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Delectable Food Finds
By: Audrey Sellers, Associate Editor
Issue: 2009aug
Want to whip up a fresh promotion or spice up your sales? There’s a smorgasbord of food gifts to help you do it.
The recession has brought on a sweet tooth for many, according to The New York Times, as people turn to candy to soothe their economic worries. Cadbury reported a 30-percent rise in profits last year while Nestle’s profits surged by 10.9 percent, according to public filings. And Hershey’s, which struggled for most of 2008, still saw profits increase by 8.5 percent last year.
Food is comforting, whether it’s a sliver of milk chocolate, a handful of peanuts or a sip of green tea. Use it in a promotion, and you have people’s undivided attention. “Food works well as a promotional product because it’s exciting,” says Rebecca Seltzer of Mineola, New York-based supplier Mid-Nite Snax(R) (UPIC: midnite). “Food creates a reaction from the recipient and makes an experience. Even though the actual food is generally gone in a matter of moments, it’s the experience that sticks.”
Plus, food is a sensory gift, notes Michael Shulkin of Chicago, Illinois-based supplier A La Carte (UPIC: alacarte). “Because we can choose the color, taste, shape and texture, we are able to control the recipient’s experience. Food is different than other promotional vehicles because it offers greater control of the senses,” he says.
Get creative with food gifts and talk to your clients about using them year-round. “They’re great during the holidays, but wouldn’t a s’mores kit create a buzz during a summer outing? Food gifts are so customizable that they work in any seasonal promotion,” Seltzer says. “A glass jar can be filled a countless number of ways. The graphics on a box can be changed any number of ways to be a caramel corn box, movie theater candy box or jelly bean box, for example.”
If you’re new to selling food gifts, Shulkin advises thinking of food as an add-on to an existing program or when a traditional product doesn’t meet the client’s objectives. It’s as simple as using a sample to show how the promotion works, he says.
Seltzer recommends selling food you can relate to, whether it’s mint tins you see at your local coffee shop, gum packs at the grocery store or the chocolate bars you picked up at a baby shower. “You can’t sell what you don’t know,” she says. “Sell what most appeals to you. Clients will pick up on your confidence and follow your lead.”
 | Your clients can help recipients refuel with Hang-Itz, a one-ounce bag of soy nuts that attaches to a standard water bottle. Other options include a granola bar and various drink mixes. Tip: Chew on this: Joggers, gym-goers, shoppers and anyone who needs a burst of energy to get through an activity will appreciate a grab-and-go snack like this.A La Carte UPIC: alacarte 800-723-2370 |
| The Square Silver Tin has a clear window in the lid for easy viewing of your choice of sweets: sugar, double chocolate or gingerbread cookies, or foiled coins, custom hearts or squares. Chocolate Chocolate UPIC: CHOCCHOC 888-448-9722 |  |
 | Your clients can give a decadent gift with the Sweet Treasure Tower, which is packed with chocolate-covered almonds, pecan turtles and peppermint bark. Maple Ridge Farms, Inc. UPIC: MAPLE 800-477-5577 |
| Slightly sweet Chai Serenity Tea is a set of three 12-ounce canisters of serenity spiced, serenity vanilla and serenity green tea in a gift box. International Merchandise Concepts UPIC: IMC1 800-331-6624 |  |
 | Create a fun promotion with the Teton Picnic Cooler Set. It’s packed with outdoor eating essentials—plates, utensils, wine glasses—and then some. Bullet Line LLC UPIC: BULLET 800-749-7367 |
| Eight cookies coated in milk or dark chocolate surround a chocolate centerpiece to create the Custom Chocolate Cookie Gift Box. Customize the cookies and centerpiece with your client’s logo and molded theme. Chocolate Inn UPIC: CHOCINN 800-526-3437 |  |
 | Holiday Cookies and the Classic Cookie Assortment, which include such tempting varieties as white chocolate cranberry, rocky road and chocolate-dipped, are baked fresh, packed inside a collector’s tin and shipped the same day. Tip: Chew on this: The holidays aren’t complete without cookies, so go for an assortment of extra-special flavors such as the ones offered here. Fresh Beginnings, Inc. UPIC: FRES0003 866-444-7923 |
| Chocolate Sudoku, which includes milk and dark chocolate morsels, a game sheet sealed with your client’s imprint, instructions and a solution, sweetens up the numbers game. The box and game sheet are both recyclable. Taylor & Grant Specialties Limited UPIC: FOODGIFT 800-461-0892 |  |
 | Williams-Sonoma: Eat Well is a hardcover cookbook that gets to the root of healthful eating and offers up a generous selection of wholesome recipes. The Book Company UPIC: BOOKCO 800-367-9388 |
| Offered in small (shown) and large, S’mores Kits contain all the makings for a sweet snack: Hershey’s® milk chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers. Mid-Nite Snax(R) UPIC: midnite 800-877-7629 |  |
 | The Starbucks® Go Green Cube includes a 2.75-ounce bag of Starbucks coffee, Tazo teas and Starbucks Select™ cookies, all tucked inside an eco-friendly gift box. Tip: Chew on this: There’s something to sip and snack on in this gift set, so use it to help recipients feel at home at a conference or retreat. Incentive Gourmet UPIC: INCEN737 973-882-8850 |
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