Archive for March, 2007
Salami has gone gourmet! According to an article in the Atlantic Journal Constitution, smoked meats are gaining in popularity in the most upscale restaurants and specialty food stores. Read the full story about how salamis and sausages are dried and cured, as well as information about the most popular dried meats that you might find in the market place. If you really want to learn more, go to the American Association of Meat Processors for information on food safety, regulations and more.
In the meantime, think about using salami and sausages in your gift baskets. Paired with crackers and cheeses, these are great for picnic baskets. Add a jar of mustard, along with some chips and your customers will have a full meal in their gourmet gift baskets. Keep these products in mind for Father’s Day baskets too!
March 28th, 2007
Read the full story about Top Taste, a full service specialty food store that created a special niche for business in Sioux City, Iowa. When owner Brent Fowler bought the business over 5 years ago, he decided to add a new twist to his food market not seen before in his city. To the basic grocery store items that the store had been carrying, he added fine foods, candies, and chocolates, baked goods, and natural foods to his product line. More importantly, he committed to learning all about the products he carried so that he could foster “shoppers’ initial hesitation with unfamiliar products into zealous discovery”. He created a unique shopping experience for his customers!
Fowler also discovered that “building gifts into year-round sales offers major growth potential. He recently brought in a nearby gift basket merchant, Balloons, Bears and Bouquets, to sublease part of the store.” The basket business, which was primarily a phone order business, was a perfect complement to his business. He and the basket business owner created a website, www.toptastegourmet.com, and they offer upgraded gourmet gift baskets in addition to standard baskets available year-round. Products used in the baskets include both the items that had always been used by the gift basket designer along with more ususual foods and gifts that Fowler carries in his market.
Pairing a gift basket business with a specialty food market is a natural combination. Visit your local food or meat market or bakery and see how your design skills might be used to enhance the market’s business. You may find that you are reaching a new customer base that regularly goes to the market, but never considered the idea of a gourmet basket.
March 24th, 2007
Attending gourmet food trade shows is a great way to jumpstart your energy and get your creative juices flowing. In one location, you can see the newest products and learn about current trends in your industry. Additionally, you get to talk with others who do what you do everyday and can pick up great ideas for making your business better.
If you can manage time away from your business (as well as the cost), I recommend your also attending trade shows that may not be directly related to your business, but may still offer lots of new ideas. In the upcoming months, there are several trade shows that may be worth considering. At these shows, you’ll see such products as dinnerware, serveware, barware, cutlery, giftware and more. So what does all this have to do with gourmet baskets?
Take a look at the newest issues of Rave Reviews Magazine and go to the internet to see Gift Basket Review’s latest online magazine. Both magazines feature gourmet baskets that include lots of products other than gourmet foods. Wine openers, decorative dish towels, cocktails napkins, kitchen utensils, beautiful ceramic mugs, tea accessories, and grilling and picnic accessories were just a few of the “non-food” items I saw in gift basket designs. And you can source these types of products at gourmet housewares shows! Even if you don’t buy at these trades shows, you’ll be sure to come away with many new ideas about how you might accessorize your baskets with products that your customers will love.
Check out these web sites for more information about upcoming gourmet housewares shows and gift shows. You’ll learn a lot even if you just visit these sites.
The Gourmet Housewares Show
The Atlanta Fall Gift & Home Furnishings Market and The Atlanta Gourmet Market
March 21st, 2007
If you didn’t see my posting about Whole Foods Market, read it now! To summarize briefly, this very successful company has created a company culture that encourages and rewards employees to do their best! And that culture is one of the primary reasons that Whole Foods Markets are so successful.
So what is a company culture? According to Ari Weinzwig, the culture is simply the “personality” of the company. “It is the what we do and say, the way we behave, the way we treat each other, our products, our customers, our community, and ourselves”. (see full article)
As a business owner, you need to decide what “personality” you want your company to have. Then, you can create that “personality” through your own behaviors and examples. In his article in Special Food Magazine, Mr. Weinzwig identifies 5 steps for purposefully creating a company culture:
Define it!
Teach it!
Live it!
Measure it!
Reward it!
Then, he offers specific suggestions for how to move through each of these steps.
This is a great article! Read it! Copy it! Try it!
March 19th, 2007
Rave Reviews Magazine, Volume 4, Issue 1, includes a great article by Lisa Stenson entitled “Day by Day, Daily & Monthly Schedules for Downtime”. As many of us in the gift basket industry know, we work in a seasonal business. There are times when we are so busy (eg. holidays) that we don’t have time to breathe! There are other times of the year (eg. summer) that we’re looking for things for our employees to do. Author Stenson offers some fabulous ideas for using this “downtime” effectively.
In my opinion, one of her best ideas is to use the weeks immediately following a holiday to analyze what has worked and what needs to be changed. She suggests that this process starts during the weeks approaching the holiday. To start, ask all staff members keep notes about what they see and hear. Here are some ideas that can help them focus:
What products did customers love and talk about when they shopped?
Which products just didn’t sell?
What products customers asked for, but you didn’t have?
What designs customers liked but may not have bought and reasons why?
How customers responded to delivery charges?
What women ordered?
What men ordered?
Ask your staff to jot down their impressions throughout each day and just collect them in a desk drawer. Then, when the holiday rush is over, the real work begins. This is when you all get together and discuss what you learned, what worked, what needs to be changed.
Try this for the Spring holidays that are coming up. See what kind of information you collect after Easter, then again after Mother’s Day. Let your staff know that you are eager for their input. Use the “downtime” after each holiday to learn from your successes and your failures. What a great way to make your business better!
March 15th, 2007
With the recent purchase of Wild Oats Markets, Whole Foods Market has become the “most significant retailer of specialty and natural foods in the U.S.” (Specialty Food Magazine, March, 2007, comments by Ron Tanner, editor). With 192 stores (and more to come, it’s reasonable to ask: what makes Whole Foods so successful?
After talking with former Whole Foods employees, at all levels of the company, Mr. Tanner concludes that there are many reasons why Whole Foods is doing so well. But basically, it boils down to one thing: Whole Foods company culture advocates and supports the involvement of all employees to make each store a successful enterprise.
Read the full article to learn how Whole Food’s management has nurtured and encouraged employees to do their best thereby contributing to the overall growth of the company. This approach should be carefully considered by all of us who own and manage businesses. By giving our employees opportunities for growth, by rewarding and recognizing them for their efforts, by encouraging them to work together to reach common goals, we can all enjoy the satisfaction of watching our companies grow and succeed.
March 12th, 2007
About 3000 years ago, the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians. In the story of Exodus, Moses, a Jewish sheperd, went to Pharaoh Ramses II to demand freedom for the Jewish slaves. Passover is the 8 day observance commemorating the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. This year, Passover begins at sundown on Monday, April 2nd.
If you receive an order to send a gift basket in celebration of Passover, it is important that you understand some of the holiday rituals. There are certain foods that are prohibited during the 8 day holiday and you would not want to offend your customers by sending any of those products.
The primary symbol of Passover is the matzo, a flat, unleavened “bread” which recalls the hurriedly-baked bread that the Israelites ate after their hasty departure from Egypt. One of the Passover rituals prohibits eating any leavened products — such as bread, cake, cookies, beer, whisky or pasta.
Check out these web sites for more information about Passover traditions. Your understanding of the holiday rituals will illustrate your professionalism to your customers.
Wikipedia
Passover on the Net
Also, read about specific foods and ingredients that are permitted to be eaten by those observing the holiday.
Kashrut.Com: A Kosher Information Source
March 5th, 2007
The Pantone Color Report for 2007 includes designers picks for home decor colors. This information can guide your choices for spring gift baskets that will show your customer that you’re on top of the trends.
According to the report, hues of lavender, teal and silver will be showing up in home interiors through 2007. Also, expect to see mustard and marigold yellows as well as fuschia and pomegrante that will add lively tones to home furnishings.
Why not make your baskets stand apart from the crowd by incorporating products in your baskets that are packaged in these great colors. Or, add these colors to your designs with ribbons, silk flowers, berries and other enhancements.
March 3rd, 2007
