Posts filed under 'Gourmet Gift Foods'
The summer season is the time for special events, fairs and festivals in your hometown. Whether your business serves a large metro area or a small suburban community, summertime offers many occasions to support local activities and promote your business.
Check with your Chamber of Commerce and find out what events are scheduled to take place in your community. Then, get involved. Most community festivals include opportunities for business owners to display their wares. Set up a booth and show your unique gift basket designs. If the booth rentals are expensive, share a booth with another business. If the event will include any type of raffle, submit one of your baskets as a prize. Be sure to take plenty of gourmet food samples to the event. Consider a small giveaway for everyone who stops at your booth and be sure that it includes all of your business information. You can even pass out coupons that could be used for future purposes.
Don’t pass up opportunities to showcase your unique designs and get to know potential customers!
June 12th, 2011
There’s always a gift show to attend! Throughout the United States, gift shows are scheduled almost every month of the year. Some shows attract regional manufacturers and buyers; others pull in international buyers and suppliers. So why should a gourmet food basket designer attend a gift show?
First, most of the major gift shows include a gourmet marketplace: an area devoted to showcasing gourmet food products that you can use in your baskets. You’ll have an opportunity to see new products and talk with suppliers of those products you already include in your designs.
If you’re not already including gift items in your gourmet designs, you’ll see 1000’s of innovative products from premier manufacturers. Think about how you might add these products to your designs:
- Candles
- Photo frames
- Cookbooks
- Tableware such as napkins, coasters, & placemats
- Small cookware items including decorative and practical utensils
- Plush
- Stationary
- Mugs & Small Ceramics
Most shows include educational events that offer “best practices” for any type of business. You could learn about internet marketing: building web sites, social media marketing blogging. You can get new ideas for merchandising, branding, and more. You’ll have opportunities to talk with others and share ideas.
This summer and fall, you can attend a gift in cities across the country. Some of the largest shows include:
You can also find regional shows on-line web sites:
May 22nd, 2011
I was just browsing through some of my old blog posts, and came across an article that I wrote about GBA: the Gift Basket Association. Since Debbie Quintana founded GBA in 2009, the organization has grown to over 500 members and includes many new resources that will benefit you and your gift basket business.
Visit the Gift Basket Association web site and learn the 12 reasons to join the organization. Join discussion forums, shop the Gift Basket Supply Marketplace and enjoy discounts from supplier members. Get unique ideas from Trends and Tips Magazine and if you’re so inclined: become a contributor! Learn how you can creatively use internet marketing to promote your business.
Join the Gift Basket Association and become part of a collaborative effort to “uplift the global gift basket industry in the spirit of support and collaboration”.
May 14th, 2011
I just received an email with a link to a wonderful article about gourmet gift baskets. Please read Top 10 Reasons Why The Gift Basket Remains Undefeated in The World of Edible Gift. If you own a gift basket business, share it with your employees. It’s a great reminder about why we’re in the business…..we make other people happy!
May 1st, 2011
Little did you know! During the month of April, you can create unusual gift basket designs for 10 holidays and special occasions. Put on your creative thinking hat, think outside of the box and produce some imaginative designs that will entice your customers and create new opportunities to increase your sales. Can you come up with a unique design for any of these holidays? Please share your ideas….send in your photos and I’ll post your design with your business information!
- April 1: April Fools Day
- April 2: International Children’s Book Day
- April 6: National Day of Hope
- April 10: National Siblings Day
- April 16: Husband Appreciation Day
- April 17: Family History Day
- April 19: Passover
- April 23: Movie Theater Day
- April 24: Easter
- April 27: Administrative Professionals Day: Check out the photo above. A calculator, a picture frame, a decorative pen and pencil holder plus some chocolates, snacks and candies, all wrapped in beautiful papers. What a terrific gift for any professional!
For more information about special holidays and events, see the “Idea Calendar” in the March issue of Gift, Gourmet & Decor magazine.
March 28th, 2011
The Ultimate Gift Show and the National Gift Basket Professional Convention have merged to present a bigger and better buying experience for gift basket businesses. The event takes places August 4, 5, 6 in Columbus, Ohio.
Three days of seminars will include design and business tips, information about social media marketing, and book signings by well known industry authors. Vendors from across the country will be displaying their wares.
Don’t miss this opportunity to attend this convention filled with 13 hours of seminars, demonstration classes hands-on workshops, 10 hours to browse the trade show plus unlimited opportunities for networking.
Check out the Ultimate Gift Show and the National Gift Basket Convention today.
February 27th, 2011
In the January/February issue of Specialty Food Magazine, you’ll find an article entitled “2011 Trends: What to Expect in Confections”. According to the author, “the emphasis will likely be on sweet and citrusy flavors, savory-sweet combinations and products with a healthy twist”.
I know that you’re still recuperating from the Christmas rush, and you’re still winding down from Valentine’s day, but this is a perfect time to start researching ideas and trends for Fall & Christmas, 2011. Additionally, take the time to talk with your staff to find out what products were most popular from the 2010 season. Put all this information together and you can start talking to your suppliers about the products you might consider for the upcoming season.
Check out these resources for more ideas and trends:
Specialty Food Magazine
Gourmet News
Gift, Gourmet & Decor Magazine
Fancy Food Magazine
February 19th, 2011
The Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco just ended a few weeks ago. And I’m already getting notices about the upcoming Summer Fancy Food Show to be held this year in Washington, DC. Show dates are July 10-12, 2011.
One highlight of this show will be the Sofi Awards Showcase. Here you’ll see the 150+ products that are recognized for excellence in specialty food and beverages in 33 categories. There will also be a display featuring a targeted area where you can find new products as well a products in Gift & Holiday and Natural & Organic Foods categories.
You can register now or keep checking back at specialtyfood.com, the web site of the National Association for Specialty Food Trade. If Washington, DC is a convenient destination for you and if you can take time from work, I’d strongly suggest that you check out this show. Each time I attend a NASFT show, I gather a tremendous amount of information that is pertinent for all gift basket businesses. By browsing the aisles, I can see the newest color trends for the upcoming season. I get a first hand view of the most popular products that will be advertised in the magazines that my customers will read. I get to talk with gift basket business owners and find out what products they like, what services they offer to customers…i.e. how they run their businesses.
Give your self an opportunity to learn….and grow your business.
February 8th, 2011
The newest issue of Gift, Gourmet and Decor magazine is now available online. One of the best features in the magazine is the “Idea Calendar”. In the January issue, you’ll find an idea for promoting your gift baskets for each day of February and March.
In this same issue, I found several articles that prompted marketing ideas that could be applied to any gift basket business. For example, the article entitled “Lasting Ties” talks about how you can promote your business in the collegiate market. Another article, “Plush Perfection” lists the latest products and news from the plush toy industry. (Stuffed animals have long been a popular addition to many gift basket designs.) After reading “Not Your Mother’s Diaper Bag”, I realized that a diaper bag might in fact, be a terrific container for a New Baby gift basket!
Don’t miss future issues of Gift, Gourmet and Decor magazine. There’s a lot to learn! Go to Gift, Gourmet and Decor Plus to receive your own free, digital copy.
January 30th, 2011
The 2011 NASFT Fancy Food Trade show is over. Even if you weren’t there, you can still learn about the newest products and trends in the gourmet industry. During the 3 day show, a group of industry experts toured the show and compiled a list of “top trends”.
“Among the trends identified were:
- Chocolate for Breakfast, including tea, Belgian waffles, granola and hot chocolate on a stick.
- Foods for Healing, such as ancient teas, aloe and cucumber drinks, plus micro-batches of healthful beverages.
- New Noodles, made of ingredients such as yam, kelp, farro and spelt.
- Heat with Flavor, including ingredients such as ghost peppers and wasabi paired with yuzu.
- Creative Chips, made with ingredients such as pinto bean, naan, peas, mung beans, kale and wild rice.
With this list in mind, ask your current suppliers whether they carry any of these categories of products. Or, go to the NASFT web site and check out “What’s New, What’s Hot” for an extensive list of products shown at the 2011 Fancy Food Show. Included is a complete directory so that you can contact vendors directly for more information.
Note: In the January issue of Specialty Food magazine, you’ll also find an article “2011 Trends: What to Expect in Confections”.
January 25th, 2011
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