Foodservice

Boost Dessert Sales With These Sweet Tips

Understanding Consumer Preferences: As Seen in CSP Daily News

November 2017

When it comes to dessert, people have different definitions of what it means to them, as well as different eating habits and what their favorite types are. To appeal to more consumers and increase interest in desserts, understanding their habits, as well as what they define as dessert, is key.

What do consumers think of when they think of dessert?

In Technomic’s 2017 Dessert Consumer Trend Report, powered by Ignite, 62% of consumers say they define dessert as anything sweet eaten immediately or shortly after lunch or dinner. Though some people say they define desserts as items like fruit, alcohol beverages, ice cream or frozen treats, most consumers (71%) say they define dessert to be traditional sweets such as cookies, pie and cakes.

Therefore, desserts can be loosely defined as something sweet that is usually indulgent. Though some consumers think of things like cheese plates, or even a cup of coffee or tea as desserts, and others classify dessert as something sweet or indulgent that’s eaten anytime, a majority differentiate a dessert from a snack by when it’s eaten – after a meal.

How often do consumer’s eat dessert?

So how often do consumers eat dessert? Knowing now what dessert is defined as, it’s easier to find out how often they eat it. After all, eating a piece of fruit for breakfast probably wouldn’t be considered dessert, while eating one after dinner might be. According to the Technomic report, 32% of consumers say they eat desserts after a meal twice a week or more, while 25% say they eat it often – at least once a week. On average, consumers eat dessert 4.8 times per week.

When it comes to the “why” of eating dessert, 75% of consumers say that compared to their typical behavior, they are more likely to eat dessert when they want to treat or reward themselves, while 58% say they’re more likely to eat dessert when they’re happy. Other factors contributing to indulging include being stressed, being sad, or having a bad day, but overwhelmingly, consumers eat dessert more when they’re feeling good or when they want a treat.

Desserts that are gaining popularity.

While the tried and true desserts like cookies, cakes and ice cream will likely always be crowd pleasers, some other desserts are on the rise – according to Technomic’s MenuMonitor, trifles and layered-dessert mentions have increased about 11% on restaurant menus year over year, while sticky toffee pudding has increased about 13%. Lemon cheesecake and blueberry cheesecake are also becoming more common.

In c-stores, baked goods are up about 9% year over year, with instances of chocolate cake up 25%, cinnamon rolls up 14% and brownies up 8%.

Dessert mentions overall in c-stores are up 5% year over year as well – in other words, it’s a safe bet to say that dessert isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, no matter what diet craze is taking over.

Which desserts get the most love?

When consumers reach for something sweet, according to Technomic’s Dessert Report, they go for these treats at least once a month:

• Cookies: 74%

• Baked goods such as brownies, muffins or scones: 67%

• Cake or cheesecake: 65%

• Donuts: 54%

• Pie/cobbler: 49%

• Ethnic desserts such as churros or cannoli: 31%

Diving deeper, when diners choose cookies or baked goods as their desserts, the top five choices they make are:

• Brownie: 63%

• Chocolate-chip cookie: 55%

• Cinnamon roll: 45%

• Chocolate cookie: 39%

• Donut: 37%

Other top dessert choices include cookie with candy pieces (such as M&M’s cookies), peanut-butter cookies, oatmeal-raisin cookies and dessert/cookie bars. Retailers should be sure to stock a variety of baked goods such as cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls and more to ensure every customer finds something they like.

Dessert foods as snacks.

Consumers eat dessert foods after meals, of course, but many consumers say they’d purchase a dessert as a snack, as well – and considering 83% of consumers eat a snack once a day, according to Technomic’s 2016 Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report, there’s a big opportunity to Technomic’s 2016 Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report, there’s a big opportunity to offer popular desserts as snack items. In the same report, 48% of consumers say they purchase snacks at least occasionally from c-stores, so retailers should cater to those snackers.

When choosing a dessert as a snack, 53% of consumers say they’d choose a brownie, and 55% say they’d choose a cookie. Offering several options of brownies and cookies can be a great way to draw in snacking dollars.

For retailers looking to sell more dessert items, the solution is simple: Give consumers the choices they crave most.

SOURCES: “Boost Dessert Sales With These Sweet Tips” by Prairie City Bakery and CSP Daily News. As seen in CSP Daily News on September 21, 2017. http://www.cspdailynews.com/category-news/snacks-candy/articles/boost-dessert-sales-these-sweet-tips

Congratulations to Our Vendor Partner ICEE on 50 Years!

The ICEE is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year!

August 2017

The ICEE Company is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year! ICEE is an iconic brand that has a strong nostalgic appeal. According to President Dan Fachner, “Consumers associate ICEE with a fun, memorable events in their life, such as enjoying ICEE at a baseball game or at an amusement park with their friends or family.” In addition to it being a nostalgic product for many consumers, ICEE is a special treat or reward. “Parents frequently treat their kids to an ICEE for a job well done or for good behavior while shopping”, says Fachner.

ICEE products can be found in many different retail locations. Everyone’s favorite frozen beverage is sold in movie theaters, amusement parks, convenience stores and mass-merchandisers. ICEE is now also sold in new categories such as Dollar Stores and Fast Casual Restaurants. The brand can be found in over 75,000 locations domestically and is growing rapidly in foreign markets including China, Central and South America, Mexico, Spain, Europe and Australia.

One of the many reasons that The ICEE Company has seen such success in the last 50 years is their ability to innovate. Over the years, ICEE has redesigned its cup and the ICEE Bear’s look to appeal to newer generations. In addition, the company launched the Mix-It-Up machine, that allows consumers to create their own flavors! New flavor innovation also keeps the product relevant with today’s consumers. This year we launched Laffy Taffy Banana, Fanta Sour Grape, Dragon Fruit, Mango Strawberry, SweeTart Cherry and Mango Chili Lime.

ICEE is celebrating their 50 year anniversary in 2017, and has many TV appearances, exciting events and promotions. Planned activities include:

• Gold Spoonstraw: the iconic spoonstraw, an essential part of the ICEE experience, is gold for ICEEversary

• ICEEversary paper cups: 32oz paper cups featuring the special ICEEversary graphics. The first design launched in January and the second in May, and the third will launch in September.

• ICEEversary Handi Squeeze Bottle: this 32oz reusable bottle is a huge hit with ICEE consumers every summer, especially at theme parks, zoos and convenience stores. Bottles are decorated with all new ICEEversary graphics and a gold lid.

• ICEEversary Selfie Contest: Consumers are encouraged to join in the ICEEversary celebration by posting selfies decorated with special ICEE icons for the chance to win $5000 and a veriety of ICEEversary prizes.

The ICEE Company’s goal is to continue to be the category leader and number one provider with exceptional customer service and profitable Frozen Beverage Programs. The ICEE Company will continue to offer consumers and retailers new and exciting products to meet changing needs while maintaining the integrity of the iconic ICEE brand. RBG Club Services is a proud partner of The ICEE Company and wishes the company congratulations on a great 50 years and wish for another 50+ successful years to come!

Taste buds, rejoice! Breyers® Ice Cream introduces Breyers® delights

Each pint contains 260-330 calories and 20 grams of protein

July 2017

Dreams do come true…this summer, Breyers® is excited to introduce Breyers® delights, a new delicious range of low and reduced fat ice creams. With 260-330 calories and 20 grams of protein per pint, Breyers® delights are made with high quality ingredients, naturally sourced flavors, and all American dairy.

Breyers® delights come in four delicious flavors:

• Vanilla Bean Breyers® delights – smooth low-fat vanilla ice cream, made with real vanilla beans, and fresh cream. It’s 260 calories per pint and a good source of protein.

• Creamy Chocolate Breyers® delights – rich, creamy low-fat chocolate ice cream made with real cocoa. It’s the ultimate chocolate-lover’s dream at 270 calories per pint.

• Cookies & Cream Breyers® delights – tasty cookies and cream reduced-fat ice cream, made with real cookies and fresh cream in every bite. A wondrous combination that’s 330 calories per pint.

• Mint Chip Breyers® delights - cool, mint reduced-fat ice cream made with real peppermint extract and chocolatey chips. It’s 310 calories per pint and perfect for a refreshing, delicious treat.

“We can’t wait for everyone to try new Breyers® delights. With more than 150 years of experience making mouth-watering ice cream, we’re always listening to our fans. We heard that calories and protein are top of mind, so we crafted Breyers® delights. We worked hard to deliver an ice cream that starts with high quality ingredients, tastes great, and is 260-330 calories per pint,” said Peter Harbour, Marketing Director of Breyers®

Breyers® delights are available in 1-pint (16-ounce) containers this summer at stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $4.49-$4.99. To learn more about Breyers®, visit www.breyers.com

About Breyers®

For over 150 years, people have enjoyed the great taste of Breyers® ice cream and frozen treats, available in more than 50 delicious varieties, including Breyers® Natural Vanilla, America's No. 1 vanilla ice cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Natural Strawberry, and Breyers® Gelato Indulgences™. Breyers® is committed to high quality ingredients, starting with milk and cream from American cows not treated with artificial growth hormones, naturally sourced colors and flavors, and sustainably farmed fruit and vanilla.* Breyers® products are available in grocery stores nationwide for the suggested retail price of $3.99 - $5.99.

About Unilever United States, Inc.

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home Care, Personal Care and Refreshment products with sales in more than 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers®, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Country Crock, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, St. Ives, Suave, Sir Kensington's, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TIGI, TONI&GUY, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Unilever employs approximately 8,000 people in the United States – generating more than $9 billion in sales in 2016.

SOURCE Breyers®

Related Links

http://www.breyers.com

NEW Ben & Jerry’s Pint Slices

A Little Slice of Heaven

June 2017

Ben & Jerry’s has hit another home run in innovation with their brand-new Ben & Jerry’s Pint Slices. These delicious, hand-held snacks are a decadent new way to digest your favorite flavors. Just image your favorite pint flavor from Ben & Jerry’s, covered in chocolate. People are pumped up about this product. They come in 4 delicious flavors:

Americone Dream:

3 vanilla ice cream bars with caramel swirls & fudge covered waffle cone pieces, covered in a dark chocolatey coating with waffle cone pieces. Americone dream is not only the best caramel-swirled, wafflecone-loaded ice cream you can get, it’s the only flavor that gets a s’cream of approval from The Late Show host, Stephen Colbert.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie:

3 chocolate ice cream bars with fudge brownies, covered in a dark chocolatey coating. The fabulously fudgy brownies in this flavor come from New York’s Greyston Bakery, where producing great baked goods is part of their greater-good mission to provide jobs & training to help lift city residents out of poverty.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

3 vanilla ice cream bars with gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge flakes, covered in a dark chocolatey coating. We made the world’s first batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream in 1984, inspired by an anonymous note on our Scoop Shop’s suggestion board. Today it still reigns among our all-time most popular flavors.

Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup:

3 vanilla peanut butter ice cream bars with peanut butter cups, covered in dark chocolatey coating. The vanilla we use in our ice cream flavors comes from Fairtrade Certified farmer cooperatives in Uganda. Fairtrade assures vanilla farmers a fair price for their harvest, & a price premium for community development.

Are you melting yet?

ICEE is turning 50

ICEE Celebrates its 50 Year Anniversary!

May 2017

The iconic drink is celebrating its 50th ICEEversary as America’s FLAVORite frozen beverage. Since 1967, millions around the world have enjoyed the fizzy, frozen deliciousness of an ICEE. The ICEE story began in 1967 in Southern California. To celebrate 50 years of America’s favorite frozen beverage, The ICEE Company will debut various new flavors and limited edition packaging throughout the year.

“For five decades, consumers of all ages have enjoyed more than 150 ICEE flavors, including our top sellers like Cherry, Blue Raspberry and Coca-Cola, while taking in the latest motion picture, embarking on a road trip with friends or cooling off during a hot day at the local amusement park,” said Dan Fachner, President of The ICEE Company. “We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our golden anniversary than by continuing to provide memorable ICEE moments fo our beloved fans. We look forward to unveiling some of our most innovative and exciting flavors to date, including a surprise mystery flavor to satisfy adventurous taste buds.”

To commemorate the brand’s 50th anniversary, ICEE lovers will have the opportunity to sip new flavors in limited-edition 32 ounce cups that will be rolled out throughout the year in select retail locations nationwide. Flavors include: Fanta Sour Grape, Dragon Fruit, Mango Strawberry, Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade, Laffy Taffy and Mango Chili Lime. Consumers can also enhance their ICEE experience by tasting these new flavors with golden spoonstraws – a fun twist on an iconic ICEE staple.

For more information, visit www.icee.com

*ICEE is a federally registered trademark.

*OREO and the OREO wafer design are registered trademarks of Mondelez International group, used under license.

*Laffy Taffy is a registered trademark of Nestlé Professional and Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.

SOURCE The ICEE Company

Individually Wrapped Cookies & Snacks

Delicious Cookies & Snacks from Prairie City Bakery

April 2017

Prairie City Bakery’s delicious line up of individually wrapped cookies & snacks are bound to be top sellers in your store. Their down home quality bakery items are fresh, indulgent and will make your customers say “Mmmm!” They offer a wide variety of individually wrapped products for convenience stores like fudge, cookies, brownies, and more!

Gourmet Fudge

Prairie City Bakery’s individually wrapped, bite-sized pieces of indulgent creamy butter and chocolate fudge are the perfect size for a convenient, decadent treat! For the ultimate impulse sale, simply place Prairie City Bakery Fudge in its own attractive merchandiser on the front counter for fantastic fudge selling. Available in two fudgy flavors: Chocolate and Creamy Butter!

Down Home Cookies

Our super-sized down home cookies are soft and chewy, loaded with chunks and chunks of the finest ingredients and a new butter formula, providing an amazingly rich down home flavor. They look homemade with their hand-wrapped look and feel. Zero trans fats, and a full 21-day shelf life. They’re available in four great flavors: Chocolatey Chunk, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Chocolatey Candy.

Big n’ Fudgy Brownie

We don’t call it Big n’ Fudgy for nothing! Our award-winning brownie has the “WOW” factor! Big n’ Fudgy Down Home Brownies are studded with chocolate chips and boast a delicious fudgy flavor – perfect for any sweet tooth. Set up by your cash register for incredible impulse sales.

Ooey Gooey Butter Cakes

This decadent two-layer treat originated in St. Louis. The bottom layer is a delicious buttery yellow cake, while the top layer is a rich mixture of cream cheese, sugar and egg. Available in single packs, these delicious treats make the perfect snack. This wildly popular brand is available in five delicious flavors: Original, Lemon, Cinnamon, Chocolate Chip, and Sea Salt Caramel. The Original flavor is also available in two foodservice options: a 10oz pan Pan that is perfect for take-home dessert applications and the slice-and-sell 2.8lb Sheet Cake that can be used as a versatile dessert base.

Chocolatey Dipped Pretzel Sticks

The perfect sweet and salty snack. Quality pretzel sticks dipped in rich white and dark chocolatey fudge. Each 7 ½” pretzel stick is hand dipped in rich chocolate fudge than drizzled with the opposite color chocolate. Individually wrapped with a UPC on each pretzel. Place the container near you cash register, and you’ve got a sale.

Prairie City Bakery is Bakery, Simplified. Everything we do, we do with you and your customers in mind. We’re created the Simplified Bake Shop program for both Foodservice and C-Store industries. We offer bake shop quality in convenient Foodservice 4-packs and cost-effective bakery case programs. Our award-winning cookies and brownies are created with a homemade look and feel for incredible impulse sales. And our Individually Wrapped Pastry program allows for freshness and convenience. Free merchandising options are available.

Hot ‘n’ Ready from AdvancePierre Foods

Quality Sandwiches that Taste Like Home

April 2017

The Hot ‘n’ Ready line of quality lunch and breakfast sandwiches offers Homestyle flavor and goodness. Our hand-wrapped package gives a fresh-made look and feel while protecting the sandwich and sealing in flavor in convenience foodservice settings. Ideal for use in a grab-and-go format, our Hot ‘n’ Ready sandwiches can hold up to four hours in a warmer. Most of our egg sandwiches offers a 14-day refrigerated shelf life for minimal loss.

AdvacePierre Foods is a nationally recognized, full integrated manufacturer and marketer of value-added protein products and handheld sandwiches. AdvancePierre processes, bakes, assembles and packages great tasting products and distributes them to a wide range of channels including convenience stores, vending machine operators, restaurants, schools, the military, hospitals, grocery stores and wholesale clubs.

Distinctly different through quality and innovation, AdvancePierre is your partner in providing food solutions to drive your business growth. Our attention to industry trends and consumer preferences enables us to develop products and programs to meet the needs of an ever-changing foodservice environment. We process the highest quality meats, bake the world’s best microwaveable buns and package a wide variety of sandwiches. AdvancePierre Foods is committed to providing our customers superior taste and quality at great value.

ICEE Continues to be a #1 Brand

Original Frozen Carbonated Beverage

February 2017

ICEE is the Original Frozen Carbonated Beverage brand and has been since 1967! ICEE has the most highly recognized brand in frozen beverages. No other company has as high a brand awareness as ICEE at 89% and is the most purchased frozen beverage, chosen by 60% of consumers. When c-store owners partner with ICEE, they receive the best equipment. Their advanced state of the art technology provides the highest capacity, quality and reliability in the industry today. The equipment helps to meet each customers’ need – 2, 3, and 4 barrel FCB equipment. This offers c-store owners the greatest flexibility in equipment offerings today by any company.

ICEE has two different product offerings: Frozen Carbonated Beverage (FCB) and Frozen UnCarbonated Beverage (FUB). Many customers ask, what is the difference? FCB is a product offering of frozen soda and fruit flavors. It is the “traditional” ICEE but it has higher product yields and equipment costs. In order to have an FCB ICEE machine in your store, you need to have incoming water, CO2, and 220V. The FCB comes in 2, 3 or 4 barrel machines and is available in stainless steel or red. FUB offers UnCarbonated Frozen Fruit Flavors. This offering is referred to as “Slush”, branded ICEE Slush. The only thing needed with this machine is a standard outlet and has lower product yields and equipment costs. The ICEE Slush machines are available in 2 barrel or 3 barrel.

In addition to having the #1 FCB Brand and state of the art equipment, they have excellent customer service. ICEE has 100 owned and operated service and distribution centers throughout the country. Because of these centers, they are able to execute regional and national projects and provide customers with a single point of contact for all communication. They also have 600 trained and certified service technicians who are company employees and are the highest caliber of technicians. ICEE also has direct store delivery. They have regularly scheduled deliveries every 2-4 weeks, depending on usage. Route salesperson will review sales and determine, with the store manager, product orders. Product is delivered and stored during this visit (cups, lids, signature vessels, straws, and bag in box). In addition, route salesperson will check the machines, replace any empty boxes hooked up to the machines, check and refresh ICEE marketing materials and provide training as needed.

ICEE offers c-store owners the opportunity to rent the equipment or buy the equipment out right. For more information on how you can partner with ICEE, contact us at 888-728-3724.

New from AdvancePierre Foods – PB Jamwich

Crustless Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches

February 2017

Pierre makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches easy, convenient and profitable. Introducing PB Jamwich, the crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwich with 7-days refrigerated shelf life and priced to sell! AdvancePierre Foods PB Jamwich sandwiches give all the flavor without the crust. The beloved PB Jamwich sandwiches are perfect as a satisfying meal or a snack. Our PB Jamwiches are made with the smoothest peanut butter for a great homemade taste kids and adults love. Each sandwich is crimped all around to seal in the fruit flavor and delicious peanut butter. Choose from peanut butter and grape, strawberry or banana flavors.

These sandwiches are great for lunch, breakfast or mid-day snacks. These PMJ sandwiches aren’t child’s play. Attention grabbing graphics and a larger rectangular shape that fills the package, sets these sandwiches apart. High volume turns, solid profit margins and low waste all add up to a winning item for your c-store business!

6 Tips for Boosting Snack Sales

Brought to you by CSP and Prairie City Bakery

January 2017

Snacking continues to be a popular meal-period option, and with more than three-quarters of convenience store customers visiting to buy snacks, it is crucial that retailers get it right. So what are consumers looking for? According to Techomic’s 2016 Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend report, more than half of consumers say portability is key.

Profitability is influenced by size, shape, packaging and ease of purchase. According to NACS, 83% of goods purchases at c-stores are consumed within an hour and an impressive 60% are eaten immediately. What’s more, the top five dessert snacks are all packaged and portable, including cookies, ice cream, brownies, frozen treats and cupcakes, according to Technomic data.

So why not give your customers the kind of quick options they want? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Capitalize on All-Day Breakfast

Portable, packaged breakfast pastries make great grab-and-go snacks throughout the day. Portable baked goods appeal to consumers looking for small, easy-to-eat indulgences. Consider offering items like danishes, muffins, cinnamon rolls and bear claws near the register for quick convenience.

Go for Bundles

With more c-stores upping their coffee game, packaged snacks (especially premium baked goods) make the perfect complement. Market coffee-and-a snack deal for all customers, or offer them as a loyalty reward. About 57% of younger consumers say the availability of breakfast combo meals influences their decision to visit a foodservice establishment, according to Technomic data. Similarly, be sure to merchandise bakery snacks by the coffee bar to increase bundled purchases.

Cater to Hispanics

As the Hispanic population grows, so does the purchasing power of this important consumer group. As this demographic is comprised of heavy c-store users, Hispanic consumers are a big opportunity for c-stores. Offer a selection of packaged authentic Mexican pastries, as Hispanic consumers over-index on c-store bakery items. In fact, while 77% of all c-store foodservice patrons buy bakery items once a month or more, that number jumps to 87% for Hispanics, according to Technomic data.

Be Bold

Consumers are receptive to bold, spicy flavors. Fill the roller grill with flavor-packed global snacks like egg rolls, spicy bread sticks and more. Consider offering an easily accessible line of flavor packed condiments for hot dogs and other grab-and-go handhelds.

Drink It Up

With more female c-store customers seeking healthy, portable snacks, expect to see a jump in drinkable yogurt sales and other protein-packed drinks. Brands such as Chobani, Dannon and Yoplait all have no-spoon needed yogurt drinks on the market.

Conquer Craveability

Consumers continue to seek out indulgent snacks. Some 49% of consumers ay they indulge when snacking, according to IRI data. Technomic reported that the desire to treat oneself is one of the biggest motivators for snack purchases, second only to hunger. Consumers are likely to purchase indulgent snacks in the afternoon, as studies show consumers are more willing, and more successful, at rationalizing a treat later in the day.

There is an opportunity to maximize indulgent snack sales throughout the day by placing popular impulse items in key positions around your stores. Play up seasonal craveability with holiday treats featuring peppermint or caramel flavors. Look for bite-sized indulgent snacks offered in cups or resealable bags, which are perfectly suited for grab-and-go impulse items.

As snacking continues to grow, and as consumers seek out craveable flavors, the opportunity for boosting snack sales grows, too. Prairie City Bakery has a variety of portable, mouthwatering snacks to entice impulse purchases in your store.

View article here: http://www.cspdailynews.com/category-news/snacks-candy/articles/6-tips-boosting-snack-sales