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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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This week marks part three and the final addition to our series on how to make the health inspector’s “nice list” this holiday season, inspired by a past article published in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine by Patrick Huffman, former president of The Warrell Corporation. reading the new federal and local regulations and keeping your staff updated on new requirements is critical. Consider conducting brief meetings to cover a specific topic or provide updates on a regular basis.
IN-HOUSE INSPECTIONS
Get ahead of the inspector by designating a manager to perform weekly inspections. Contact your local health department to request the form they use to during inspections as a reference.
GET ORGANIZED
Every time we have to search for the right tool to do a job, we lose time and money. By keeping tools clean and stored properly, they are ready for use and keep us productive. More important, a neat manufacturing area immediately tells inspectors that we know what we are doing.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Getting the buy-in from your employees can be a constant struggle. It’s important to recognize that a commitment to food safety begins with an organization’s managers and owners. Every time we walk by a dripping faucet or step over a scrap of paper or a chocolate spill, we fail to teach our employees. By witnessing management who are as dedicated to keeping equipment clean as they are making quality candy, they teach their team by example.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
Signs, reminders, and brief, yet, oft-repeated videos, keep the message in the forefront of every employee’s mind, but nothing works better than setting an example personally.
One of the best ways to ensure your business makes it on the inspector’s coveted “nice list” is to assemble a team of trained and confident staff, who understand the big picture of why maintaining clean stores and manufacturing facilities is so important. After gaining this understanding, it is critical that your team be given proper guidance and tools to efficiently and effectively manage your business’s food safety initiatives.
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:
Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Organizing
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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In continuation of a three-part series on how to make the health inspector’s “nice list” this holiday season, we’re sharing tips on how to take control of potential pest infestations.
Food manufacturing and retail facilities are a haven for certain unwanted guests. Can you blame them? Who wouldn’t want to live in a candy factory? However, when pest control can account for up to 20% of your score during a health inspection, a poorly managed pest control program could land your business on the inspector’s naughty list, or even worse, the recall list!
According to foodqualityandsafety.com, “Up-to-date pest control documentation is one of the first signs to an auditor that your facility takes pest control seriously.” They recommend making the following important documents readily available should an inspector come a-knocking:
- Scope of service
- Pest activity reports
- Service reports
- Corrective action reports
- Trap layout maps
- List of approved pesticides
- Pesticide usage reports
- Applicator licenses
RCI member, Patrick Huffman, former president of The Warrell Corporation, offered the following advice in a past article published in Kettle Talk magazine:
GO PRO
In today’s world of ever-changing regulations, hiring a pest control service may be your best option. When looking to outsource this service, look for a reputable company with food processing experience. A residential pest control service may not have the necessary experience or training to handle food establishments.
KEEP IT REGULAR
At a very close second, the next most important element of pest control is regularity. Whether you perform this task yourself or hire a service, checking traps and applying pesticides in a safe and proper manner and on a regular basis is critical to success. Making sure that pesticides are stored away from food preparation areas and keeping good records of how they are handled are elements of an effective program.
These simple preparations can be your best defense against pests. Showing your inspector that you are in control of your pest control program will certainly help your business earn its spot on the nice list.
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:
Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Owning a Business
Pest Control
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
|
Food safety never takes a holiday. In fact, the holidays are an especially important time to ensure food manufacturers and retailers are taking necessary precautions to ensure their products are not only delicious, but safe for consumption.
Whether a confectionery supplier or candy maker, your company should be prepared for an inspection from your perspective regulations agency at anytime of the year. In a past article published in Kettle Talk magazine, Patrick Huffman, former president of The Warrell Corporation, shared the following tips that could mean the difference from your candy business making it on the inspector’s naughty or nice list.
OVER, UNDER AND BEHIND
Areas over, under and behind equipment can be missed and will always attract the inspector’s attention. Simple installations that can be easily cleaned are always better than equipment with lots of hoses and wires that can get built up with chocolate.
TUNNEL VISION
The inside of a cooling tunnel is another area you can expect an inspector to look, in addition to air filters and any area with tape on it. These areas can collect dirt, insects (and their offspring) and cause problems if not checked and cleaned regularly.
SPOT CHECK
Regarding your retail stores, nothing sells better than a well-lit and spotlessly clean display. Fingerprints can be a normal problem every time a customer points to a product in a glass case. Keeping floors, air vents, and the entire store neat may be the best way to convince customers that they are in the right place. Cleaning behind fixtures is just as important as cleaning the front of fixtures.
Keep your business on the nice list this holiday season, by checking your list twice to ensure you don’t forget that spot!
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:
Cleaning
Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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In recent years, the application of sea salt in confections has evolved from strictly artisanal to mainstream in the candy industry. According to Synergy Consultants, sea salt was introduced to nearly 1,350 food products in 2010 alone. If you have not yet jumped on this bandwagon, you may be missing an opportunity to engage consumers and increase sales.
RCI member, Boehm’s Candies of Issaquah, Washington first introduced gourmet sea salt to their confections in 1999. At the time they wondered if it would be a quickly passing fad. Today, the candy maker carries a variety of confections featuring distinctively different gourmet sea salts, contributing to at least 100 pounds of finished product every week to satisfy customer demand.
Pulled from an article in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine, Bernard Garbusjuk attributes the trendiness of sea salt to our love of the sweet and salty combination. “In our production, we have tested different salt profiles for various confections, but we believe that the most complementing marriage is between caramel and salt. If you are very careful balancing a recipe, then it can also work well for solid chocolate pieces.”
With the growing popularity of sea salt in a variety of applications, featuring a gourmet sea salt with a unique color, flavor, coarseness and even origin will help you create a more signature product. Keep reading for three of Boehm’s favorite gourmet sea salt varieties, as well as recommended applications for each.
Hawaiian Sea Salt Blend
Natural sea salt blended with the rare alaea sea salt from Hawaii. The alaea salt can be identified by its distinct red color achieved by mixing with volcanic clay.
Boehm’s standard sea salt caramels are topped with a blend of two different salts from the Hawaiian Islands. The alaea salt is from the island of Kauai and has a distinct red color from the volcanic clay, and the white salt is from the island of Oahu. The finer grain of the salt from Oahu will disperse in your mouth somewhat faster than the coarser alaea salt and the blend of size and color give the caramel an elegant, upscale finish.
Ilocano Asin
A mild, mineral rich sea salt from the pure seawaters of Pangasinan, Phillippines. Bright, crisp flavors powered by underlying minerals combine in this complex and well-balanced salt.
At Boehm’s they created a thin wand of twisted caramel (about the length of a licorice stick), covered it in chocolate and finished it with the Ilocano Asin salt. This caramel and sea salt “stick” satisfies customers who want a more robust salt profile. Simply because of how you eat it, it can taste remarkably different than the square sea salt caramel.
Smoked Alder Wood Sea Salt
A Pacific sea salt is slightly smoked over red alderwood.
As part of their boxed chocolates, Boehm’s adds a caramel with smoked alderwood sea salt to represent the Pacific Northwest. Consider sourcing a sea salt that reflects the flavors and ingredients representative of your area.
If you can brand a unique sea salt product with a distinctive flavor or coarseness, or from a special region (Himalayan, Mediterranean, etc.), you may be surprised how it effects your sales compared to if you use a non-descript sea salt.
If you’re wondering where to get your hands on gourmet sea salt, Boehm’s Candies recommends SaltWorks® and xroads Phillippe Sea Salts®. SaltWorks offers a variety of salts in fine to coarse grain and in many flavor profiles. Xroads Phillippine Sea Salts® delivers unique culinary sea salts that enhance a broad range of flavors while empowering small communities.
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.
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Gourmet
Increase Sales
Member Recommendations
Sea Salt
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
|
This week marks part three and the final addition to our series on how to make the health inspector’s “nice list” this holiday season, inspired by a past article published in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine by Pat Huffman of Blommer Chocolate Co. Keep reading for five tips on how to best prepare your staff for a visit from your friendly, local health inspector.
STAY INFORMED
With today’s increased emphasis on food safety, the simple act of reading the new federal and local regulations and keeping your staff updated on new requirements is critical. Consider conducting brief meetings to cover a specific topic or provide updates on a regular basis.
IN-HOUSE INSPECTIONS
Get ahead of the inspector by designating a manager to perform weekly inspections. Contact your local health department to request the form they use to during inspections as a reference.
GET ORGANIZED
Every time we have to search for the right tool to do a job, we lose time and money. By keeping tools clean and stored properly, they are ready for use and keep us productive. More important, a neat manufacturing area immediately tells inspectors that we know what we are doing.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Getting the buy-in from your employees can be a constant struggle. It’s important to recognize that a commitment to food safety begins with an organization’s managers and owners. Every time we walk by a dripping faucet or step over a scrap of paper or a chocolate spill, we fail to teach our employees. By witnessing management who are as dedicated to keeping equipment clean as they are making quality candy, they teach their team by example.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
Signs, reminders, and brief, yet, oft-repeated videos, keep the message in the forefront of every employee’s mind, but nothing works better than setting an example personally.
One of the best ways to ensure your business makes it on the inspector’s coveted “nice list” is to assemble a team of trained and confident staff, who understand the big picture of why maintaining clean stores and manufacturing facilities is so important. After gaining this understanding, it is critical that your team be given proper guidance and tools to efficiently and effectively manage your business’s food safety initiatives.
Tags:
Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Organizing
Owning a Business
Permalink
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
|
In continuation of a three-part series on how to make the health inspector’s “nice list” this holiday season, we’re sharing tips on how to take control of potential pest infestations.
Food manufacturing and retail facilities are a haven for certain unwanted guests. Can you blame them? Who wouldn’t want to live in a candy factory? However, when pest control can account for up to 20% of your score during a health inspection, a poorly managed pest control program could land your business on the inspector’s naughty list, or even worse, the recall list!
According to foodqualityandsafety.com, “Up-to-date pest control documentation is one of the first signs to an auditor that your facility takes pest control seriously.” They recommend making the following important documents readily available should an inspector come a-knocking:
- Scope of service
- Pest activity reports
- Service reports
- Corrective action reports
- Trap layout maps
- List of approved pesticides
- Pesticide usage reports
- Applicator licenses
RCI member, Pat Huffman of Blommer Chocolate Co, offered the following advice in a past article published in Kettle Talk magazine:
GO PRO
In today’s world of ever-changing regulations, hiring a pest control service may be your best option. When looking to outsource this service, look for a reputable company with food processing experience. A residential pest control service may not have the necessary experience or training to handle food establishments.
KEEP IT REGULAR
At a very close second, the next most important element of pest control is regularity. Whether you perform this task yourself or hire a service, checking traps and applying pesticides in a safe and proper manner and on a regular basis is critical to success. Making sure that pesticides are stored away from food preparation areas and keeping good records of how they are handled are elements of an effective program.
These simple preparations can be your best defense against pests. Showing your inspector that you are in control of your pest control program will certainly help your business earn its spot on the nice list.
Tags:
Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Owning a Business
Pest Control
Permalink
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
|
Food safety never takes a holiday. In fact, the holidays are an especially important time to ensure food manufacturers and retailers are taking necessary precautions to ensure their products are not only delicious, but safe for consumption.
Whether a confectionery supplier or candy maker, your company should be prepared for an inspection from your perspective regulations agency at anytime of the year. In a past article published in Kettle Talk magazine, Pat Huffman of Blommer Chocolate Co., shared the following tips that could mean the difference from your candy business making it on the inspector’s naughty or nice list.
OVER, UNDER AND BEHIND
Areas over, under and behind equipment can be missed and will always attract the inspector’s attention. Simple installations that can be easily cleaned are always better than equipment with lots of hoses and wires that can get built up with chocolate.
TUNNEL VISION
The inside of a cooling tunnel is another area you can expect an inspector to look, in addition to air filters and any area with tape on it. These areas can collect dirt, insects (and their offspring) and cause problems if not checked and cleaned regularly.
SPOT CHECK
Regarding your retail stores, nothing sells better than a well-lit and spotlessly clean display. Fingerprints can be a normal problem every time a customer points to a product in a glass case. Keeping floors, air vents, and the entire store neat may be the best way to convince customers that they are in the right place. Cleaning behind fixtures is just as important as cleaning the front of fixtures.
Keep your business on the nice list this holiday season, by checking your list twice to ensure you don’t forget that spot!
Tags:
Cleaning
Health Inspections
Member Recommendations
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
|
Thanksgiving can be a helpful reminder of the importance of showing gratitude. In the workplace, employee recognition has proven to be a strong motivator, positively effecting employee engagement, productivity and turn over. According to a survey by Globoforce:
- 67% of employees value praise and commendation from a direct manager over financial incentives.
- 78% of U.S. workers report that being recognized motivates them at their job.
- Companies with strategic recognition reported 23.4% less turnover than companies without any recognition program.
RCI member and the owner/manager of Cowboy-Up Chocolates, James Crowder, shared how he uses a simple questionnaire to recognize his staff in a 2014 article published in Kettle Talk magazine (RCI members: click here to login in to view the full article).
“At Cowboy-Up Chocolates we use a 'get to know you' questionnaire to get to know our employees on a deeper level. We ask questions to indentify their favorite foods, hobbies, influences, values, movies, birthday, etc. We have new employees complete the questionnaire one month after employment; at this time they feel more comfortable to honestly and thoroughly complete it.
We don’t just file the questionnaire with employee paperwork. We use it to show appreciation for our employees throughout the year. Some examples, include:
- One associate liked sunflower seeds so we purchased a five pound bag of sunflower seeds and placed them on her desk with a note of appreciation--she beamed for three days.
- A member of management said he loved a certain restaurant and would always eat there when he visited that city. We called the restaurant and asked to buy a menu. We had it framed and presented it to him with a gift certificate to the restaurant--his work attitude improved.
- One of our employees plays trumpet in a jazz band. At a hobby shop, I found a ceramic frog playing a trumpet and purchased it for her--she keeps it on her desk and gives a big smile every time I pass by.”
The holiday season is an especially important time to show your team they are appreciated, but it is equally important to show your employees they are valued all year.
Tags:
Employee Management
Leadership
Member Recommendations
Recognition
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
|
‘Tis the season for retail businesses, especially in the confectionery industry, to expect increased foot traffic, sales and, unfortunately, stress. With the help of RCI member and past president, Brian Pelletier of Kakao Chocolate, we’ve compiled 3 apps to help make your holidays more merry by increasing efficiency in your business using your smartphone.
Created to help busy families organize a multitude of activities and appointments, through a shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists and more. This free app made Brian’s short list because it allows him and his staff to quickly and easily create and share shopping lists in real time. Having multiple locations, each store has access to Cozi through a desktop that’s at each of the shops. This way, when they need more cream or sugar, they can quickly and easily add these items to Cozi’s shopping list, which immediately syncs to mobile devices. Forgot to add eggs to the list, and your manager has already left for a shopping trip? No problem! Last-minute additions to the shopping list update automatically in real time. Once the item has been purchased, simply cross it off the list.
Additionally, items needed can be labeled by location and if you need something specific, you can save details, such as the dimensions of an air conditioner filter. By allowing you to save your recipes, Cozi also makes it easy to transfer recipe ingredients to your shopping list.
QuickBooks App
If you’re a small business, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with or using QuickBooks by Intuit (if not, click here to learn more). If you’re already using QuickBooks software for your accounting and invoicing, but not the app, you are missing out on a tool that offers simple, but valuable functions to this software.
As you would expect, the QuickBooks app syncs with QuickBooks online. The app makes it very easy to access accounting information while away from your desk. The app does, however, have very limited functionality. It does not allow you to balance your books on a smart phone, however, if you need to make a change to an order when making a delivery, you can pull up the invoice on your phone, make the change and immediately email a revised invoice to the customer. You can also check the status of an invoice, if, for example, a customer says they’ve paid the balance. Click here to learn more about QuickBooks online.
Square
If you do business away from your retail shop, such as at special events or farmers’ markets, Square is definitely worth looking into. With the use of the free Square card reader, in conjunction with the mobile app, you can accept credit card payments from an iPhone, iPad or Android mobile device. Customers can add a tip, sign with their finger and receive an electronic receipt via text or email. Square also allows you to review your sales history, resend receipts or issue refunds.
If you own a confectionery shop, where the average ring is quite low, the flat fee applied by other credit card processing systems can add up quickly. Square bases their fees on a flat 2.75% percentage, per swipe, saving you money in the long run. There is no merchant account, monthly fees or set-up costs.
Square is also a great tool for keeping track of customers. With the swipe of a credit card, Square automatically recognizes the card and populates customer information, such as their name and email address. For more details and to sign up, visit the Square website, squareup.com.
RCI Members: Learn how to increase efficiency in your business operations by using your smart phone, by logging on to RCI's website to watch this educational session from the 2016 Annual Convention.
Tags:
Accounting
Credit Card Processing
Education
Member Recommendations
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Get answers to even the trickiest questions directly from
confectioneryprofessionals through RCI’sList Serve. |
So, your business is required to provide nutrition fact labels for your products. Whether you’re looking for a solution or reconsidering your current solution, you can create your own FDA-approved nutrition fact labels without spending a fortune. Read the following recommendations from fellow candy makers through RCI’s forum, List Serve.
“My state health department offers a free service. I gave them my ingredients, package size and serving size and they built complete nutritional labels.” - W. Lewis, Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolates
“NutraCoster is a good program for creating nutritional and ingredient information panels. Another good one is Genesis R&D by ESHA Research. Both of these programs have generic ingredients to add, but you have the ability to use specific information on ingredients like chocolate.” – M. Koch, Morley Candy Makers/Sanders Candy “We use NutraCoster as well and like it okay, but I just learned about ReciPal, who will do individual recipes for $19. They also have monthly plans.” – B. Pelletier, Kakao Chocolate
Not sure if your business is required to provide nutritional information for your products? Click here to learn about the FDA’s requirements for nutrition labeling.
Tags:
FDA
Idea Sharing
List Serve
Member Recommendations
Nutrition Labels
Owning a Business
Packaging
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