Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/102355
CANDY COUNTER "Candy is fun. So we say take advantage of that and have fun going over the top with your promotions." —Denise Alvarez, Retail Confectioners International Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 663 Wickedly Good Salad—Proof Tat Anyone Can be a Saucy Mama®. Saucy Mama's® not alone in the kitchen. Our fantastic food blogger friends constantly inspire us with innovative—and saucily delicious—recipes. Like this crab salad from Kristy Bernardo at thewickednoodle.com; fantastic favor and low calories prove that anyone can be a Saucy Mama®. Make every Meal Extraordinary! Visit us or call at 800-207-4983 • barhyte.com ® Manufactured with Blue Sky renewable energy. ® chocolate producers giving out samples," Godinez says. He regularly invites local confectionery producers to give out samples themselves, often tied to the release of a new product arriving at the market. "Customers love to meet the producer." Some larger producers even offer their expertise to plan the event for the retailer. Jelly Belly has promotional vehicles for hire, Alvarez explains, where a team spends the day at a store sampling the famous candies. "While this is a one-day promotion, they create excitement leading up to the event and then have in-store promotions and sales during the event to make the most of it," she says. In the world of specialty chocolates, though, sampling isn't always feasible, Sugar Sugar's Wheeler concedes. "I have some chocolate bars that are $15 each; I can't afford to break one open to let the customers try," she says. In those cases, she employs her own familiarity with the product. "If you have tasted the bar yourself, can express why it is special and convey your enthusiasm, it will sell." Make the Most of the Fun in the Category What distinguishes confectionery from other food categories is its inherently celebratory and even playful nature. "Candy is fun," RCI's Alvarez puts it plainly. "So we say take advantage of that and have fun going over the top with your promotions." Wheeler echoes this sentiment. "I try to present in a beautiful and humorous (continued on p. 124) Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 470 54 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com