Forum Activity for @Wendy DeBord

Marketing your Chocolates

Posted in: Opinion

I guess I'll start...............

I've just begun trying to sell my product. Heck, I'm still working on my packaging and I'm soooo small I've only purchased set-up boxes in 25 box quantities. I've connected with a local (very upscale) florist to retail my product. Right now, I'm thinking I'd only want one retailer per suburbanneighborhood. Maybe that's a mistake, but I want to support each retailer in promoting sales and not become over saturated in any one area.

So to support my (first) retailer I've contacted two large social networks in that community and I'm making sample donations to their events. My packaging will have my label on top, on the bottom of the package with my ingredient listI'm mentioning the retailer where they can buy my product.

I can see doing similar for dozens of suburbs in my area. It obviously will take a lot of time!!! In addition, Iwant to geta website up and running where people could actually place orders and I'd ship to them. I find it hard to believe anyone will buy product offmy website if they haven't already tasted it. AND SO............I see the need to spead up this process as fast as possible. That's why I ask what you all are doing to market your products?

Wendy

Marketing your Chocolates

Posted in: Opinion

I'm hoping we could share ideas and leads among us similarly minded small business owners.

Anyone willing to share how they are marketing their product? How did you begin? Clay have you written any articles on this topic for the small chocolatier?

Are you going to gourmet food shows? If so, which ones have generated business for you and which ones haven't been very fruitful?

How are you introducing your product to your general area?

Do you target specific businesses? Have you found some retailers sell more chocolate then others. For example, do florists move chocolate products? Are independent coffee shops successful retailers of chocolate products? If so, do you find that certain sizes and packaging are specific to each seperate market? Have any of you targeted restaurants or large food distributors like Sysco or US Foods?

updated by @Wendy DeBord: 04/10/15 01:55:17PM

Labeling Your Product

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Hugs...........thank-you Sebastian........that's the best list I've seen to date.

Labeling Your Product

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Thanks for the help Robyn. I did find a source to buy UPC codes from. Although I neverexplored itfurther to see what kind of prices were involved. Is this the source you mentioned: http://www.gs1us.org/membership/benefits-of-membership ?

It looked more expensive then I was interested in exploring at this time. I didn't come across the fact that there are resellers, so it's interesting to know! Would you mind sharing how much you paid, so I can use that as a reference when I shop?

For any future readers I did find an online source where I could calucate my own nutritional info. here: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp and good helpful info. on making my own labels here: http://www.claytowne.com/beats-digging-ditches/how-to-make-a-nutrit... But I already found most of that info. at FDA.gov. In the long run, I'm still creating my own labels in excel........but it's not that hard.

The last thing I'm still stumped about is establishing the FDA's RDI for sugar and fats. Since they aren't required nutrients the goverment ignores including them in the mg's per day list they have of all the other nutrients. I've been able to figure out that sugar comes to 65mg but I haven't been able to establish what the RDI number is for fat, so I can calucate what my fat percentage is. Does anyone know how many mg's of fat the FDA considers as the average for a 2,000 calorie diet?

Labeling Your Product

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Thanks for the quick responses!! I'm not retailing my own product, I'm only selling through other businesses. I've been wholesaling in bulk to restaurants where I didn't need individual packaging labels. I'm justgetting readyto sell to retail stores. I do qualify for some labeling exemptions, thatmakes things much easier for me to start.

I did have4 weeks to get my labeling ready..........but an sales opportunity has popped up where I nowneed to be ready in 2 weeks with small boxed samples. I need to print my own labels NOW, asap. No time to purchase labels for this first roll out.

1. I'd like to find a nutritional calulator I can use for free on line. (I've found several through google searches but none were truely accurate.) Does anyone know of such a site? Or can I bargin with anyone here that does have a nutritional calulatorsoftware to punch in my recipe and email me the results???

2. If I can't find a free source for a nutritional calulator I'll have to buy a software program. Can anyone reccomend a reliable easy to use program (that I can purchase asap)? I've seen two programs online, one was $199.00 the other was $399.00 and I'm not knowledgable enough about my future labeling needs to know which program would be the wisest one to purchase.

I think I can put together my own labels and desktop publish it following examples andFDA guidelines once I have my nutritional info..

3. Barcodes...........maybe I don't need them since I'm only targeting small retailers for now?

thank-you,

Wendy

Labeling Your Product

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

I familar with correct US product labeling requirments but I'm stumped on how to get my correct nutritional data and bar code strips ready for print. I've seen two different software programs that offer nutritional calulators, but neither appear to offer bar code strip printing too. Can someone point me in the right dirrection where I can inexpensively produce my own accurate product labels?

thanks,

Wendy DeBord

updated by @Wendy DeBord: 04/20/15 08:58:04PM

Which Chocolate Spray Gun to Purchase?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Have you figured this out yet? I'd love to know how you did!

I'm stumped, I can think of how you'd spray very light products..........isn't the over spray as much of an issue as the air pressure?

The only way I've been able to do similar was to completely coat the product in a very thin chocolate (tossing in a bowl, like you would a salad) and then sifting it out laying it on to parchment to dry. I'd love to know an easier way.

Chocolate Bar Packaging Options - Your experience and feedback

Posted in: Opinion

Hi,

I came across this source: http://gourmetbusinessdirectory.com/ that I've kept in my favorites. They seem to have a lot of useful sourcesfor small food business, that might lead you to helpful sources. You have to dig through their links (past the constant ad for you to upgrade and buy their info.), but I recall finding info. for my own state there that I hadn't found else where.

Wendy