|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Updated: Tuesday, October 11, 2022
|
Smash eggs have definitely been having a moment the last couple Easter seasons! Don’t let this smashing opportunity pass with the holiday! Read on for ideas to keep this fun trend going all year long! RCI member, Graham’s Chocolates of Geneva, Illinois offers an element of surprise with “Smash Balls” for basically every occasion. What started as a Christmas product, has proved to be popular for customers looking to capture the element of surprise.
Graham’s Chocolates offers Smash Balls for birthdays, baby gender reveals, marriage proposals with “Will you marry me?” revealed inside and more. Celebrating holidays like Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween and New Year’s have also proven to be popular applications for the Smash Ball, revealing treats such as truffles, chocolate-covered sandwich cookies and Jordan almonds. The addition of colored sanding sugar creates an exciting burst of color when the chocolate sphere is smashed. Have smashing success helping your customers celebrate important moments in their lives by adding your own spin on smash balls! 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:
baby gender reveal
Birthday
Chocolate
gifts
Holidays
Ideas
marriage proposal
Smash
Surprise
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
|
Spanning from December to March, winter encompasses several notable confectionery holidays. With continued interest in sharing indulgent treats with friends and family in-person and from a distance this holiday season, we’re sharing fun and easy inspiration to capture sales.
Hanukkah With limited options for consumers celebrating Hanukkah, RCI member Hilliard’s Chocolates has found success with offering peppermint bark made with crushed blue peppermints. Christmas Transfer sheets are an easy way to bring color and excitement to bon bons, chocolate bars, chocolate bark and dipped sandwich cookies. Get the look pictured from RCI member, American Chocolate Designs. New Year’s Help customers ring in the new year with a spirited twist on the ever-popular hot chocolate bombs. Pictured are boozy hot chocolate bombs from blogger Hugs and Cookies XOXO. Check your state’s liquor laws for restrictions. Valentine’s Day Spread the love with hand-piped royal icing toppers which can save time and add value to your products. Snag these sweet toppers from RCI member, Caljava International. St. Patrick’s Day Transform your existing truffles into pots of gold fit for teams of leprechauns. This fun idea comes from Candiquik.com. Here’s to a winter holiday season full of sweetness! 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.
Tags:
Christmas
Easy
Hanukkah
Holidays
Ideas
New Year's
St. Patrick's Day
Valentine's Day
Winter
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Updated: Wednesday, October 13, 2021
|
From its crunchy texture and salty exterior to its versatility in both sweet and savory applications—what’s not to love about pretzels? Adding pretzels to your existing confections is a quick and easy way to add a new, and interesting twist (pun intended) to your product line up.
Pretzel Peanut Butter Cup Add that signature pretzel crunch to your peanut butter cups with chunky, crushed pretzel pieces both inside and out. Chocolate Pretzel Toffee Who needs nuts when you’ve got pretzels? Consider substituting broken pretzel pieces for a yummy, nut-free toffee. Check out this recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate-Covered Pretzels Take your chocolate-covered pretzels to next-level status by adding a generous dollop of caramel to pretzel twists before coating them in chocolate. If pretzel rods are more your style, consider dunking them in caramel before coating in chocolate. You might have to stock up on more pretzels for this one! Peanut Butter and Pretzel Meltaways We’ve already established that peanut butter and pretzels are a winning combination, but in case you need more evidence, try adding a generous portion of crushed pretzels to your peanut butter meltaways or buckeyes and watch them disappear before your very eyes. Salted Pretzel and Caramel Fudge This is just another example of taking something already amazing—caramel and chocolate fudge—and turning up that craveable salty and crunchy factor with, you guessed it, pretzels. Basically, the moral of the story is if you have existing confections that are sweet and creamy—like a rich, chocolate-covered vanilla buttercream or nutty hazelnut meltaway—try experimenting by adding pretzels and see what happens. Invite friends, family and loyal customers to stop by for a test taste in exchange for their feedback. 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.
Tags:
Caramel
Fudge
Ideas
Meltaways
Peanut Butter
Pretzels
Toffee
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Updated: Thursday, January 21, 2021
|
There’s little doubt this fall season is going to look very different for many families and individuals. Thanks to COVID-19, many of our favorite traditional fall events will be canceled or, if not, done very differently. Here’s five ideas from RCI members for generating sales by creating memorable experiences for families this fall. Candy-Making Classes: Two Ways Hosting virtual candy-making classes is a great way to engage with consumers. RCI member, Yelibelly Chocolates, has developed a series of at-home candy-making classes which can be experienced as a prerecorded video or live Zoom call. Further direction can be shared with customers after purchasing a supply kit containing the needed ingredients and supplies. Known for their in-person candy-making classes for kids, RCI member, PeterbrookeChocolatier, has been able to continue in-person classes by offering small groups of families and/or close friends to take private classes together after local mandates allowed. This approach limits potential exposure to participants by individuals outside their inner circle and creates a more comfortable environment for local patrons to do something fun outside their homes. Socially Distant Outdoor Events Is your annual fall festival cancelled this year? Use your creativity to dream up a socially distant outdoor event to generate foot traffic at your store. RCI member Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium plans to host their annual outdoor pumpkin painting party (albeit practicing social distancing) and treat kids dressed in their Halloween costumes with a complimentary goodie bag. Another idea could include hosting a family movie night in the parking lot by hanging a white sheet on the side of your building and setting up a projector. RCI member, MarshmallowMBA plans to partner with local churches to gain exposure during Trunk-or-Treat events in their community. DIY Take-Home Kits Make it easy for shoppers to create special memories for their families. RCI member Stever’s Candies had success over the summer by selling s’mores and ice cream sundae take-home kits, each packed with all the sweet ingredients needed and bundled together for a quick, grab-and-go treat or an easy, yet thoughtful, gift. Themed Virtual Tastings Hosting a virtual chocolate tasting may be just the ticket for safely connecting with chocolate lovers near and far. Incorporating themes will make the experience more memorable and potentially lead to customers ordering multiple tastings. RCI member, Blommer Chocolate Company, suggests themes that hypothetically whisk participants away to a virtual vacation destination or even highlight your home base. Check out this video from Blommer Chocolate's Rose Potts for more inspiration on creating a successful virtual chocolate tasting. For a more local vibe, source local fall produce to highlight as part of your virtual tasting. We think this recipe for apple cider caramels from King Arthur Baking Company would be the perfect addition to a fall harvest themed tasting. Virtual Factory Tour Pique the curiosities of children and parents alike by sharing virtual tours of your candy kitchen. After closing their factory to tours, RCI member SnowflakeChocolates has posted a virtual tour of their facility on social media as well as behind-the-scenes videos of how they make chocolate-covered Oreos and maple fudge. After seeing all the yummy confections in the making, invite followers to get it fresh by placing orders online or in-store. After a popular children’s YouTube sensation toured their facility, RCI member Boehm’sCandies created an Eat-Along Kit including the confections featured in the tour. If you’re looking to take your virtual tour to the next level, feature your signature confections in the video tour and sell them as a bundle for consumers to purchase and enjoy while they watch your virtual tour. Businesses that thrive this fall will be the ones that are intentional about creating a safe and comfortable environment for consumers and their families to not only enjoy their products, but create memorable experiences their patrons won’t soon forget. Here's wishing you a sweet and successful fall season! 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 Tip of the Week 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.
Tags:
Business
Community
COVID-19
Events
Fall
Halloween
Holidays
Idea Sharing
Ideas
Increase Sales
Kids
Member Ideas
Recipe
Seasonal
S'mores
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Updated: Monday, August 24, 2020
|
August is National Peach Month. Did you know the peach is actually a member of the rose family and originated in China? The two main varieties of peaches are (1) clingstone, which are characterized by flesh that sticks to the stone and (2) freestone know by flesh that is easily separated from the stone. When picking up peaches from the grocery store or farmers’ market, it’s safe to say green is definitely unripe, however, that rosy red color isn’t always an indicator of a peach’s ripeness. Different peach varieties have different amounts of red blush to their skin. According to the Illinois Farm Bureau, “the skin of yellow-fleshed varieties ripens to an orange tint, while the skin of white-fleshed varieties changes from greenish- to yellow-white.” Peaches with a slight give when pressed gently are ready to be used in the kitchen. Like many fruits, under-ripe peaches can be placed in a paper bag for two to three days to speed up the ripening process. Peaches are at their peak from June to the end of August, so if you’re looking for fresh ways to incorporate local peaches into your confections now is the time. Peach Pâte de Fruit Pâte de fruit, French for “fruit paste,” is a great vehicle for highlighting fresh fruits of any variety. Interested in making your own peach pâte de fruit? Click here for the recipe from The Spruce Eats. Peaches and Cream Fudge It’s creamy, it’s peachy and that’s something we can sink our teeth into. Make separate batches of peach and vanilla to create a beautiful swirl with the two colors. Click here for the recipe. Peach Pie Fudge A white chocolate fudge as the base, freeze-dried peaches and peach pie flavoring--topped with a buttery crumble topping stirs enough curiosity to think this just might be even better than the real thing. Check out this recipe from Sweet Recipeas. Here’s wishing your summer kitchen adventures are just peachy! 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 Tip of the Week 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. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.
Tags:
Candy Making
Fruit
Fudge
Ideas
Pate de Fruit
Peach
Recipe
Summer
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Updated: Monday, August 24, 2020
|
Looking for ideas to inspire your latest and greatest new product? Churros are a popular street food in Spanish and Latin American cultures, which have been gaining in popularity across America over the past decade. Not only are these sweet treats popping up in food trucks and high-end restaurants, various applications can be found in the confectionery industry. Although these crispy and chewy fried pastries, often topped with cinnamon and sugar, aren’t a new development, they are expected to “dominate 2020’s dessert scene,” according to Webstaurant Store’s food trends report earlier this year. Compartes Churros & Horchata white chocolate bar, Smash Mallow cinnamon churro marshmallows, and Candy Club churro bites Commonly characterized by a very generous coating of cinnamon sugar, you can transform just about any of your favorite confections into a churro-inspired treat. Tip: Add the extra element of crunch by incorporating Cinnamon Toast CrunchTM Churros cereal. Churro Toffee Abdallah Candies envelopes their buttery toffee in white chocolate before coating it in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. It’s almost too pretty to eat, but we wouldn’t let that stop us! Churro Popcorn White-chocolate covered popcorn sprinkled with the churro’s signature cinnamon sugar combo, may be just what you need to recreate the crispy, chewy texture that the churro is known for. For extra cinnamon flavor, this recipe coats popcorn in melted cinnamon chips. Churro Truffles Nothing quite beats rolling all the goodness that makes a churro into a decadent truffle. Check out this recipe for churro truffles from Peter’s Chocolate. Here’s just a few ideas to put your own spin on churros as part of your confectionery line-up, but don’t stop here! Imagine how you could transform your signature caramel recipe or scratch-made marshmallows to capture the flavors and textures of the churro? Tell us all about your ideas 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 Tip of the Week 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. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.
Tags:
Cinco de Mayo
Creative Flavors
Creativity
Flavors
Food
Ideas
Inspiration
Popcorn
Recipe
Recipe Development
Toffee
Trends
Truffles
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Updated: Thursday, July 30, 2020
|
Whether you like it or not, tie-dye is one of the biggest fashion trends of 2020—no doubt thanks to quarantined DIYers looking to pass time and upcycle their wardrobes. Oftentimes popular fashion trends find their way into other industries. With all the fun, bright colors and happy vibes it creates, we think the tie-dye trend is a perfect fit for the candy industry. If you’re looking to jump on this psychedelic bandwagon, keep reading for five must-try tie-dye ideas. Tie-Dye S’mores Tie-dye + s’mores! Does it get any better than this? Whip up a batch of these colorful and gooey marshmallows and dare your customers NOT to plaster photos of them all over social media! They won’t be able to resist! Click here for a tutorial from Studio DIY. Tie-Dye Chocolate Bars Create yummy swirls of color on a chocolate bar, then take it a step further by embellishing it with a fun, little moulded chocolate piece—like this ice cream cone—and lots of sprinkles. Tie-Dye Moulded Chocolates You don’t even have to like tie-dye to love this colorful bunny! What other moulded chocolates would look great in tie dye? All of them! Tie-Dye Packaging What goes best with tie-dye? More tie-dye, of course! Complete your collection of tie-dye confections with equally psychedelic packaging. Contact MOD-PAC for more information about these tie-dye boxes. Tie-Dye Merchandise For the truest tie-dye enthusiasts, consider adding branded tie-die merch to your offerings, like these t-shirts from Asher's Chocolates. In the world of tie-dye, the possibilities are seemingly endless! These are just a few of our favorite ways for your business to ride the tie-dye trend. Similar techniques could also be applied to chocolate-covered sandwich cookies, pretzels, fudge and more. What confections would you transform with tie dye? Share 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 Tip of the Week 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. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.
Tags:
Colors
Creativity
Displays
Fudge
Ideas
Inspiration
Marketing
Marshmallow
Oreo
Oreos
Packaging
S'mores
Spring
Summer
Trends
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By Angie Burlison, Retail Confectioners International,
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
|
At a time when many retail shops are closed, food trucks not only offer access to consumers, they give businesses the flexibility go to where consumers are. For example, if you have a food truck or branded vehicle, consider visiting local neighborhoods, musical ice-cream-truck style, to sell your products. Other businesses have asked their social media followers to private message their addresses to be added to the delivery route. Share your route on social media and let people know when to expect you. First, check local regulations to ensure this activity is permitted.
For further inspiration, RCI member Anna Dolle Bushnell with Dolle’s Candyland shares how this multi-generational family business turned inspiration from their grandfather’s Kandy Kar into a more modern version of selling their popular treats on-the-go.
Having been in business for over 100 years, my family is fascinated with using bits of our rich past in order to create a unique and personal approach to business today. All of our packaging has traces of our vintage candy boxes, our tried and true recipes remain the same, and we love to use old relics of our business’s history in today’s decision making. In a world where business can get swallowed whole in advertising, online marketing, website management and the like, my brother, Andrew Dolle, and I decided to revive the simple “Kandy Kar” concept that our grandfather had in the 1940s.
The Inspiration
Way back when, our grandfather, Rudolph Dolle, manufactured and sold salt water taffy from his beloved Kandy Kar. Unfortunately, we do not know much more about the car simply because our grandfather had long since passed before my brother and I were born. However, one single picture gave us the inspiration to revitalize the concept of using a mobile unit for advertising, sales and fundraising opportunities.
In 2013, over the course of nine months, our modern-day Kandy Kar came to be. The trailer was custom built and outfitted with everything needed for caramel popcorn manufacturing and sales. A simple gas stove, triple sink and ingredients storage was permanently built in. Custom made shelves were made to attach to the outside windows of the “Kar” in order to provide for added merchandising space when the trailer is parked.
In addition to caramel popcorn, a variety of our best-selling candies is offered for sampling and sales. Our famous salt water taffy, fudge and caramel apples are manufactured and prepackaged in our plant in Ocean City, Maryland to make storage and merchandising in a small area possible. In addition to these items, space is available on board for the manufacturing of two additional products. Dependent upon the event and the projected consumer, we are able to manufacture cinnamon roasted nuts as well as cotton candy. Since these machines require little space and can run off of standard electricity, they are fun options to offer customers of different demographics.
Expanded Reach
Within the past year, we have taken the Kandy Kar to local events, including music festivals, wine and beer fests and seasonal/holiday fairs. It also has been featured at charity events and several weddings that have wanted to feature a local “foodie” flair. Most importantly, Dolle’s Kandy Kar is a wonderful mode of advertising. People unfamiliar with our brand can see, smell and taste our products in a multitude of locations, not just at our brick and mortar shops. We also use these unique advertising opportunities to distribute brochures and company information to inform potential and life-long customers about our family business, our history and our products.
Carrying On Traditions
Although we have no idea what happened to the original Kandy Kar, we enjoy the feeling that we are carrying on a unique family business tradition. We imagine that manufacturing salt water taffy aboard the original Kar must have been a tricky, sticky and hot endeavor. In today’s Kar, we often think what our grandfather would say if he witnessed air conditioning, electricity, and running hot and cold water located on a mobile unit, not to mention payments being swiped on smartphones!
We have certainly enjoyed the reception that we have received at each event the Dolle’s Kandy Kar has been. We love hearing the excitement of fair and event goers when they discover that they can enjoy their favorite Ocean City treats at events around our region, and we love keeping “what is old is now new” traditions alive!
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 Tip of the Week 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.
Tags:
Food Trucks
Ideas
Marketing
Permalink
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
|
Put the “COOL” in back-to-school with Instagram-worthy gifts both for students and their teachers! Here we’ve compiled some of our favorite smart treats pulled from past blog posts that are sure to earn your candy shop an A+.
TIP #141: APPLE FOR THE TEACHER
If they haven’t done so already, you can bet many parents in your community will be scouring social media (especially Pinterest) for the perfect gift to celebrate their students and sweeten up teachers as a new school year approaches.
Charlie’s Chocolate Factory of Vancouver, British Columbia used a standard apple box mould and adapted it to feature a clever hole for a gummy worm to pop out.
Chocolate-covered Oreo Apple Pops are an equally fun idea for a sweet school treat. In this example, a standard circle mould was used to create a thicker layer of colored confectionery coating, a pretzel was used to create the stem as well as modeling chocolate for the leaves. Other tutorials utilize fresh mint leaves for a more realistic look.
TIP #275: GIFTS THAT RULE
Take notes from RCI member, Dietsch Brothers, who creates custom tags and labels throughout the year to help theme their products as a way to encourage sales. Transform a basic chocolate bar into a thoughtful teacher gift by creating a custom wrapper that looks like a ruler and reads, “thanks for making this year rule!” Or add tags to your boxed chocolates and moulded chocolates that say “To the sweetest teacher.”
IDEA: HOST A FAVORITE TEACHER CONTEST
With World Teacher’s Day on October 5, make plans now to host a favorite teacher contest in September. It’s a fun avenue to recognize the great teachers in your area and also capture new customers before e the busy holiday season!
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 smaller 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.
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 Tip of the Week 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.
Tags:
Ideas
Marketing
School
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
|
As one of our most popular posts from 2018, we’re bringing back this tip for Groundhog Day, just in case you missed it! Plus, we’ve added a bonus tip to make your 2019 celebration even sweeter!
Nestled snuggly between New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day is Groundhog Day on February 2. Although it may be a mystery to many of us as to why we give these furry little critters any merit when it comes to predicting the weather, there’s no question many consumers will be excited to participate in this American holiday. Here’s some ideas of how your candy business can take advantage of all the groundhog hype next month!
Make Groundhog Day Sweet
Just when you thought those cuddly groundhogs couldn’t get any cuter, they took on a chocolate form! Baking blogger, Bakerella, created adorable little groundhog cupcakes using peanut butter cups and other candies (click here for ingredient list), but we think you could really do without the cupcake—unless you already happen to sell cupcakes or could partner with a local bakery.
Of course, there are lots of options for substituting similar ingredients if you don’t have these items on hand—bonus points, if you make your own peanut butter cups! Another option would be to try chocolate-covered sandwich cookies in place of peanut butter cups for the head. If you don’t have mini marshmallows for the teeth, try using white sprinkles or piping white confectionery coating for the teeth. These little guys are almost too cute to eat!

Get Animated with GIFs
Tell your customers about your adorable chocolate groundhogs or other themed products by adding an animated GIF (pronounced "jif", like the brand of peanut butter, in case you're wondering) like this to a promotional email or social media posts. Adding animation to marketing messaging is super trendy now. According to MailerLite.com, animations are widely considered to be the best way to attract attention to your brand or to market your product online. Click here for more reasons why you should be using GIFs in email marketing.
RCI Member Savings! 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.
BONUS TIP: Offer Winter or Spring Specials
If you don’t happen to have a bunch of groundhog moulds or other related products on your shelves on February 2, consider Groundhog Day as an opportunity to sell off any remaining winter-themed products (like snowmen and snowflakes) and encourage customers to welcome in spring with a fresh display of spring-related (think flowers and bright colors). You could leave it up to Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction to decide whether winter or spring confections are discounted, or offer a discount on both!
Don’t be afraid to get creative! Have fun with Groundhog Day this year and your customers will wish we celebrated this silly holiday more often!
RCI's Tip of the Week 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. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. 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.
Tags:
email marketing
Holidays
Ideas
Marketing
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|