffic leading up to Easter. In this week’s post, we’re sharing the idea from RCI member, Dolle’s Candyland in Ocean City, Maryland, which includes valuable tips on how to make your event successful.

Making “Easter Bunny Peeps Pops” are very easy, which makes this a great hands-on activity for kids that requires minimal work for candy makers. Here’s what each participant will need:

Ingredients (per child)

 

  • 1 Peeps Marshmallow Bunny
  • 1 Sucker stick
  • 1 Mini marshmallow (for the bunny tail)
  • Melted tempered chocolate (for dipping)
  • 1 Paper plate
  • Markers (for writing kid’s name on their plate)
  • Sanitizing hand wipes

 

 

 

5-Step Peeps Pop Procedure

Dolle's shared their "recipe" for creating a successful Easter Peeps Pop event with these five easy-to-follow steps:

#1: Distribute hand wipes and have children roll up their sleeves.

Dolle's team was prepared with a large container of hand wipes, purchased from Amazon, to make hand-washing a breeze while kiddos waited in line.

#2: Write child’s name on the bottom of a paper plate.

This step allows for you to hold the peep “hostage” while it cools (you’ll learn why on step #4).

#3: Let each child dip Peeps Pop in chocolate, place it on a plate and add a mini marshmallow “tail.”

This is where it’s important to keep steps to a minimum—little to no decorations are necessary. Having hosted similar events, Dolle's has learned the value of keeping it simple. “If you leave sprinkles out, the kids will want to use all the sprinkles,” noted Anna Dolle Bushnell. In other words, you don’t need sprinkles at all. Kids will be more than satisfied with simply dipping their marshmallow in chocolate and adding the tail. Another important tip to note, have a step-stool handy for the smaller children.

#4: Hold the Peeps Hostage

This step was emphasized by Anna for good reason, “Instead of walking around the store with a wet, chocolate Peeps Pop, we put it through the cooling tunnel of our enrober until the chocolate set.” Adding that placing the pops in front of a fan or in the refrigerator would be suitable alternatives if you don’t have a cooling tunnel.

The key to this step, and the overall success of this event, is while the chocolate cooled, participating families had about ten minutes to shop in their retail store.

#5: After Peeps Pop is set, announce child's name in shop.

When ready, a member of the Dolle's team read the name on the bottom of each plate before presenting the child with their finished Peeps Pop. “Most of the kids would gobble it right up, but some did take them home,” Anna noted. “Some of them were beautiful, while some of them ended up with a pool of chocolate.”

Leading up to the event, Dolle’s Candyland created a public event on Facebook to help spread the word. They were surprised to find people lined up out the door to make chocolate-covered Peeps. “I didn’t know I would need stanchions [to direct the crowd],” Anna explained, “I think we [as candy makers] take for granted what we do—people really love candy. It’s such a great thing to give them an experience like this, that really is very minimal.”

The Conclusion

Due to the buzz created by this free, one-day event, Dolle’s Candyland increased their sales by 150% more than the day before. “People were just so thankful that we did it and some adults did it too,” added Anna. If space limitations prevent your store from hosting an event, consider boxing up the ingredients and supplies for customers to make Peeps Pops at home. Wishing you a “hoppy” Easter!

Crave more?Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's 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. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  Easter  Events  Holidays 

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A Simple Solution for Offering Custom Easter Baskets

Posted By RCI, Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Updated: Tuesday, September 5, 2023


As Easter approaches, candy shops can soon expect shoppers looking to build custom Easter baskets for loved ones. For some, creating and selling custom Easter baskets can be a time-consuming process that requires detailed staff training and complicated pricing structures.

This week we’re sharing a simple solution from RCI member, Juliet Chocolate Factory, that can save candy shops time and effort while still offering customers the opportunity to create custom Easter baskets.

 


Pictured: Juliet Chocolate Factory shared their idea for "Load & Go" Custom Easter Baskets at Candy Clinic during RCI's 2022 Annual Convention & Industry Expo.

 

Near the register at Juliet Chocolate Factory in Romeo, Michigan customers can take their pick from a selection of pre-assembled Easter baskets—three different sizes of themed baskets serve as the base. Each basket is filled with paper shreds and a coordinating bow (with tie) which is packaged inside a clear cello bag that is closed with a twist tie.

The baskets are empty, representing a blank canvas of sorts for customers to shop your store for the perfect mix to fit the intended recipient. Once shoppers are done selecting the contents of their custom Easter baskets, staff at the register can simply stuff the basket while ringing up each individual item, along with the gift basket, itself, which has its own product code/price.

This approach to offering custom Easter baskets can help you save time and effort this Easter. It’s a win-win solution that allows candy shops to focus on delivering quality products and excellent customer service while still providing customers with the opportunity to create their own unique Easter baskets.

Crave more?Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's 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. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  Easter  Easter Baskets  Holidays  Operations  Owning a Business  Retail  Save Time  Spring 

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EGGS-tra Easter Egg Inspiration

Posted By RCI, Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Updated: Wednesday, April 13, 2022

How do you like your eggs?

And by that, we mean Easter eggs? April 17 will be here before we know it, but there’s still time to introduce some fresh ideas when it comes to chocolate Easter eggs. This week, we’re featuring EGGS-tra Easter eggs to help spark your imagination.

 

Photo credit: Sarris Candies

 

Smash Eggs
Say “goodbye” to hot cocoa bombs and “hello” to smash eggs! Many chocolatiers already have a hollow Easter egg mould in their toolkit, but what do you fill it with? Depending on the size of your mould, you may want to fill your smash egg with jelly beans, miniature foiled chocolates, truffles, chocolate-covered mini pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts and/or berries, etc. 

 

 

Some other unique ideas we’ve seen are eggs filled with tiny white chocolate chicks (cue “aww!”) and the more unexpected mini chocolate dinosaurs (cue gasp!). For even more dramatic effect, don’t forget the sprinkles, which will undoubtedly go flying upon impact between the egg and the mallet!

 


 

We love how RCI members Anderson’s Candies and Sarris Candies displayed their colorful smash eggs on their Facebook pages!

 

 

Easter Egg Overflow
There’s no surprise what you’re getting with Aldi’s Curious Inventions Easter Eggs! These Easter eggs are so packed with flavor, the contents are bursting through the chocolate shell. Although this does create a nice visual effect, the flavor combinations are just as intriguing.

There are six different varieties, such as banoffee (banana, caramel and butterscotch flavors); salted pretzel and orange; cookies and cream; popping candy; strawberries and cream (with real freeze-dried strawberry pieces) and the Billionaire egg, featuring chocolate and caramel fudge, white chocolate covered cookies and honeycomb candy.

 

Easter Egg Bark
Who says Easter eggs have to be three-dimensional? Here’s two examples of eggs that, despite their shape, don’t fall flat on the delivery!

It’s eggs-on-eggs-on-eggs with this chocolate bark by the LittleSugar Snaps blog that features loads of popular egg-themed candies. We love the swirls of color on the eggs by the Chocolate Pizza Company, plus the addition of a beautifully scribed name is an extra special touch.

 

Photo credits: WaitroseMelt London

 

Fruity Follies

 

 

These fruity lookalikes will have you doing a double-take! With a little imagination, Melt London transforms a standard three-dimensional egg into a strawberry filled with a chocolate strawberry cake.

Fruit lovers will undoubtedly fall for these lifelike pomegranate and lemon-shaped moulded chocolates sold by British grocery retailer, Waitrose. The pomegranate is made with caramelized white chocolate and real pomegranate, while the lemon version features white chocolate infused with zesty lemon flavors.

 

 

Animal-Themed Eggs
Take a walk on the wild side when pulling your inspiration from this barnyard bunch by Australian chocolatier,  Cacao or try a more abstract approach with the animal prints created for fashion designer Roberto Cavalli’s Italian coffee shop.

No matter if you like your chocolate Easter eggs more traditional or if you prefer a more unconventional approach, we hope this week’s post offers plenty of sweet inspiration this season!

Crave more?C lick here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's 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.  Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business .

Tags:  Bark  Chocolate  Creative  Easter  Easter Eggs  Fruit  Holidays  Moulds 

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Increase Easter Sales: Host a Peep-Pop Event

Posted By RCI, Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Updated: Friday, August 20, 2021

 

After shutting down their manufacturing facility due to COVID-19, Peeps are back just in time for Easter (learn more)! This week we're sharing one way to celebrate the return of this iconic confection. 

In 2019, RCI member Dolle’s Candyland, Inc. in Ocean City, Maryland shared a clever Easter idea that is too good not to share. Although many businesses are still wrestling with COVID-19 limitations, in some areas restrictions have let up substantially. While we still encourage practicing caution with regards to the virus, we are hopeful some businesses will be able to incorporate the elements of a Peep Pop event whether it be as a virtual event, an outdoor event or with participation limits.

When Dolle’s Candyland made plans to open a fourth retail store, they wanted to incorporate space where kids could enjoy hands-on candy-making experiences. For Easter 2019, Dolle’s used that space to create an event for families to bring their kids and make an “Easter Bunny Peep Pop” in their store.

After creating a public event on Facebook to spread the word, they were surprised to see people lined up out the door to make chocolate-covered Peeps. “I didn’t know that I would need stanchions [to direct the crowd],” Anna Dolle Bushnell explained, “I think we [as candy makers] take for granted what we do—people really love candy. It’s such a great thing to give them an experience like this, that really is very minimal.”

 

Peep Pop Procedure

Dolle's shares their "recipe" for creating a successful Easter Peep Pop event with these five easy-to-follow steps:

#1: Distribute hand wipes and have children roll up their sleeves.

Dolle's team was prepared with a large container of hand wipes, purchased from Amazon to make hand-washing a breeze while kiddos waited in line.

#2: Write child’s name on the bottom of a paper plate.

This step allows for you to hold the peep “hostage” (you’ll learn why on step #4) while it cools.

#3: Let each child dip Peep Pop in chocolate, place it on a plate and add a mini marshmallow “tail.”

This is where it’s important to keep steps to a minimum—little to no decorations are necessary. Having hosted a similar event previously, Dolle's has learned the value of keeping it simple, “if you leave sprinkles out, the kids will want to use all the sprinkles,” noted Anna. Another important tip, make sure to have a step-stool for the smaller children.

#4: Hold the Peep Hostage

This is step was emphasized by Dolle's for good reason, “Instead of walking around the store with a wet, chocolate Peep Pop, we put it through the enrober line until the Peep Pop was set up.” Adding that placing the pops in front of a fan or in the refrigerator would be suitable alternatives for anyone who doesn’t have an enrober.

The key to this step, and the overall success of this event, is while the chocolate cooled, participating families had about ten minutes to shop in their retail store.

#5: After Peep Pop is set, announce child's name in shop.

When ready, a member of the Dolle's team would read the name on the bottom of each plate before presenting the child with their finished Peep Pop. “Most of the kids would gobble it right up, but some did take them home,” Anna noted. “Some of them were beautiful, while some of them would end up having a whole pool of chocolate.”

The Conclusion

Due to the buzz created by this free, one-day event, Dolle’s Candyland increased their sales by 150% more than the day before. “People were just so thankful that we did it and some adults did it too,” added Anna. If restrictions in your area prevent your store from hosting an event, consider boxing up the ingredients and supplies for customers to make Peep Pops at home. Wishing you a “hoppy” Easter!

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 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.  Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Tags:  Candy Holidays  Easter  Efficiency  Events  Spring 

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How to Create a Faux Chocolate Bunny for your Easter Display

Posted By RCI, Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Updated: Friday, August 20, 2021

 

If you’re looking to create an impressive holiday display in your candy shop, many would agree large moulded chocolates make great showpieces. However, working with chocolate as your medium certainly presents enough challenges to cause you to look for another subject to be the center of attention. Whether for fear of the potential effects of exposure to sunlight, humidity, curious customers, or ____________ (you fill in the blank), you may have decided long ago that even a sprightly, three-foot-tall chocolate bunny in all its glory is not worth the investment of time and resources every year, especially leading up to a busy holiday.

This week’s tip will allow you to deliver the same impact only a large chocolate Easter bunny could, but with eventually the same effort as takes to do some light dusting. Simply follow the steps below to create a chocolate look-alike Easter bunny (or turkey, life-size football, snowman, Santa, etc.) out of Plaster of Paris.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Chocolate Bunny Look-Alike
By RCI member, Marie’s Candies of West Liberty, Ohio

 

Marie's Candies has made plaster Easter bunnies so realistic, it's hard to tell the difference.

 

Materials needed:

 

 

  • Plaster of Paris
  • Mixing bowl
  • Popsicle stick (or other mixing utensil)
  • Access to water
  • Brown acrylic paint or spray paint
  • Paint brush
  • Glue gun (optional)
  • Icing eyes (optional)

 

Instructions:

 

  1. Make sure your favorite chocolate bunny mould is clean. The great thing about using moulds you already have is the Easter bunny in your display will look just like the real chocolate bunnies you want to sell.
  2. Follow the mixing instructions on a package of Plaster of Paris.
  3. Wet the inside of the mould, so the Easter bunny can be removed easily. Fill the mould a quarter at a time, tapping it to remove air.
  4. Remove the bunny from the mould after one hour and let it dry for 24 hours.
  5. Wash the mould and any other tools immediately after use.
  6. Once the bunny is dry, use spray paint or a brush to paint it chocolate brown.
  7. Use a glue gun to add icing eyes (optional).

 

After following these simple steps, you will have an impressive moulded chocolate so realistic, you’ll want to display it year after year! As far as we can tell, the only downside here is that you might have to perform a lick test if you get your look-alikes mixed up with actual chocolate. Have your real moulded chocolate displays ever met their untimely demise due to curious customers or exposure to the elements? Share your story in the comments below.

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 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. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Tags:  Chocolate bunny  Displays  Easter  Moulds  Retail  Tutorial 

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Tip # 225: From the Archives to Now: Easter Merchandising Inspiration

Posted By RCI, Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Photo courtesy ofkimborup.blogspot.com/au

In celebration of RCI’s 100th anniversary, we have pulled favorite articles from the “archives.” In this excerpt from an issue of Kettle Gossip published in 1972, Dave Faurer of Wilbur Chocolate Co., shared Easter merchandising tips for candy makers. Although it's fun to reflect on how things (especially prices) have changed since 1972, many of Faurer's tips can be applied by today's retail confectioner. However, we've included some suggestions for updates to his merchandising ideas below.

Easter Merchandising

For most confectioners, Easter ranks second only to Christmas as a candy merchandising occasion. In some areas the Easter volume exceeds Christmas. As an occasion for the retail manufacturing confectioner to show his real skill in the art of candy making, Easter leads the list by far.

Timing – Easter falls on Sunday, April 2 this year (in 1972). Many merchants start showing some of their Easter items right after Washington’s birthday. Items like small chocolate-covered Easter eggs and 10, 15 and 25 cents eggs can be displayed or sold even earlier. This will include jelly eggs, marshmallow eggs, butter cream mix, etc.

About four weeks before Easter, your full line of Easter items should be on display. These would include your more expensive gift items, large eggs, gift baskets, etc.

Displays – The very nature of the items in your Easter line makes them easy to display. In themselves, they are so colorful that very little in the way of display material need be added. Basic colors for your display should be in the pastel shades. Usual color combinations are orchid and yellow, green (light) and yellow or pink and green.

It is extremely important that all signs are selected very carefully. To make sure that your signs stand out from the merchandise, you should choose the strongest colors in your display for the sign background. Good eye catchers are a super-large chocolate egg or a chocolate bunny or even an extra large size plush bunny.

Here are a few ideas which may help to create better and more effective Easter displays:

1972: A border of artificial daffodils and tulips can be very effectively arranged around the front of your windows


Now: For a more current take on this idea, use a cupcake stand,terra cotta pots and fresh daffodils to create a visually interesting Easter display.Photo from living.msn.com

1972: A good way to show your moulded eggs and rabbits is to use a large round glass, covered with either amber or green cellophane grass. Use a separate piece of glass for each group. Place the largest item in the center and surround with the smaller sizes.
 

Now:Consider purchasing real or artificial wheatgrass, which can be used to nestleproductsand décor for fresh and colorful merchandising throughout spring and summer.Photo frombestorganicwheatgrass.com


1972:When displaying your eggs, cut one very carefully, cello wrap so customer can see what the egg is like inside. This is especially true of the fruit and nut centers.

Now:What’s on the inside counts, right? Instead of wrapping a cut-chocolate in cello wrap, consider displaying cut pieces on a glass dish or cake stand, topped with a glass dome. Glass domes of all shapes and sizes are super trendy right now and are relatively inexpensive at your local craft and hobby shop. And don’t think you have to splurge on a big, pricey dome. Even small and dainty domes can create an elegant display. Photo courtesy ofkimborup.blogspot.com/au

In conclusion, Easter is one of the most fascinating (and exasperating) periods of the candy year. By careful thought in selecting items and merchandising them properly, you can capture the Easter market in your town.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  Easter  From the Archives  Ideas  Merchandising 

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