Page 11 - Small Business

Women-Owned Confectionery Brands to Watch

Nancy Maria Donaldson Johnson patented the home ice cream maker in 1843. In 1885, Agnes B. Marshall took the idea of ice cream one step further and made ice cream “craft” before its time, with unique ingredients, shapes – even forecasting a cone and instant ice cream with liquid nitrogen. Ruth Graves was the mastermind behind the iconic dessert, the chocolate chip cookie. For decades pioneering women have shaped the confectionery and culinary industry. Nowadays women owned business have potential to rake in serious dough (pun intended). According to You.gov, the customer base for women-owned business is more affluent than most, with 22% earning more than 100K per year. The survey also found that younger customers are more likely to buy women owned, with 55% being either Millennial or Gen Z. Sounds like it’s time to identify the women owned brands on your shelves, if you haven’t already.

Read on to learn about some of our favorite

When on vacation, customers want to immerse themselves in what makes their travel destination unique, whether it be the ocean, forest, wetlands, or city skylines. But they can’t spend all their time outdoors, so lure them inside by sprinkling confection versions of the local sights in your confection selection.

2020 turned us all a little salty – or at least where snack cravings are concerned. Salty snacks sales were up 14% for the year according to Nielsen, with 58% of consumers snacking more than they were previously. So far for 2021, this new snack order is here to stay.

Customers want to be a-salted with that salty flavor, but at the same time are looking for something a little outside the snacking norm. In fact, 40% of younger consumers say they are more likely to try a snack option if it’s new, according to Progressive Grocer. You know what time it is – time to shake up your salty snack selection. Here’s how.

Looks like the days of short commutes from the bed to the computer and dressing for meetings only from the waist up might be numbered. Corporate giant Google just re-opened its offices to a limited amount of employees, with plans to have all employees back to the office by autumn, according to the New York Times. Other major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook are following suit, with planned Fall 2021 office returns, according to USA Today. While in some ways a return to the office will be “business as usual” there are some areas where the “new order” left by the pandemic will leave its mark – particularly in the break room.

Prior to 2020, free snacks had become a popular business perk, and one way smaller businesses could compete with the larger corporations for talent, according to The Balance Small Business. As no one wants mobs of hangry employees, we don’t see free office snacks going away anytime soon. But as major grocery chains are changing the look

Customers are always looking for s’more ways to enjoy ooey, gooey, creamy, crunchy chocolatey goodness sooner. Be their one-stop-shop for family fun with AmuseMints Family S’mores Kits complete with everything they need to craft this old time favorite at home. Kit includes: marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars (everything but the campfire).

For a different spin on s’mores with s’more panache, suggest chocolate covered versions of classic s’mores ingredients. We recommend Nassau Candy’s own chocolate covered grahams in dark chocolate and chocolate covered grahams in milk chocolate. It’s s’more the merrier, so we would add Nassau Candy’s milk chocolate covered vanilla marshmallows and dark chocolate covered vanilla marshmallows to the assortment. Raise the bar with specialty chocolate bars packed with all the s’mores flavors. We love Chuao Oh My S’mores, AmuseMints

2020 sparked new consumer appetites that continue into 2021, including cravings for specialty non-alcoholic beverages, according to Forbes. With traveling and other activities sluggish to return to pre-lockdown levels, customers seek to sip from other wells of adventure. A top popular oasis — specialty beverages. It’s time to add a POP of flavor to your beverage selection.

Beverage Daily released it’s 2021 flavor trends that are sure to raise glasses and eyebrows. Read on for practical ways to build these fashionable flavors into your beverage selection.