Author Archives: Andrej Zivor

What is the Best Candy Design

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Growing up as a child in the midwest gave me my own perspective on what I deemed the best candy.  In many ways, I am certain that my location actually played a roll in what I liked and what I didn’t.  It turns out that the look and design of candy actually play one of the largest roles in the choice of candy according to children and study groups.  So I want to go over some of what I believe helped me create my love of the candy that I love today. It may be a little different for everyone because we all have defining moments in our past and I think mine was a long long time ago.

I am fairly certain my love of candy all started back when I was around 5 years old. I can remember fondly when my family would travel down to visit our family in Alabama.  One of the best parts of this was when my grandfather would take me and my siblings to the candy store.  Now this was a huge deal in that time and especially in that location.  Luckily, the gas station that had what seemed like an endless supply of candy was two miles down the road.  My grandfather would give us between 5 and 25 cents each trip and let us pick whatever we wanted.  Back then and in that location, candy was so inexpensive and somehow it was one of my favorite memories.  My siblings and I would run into the store and start counting out what we could get and for how much.  Now surprisingly the cost made a difference in what we would get.

It was indeed a big time and then candy boxes and their designs called to me.  The first thing I would do would be to pick out the coolest and most bright-looking candy.  This would always seem to happen and in reality, the best looking design ended up usually being the most expensive.  So even though I wanted the best candy boxes designs due to the way they looked I didn’t actually end up purchasing them. Now that is something to think about because even if the candy catches the most attention it may not be the best if it costs too much.  So designing candy that is not only attractive but cost effective is very important. 

Now on the other hand cost is also a big part of why something may seem so cool. If you see a great looking piece of candy and yet see something else that looks similar and costs more it may actually drive more demand.  It truly depends on the location.  In a lower-income area the cost-effective piece may be the best choice but word will spread due to the higher cost and unattainability.  This is a consideration to take when working on your own candy product or if you have a store.  Make sure to test the difference and see what works and sells the most in your location. I find that where you grew up makes a big difference and also the preferences that come from a good experience.  So make sure to test well and make a design that fits the cost well. Enjoy a wonderful candy career!

Shopping for the right corporate gift

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Our business has fundamentally changed due to COVID-19 and we have started to move into a brand new area of marketing.  We wanted our clients to know that they really matter and that we are happily here to help them whenever we can.  So we have not only started to give out gifts for our marketing efforts but also move into corporate gifting for other companies as well. This has been a huge change and something that I wanted to share about.  The little nuances that we never thought of ended up saving lots of money for our company and I figured I would talk about it. 

The first area that took us by surprise was the fact that looks really matter.  The whole feel of a gift is based on the package in which it arrives.  It was really no surprise I guess but working on how to actually make a brown cardboard box look good was a process.  It turns out that even if the tape is perfect and the label is strait that it can still look a bit sloppy.  The angles of the corners and even the way they fold ended up making a huge difference in how they looked.  It wa all of these small things that added up to us needing to make changes.  But where do you go to get custom boxes that don’t cost a fortune.  Etsy is the first thing that always comes up on google for the first few pages and then the answer finally came to us.

Finding a good packaging supplies company was the answer to our problems.  It turns out that these companies end up doing the packaging and presentation for all the major big box stores.  They deal with custom work and do them in big batches at really low prices.  Just simple things like cardboard boxes can be purchased in big quantities and with that we were able to get custom work, colors, and looks for the same price as what we were paying for plain jain brown.

So that is really the big kicker for the whole ordeal and that is to get down to the makers of the products you want direct.  Going through middlemen who simply order for you sounds great and you feel like you will save time, but in realty dealing direct with the manufacturer  was really just as easy.  The customer service agents had already delt with all of our issues.  They had some really awesome advice and ask all the questions that we should have.  The amazing take away is that dealing with them was fast, easy, and super informative.  This was how we ended up taking a idea to a full blow section of our company within a few months.

They also were able to take our costs down in other areas as well.  When it came to sending the boxes they turned us on to using sticky labels instead of taping mailing labels on.  It ended up costing less in the long run and saved time on putting the packages together.  It was also a help to find a tape that only took one strip and not 3 to do a box.  The cost on tape went down because of this too.  Find a good online store and get your gifting on!

Cooked based on Candy Boxes

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It is almost fall and during this season people end up baking and cooking more than ever in my location.  The ability to to be cooking and enjoying the wonderful smells and the cool weather seem to be a staple in the midwest and this area loves making food a priority during this season.  I can only say that I follow along with this wonderful trend and I have started to get my baking on and love to incorporate my favorite candy boxes in to the mixes. Sometimes I decide what to bake depending on what candy catches my eye. So today I want to go over one of the easiest desserts and how to make it.  This really does depend on personal preference or what your family really likes, but I will give the basic recipe and how to get it during the pandemic of 2020. 

First things first you need to go ahead and get the correct ingredients.  Now many of your ingredients will be based upon your favorite candy and should be substituted for your own preferences.  Now this can be a little more complicated due to the covid-19 pandemic.  There are shortages all around the country and sometimes they are in the strangest things.  Online shopping has been a big surge in our location and many people are now having their groceries delivered. So you may end up just ordering these all online, but I feel that it hurts the shopping experience. This dish actually involves a candy and when it comes to picking it I love going down the aisle and seeing all the candy boxes to choose from. This allows me to pick the candy that I know will make me or my family happy.  It really is an important area and for me on this dish I enjoy a Snicker or Recce candy to go with this dish. 

Once you have a candy get two to four regular bars or a snack pack where they are small and have many is a perfect combination. Then you need to get a few boxes or cake mix.  I prefer getting chocolate but if you love vanilla go ahead and do that one!  From there get a few tubs of cool whip and then you need to get some chocolate or vanilla pudding.  Get two large boxes of pudding and all the ingredients you need are going to be at your beckon call.

Now the next thing you need to do is the bake the cake mix.  You can do it in one large pan or two small ones.  once that is baked let it cool and cut it into 2×2 or 3×3 squares.  This just makes it easy to stack and play with later.  Then mix the jello pudding together and get it ready to go in a large bowl so you can spread it.  Then get one large bowl, generally a popcorn bowl is the size you need.  This is because you will layer the cake in between and stack it.  So then take your candy and cut it into small pieces that you won’t mind eating in a pudding like dish.

Take the cake and make a layer in the bowl, put a layer of pudding and candy and cool whip then do the same thing until the bowl is full.  Then do a final layer of pudding and cool whip and add the candy in larger chunks on top for full visual effect.  Now you have an amazing dish that is quick and very yummy.

Recycling is even more important now

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This year has been a struggle for many countries in the world.  The economy has started to change to keep up with the new pandemic lifestyles that countries are falling into. This is causing lots of individuals to be forced to stay at home and that has led to lots more online shopping.  This means that businesses are buying more cardboard boxes than ever before.  They are also shipping more cardboard boxes more then ever. This has led to a huge issue with extra issues with recycling.

We are now cutting down millions of more trees this year to keep up with the traffic of online sales.  The insane amount of extra paper being needed is causing our world a lot off issues.  Rather you are eco-friendly or not we need to be aware of the waste we are making by using all these paper products.  It is possible to recycle and reuse the majority of these paper products and that can cut down on all the extra waist and belive it or not extra cost.

If you don’t have to plant and cut down all those extra trees then you can simply pay to get your recycled paper products instead. It is much cheeper to use recycle paper products and also cuts down on the actual waste that it causes.  Believe it or not those savings eventually get passed onto the regular consumer.  This can have even more of an impact these days as we are using more and more paper and shipping more and more.  When the costs goes down for us all we all win and the planet wins as well.  So I suggest being as eco friendly as you can be.

For my situation it means that I started to create a pile in the garage that each week I go out and break down boxes to be recycled.  Now personally I am an avid outdoorsman and love to break down boxes. This is because I am able to use my favorite knives and put them to work.  Yes, it is a hunting thing and it is great to practice in the off season for deer hunting and field dressing. I know that sounds a bit crazy, but the more practice makes me safe and helps the environment so that is my choice. 

When it comes to choosing the right knife for the breaking down of the boxes that is a difficult choice.  The first choice of most people is to use scissors.  This sounds safe and easiest but the problem is that cardboard is very hard on steel.  Your sciscors will be dull by the time you are done with a big pile of boxes.  This also leads to the issue of the grip.  You will likely have blisters by the end if you use the regular scissor handles.  So the option is to instead use a knife. 

Now not just any knife.  It is best to use a steel that is good and resistant to hard materials.  This means getting a steel that costs a little more than the rambo looking blades at Walmart. So spend a little more and get a quality knife with a steel that wont dull while cutting the first batch of boxes. Stay safe out there, keep washing your hands ,and try to recycle if you can.

Starting A Candy Business

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There are so many areas to think about when you are about to start a business.  The big business to get in is something that can be economic proof.  I have seen lots of companies really thrive when people are down on their luck in the economy and one such business is candy.  Being able to thrive and have a product that people will still buy in a recession is a smart way to think.  Have a product where a customer sees that beautiful candy box and knows that it is worth it even when they are low on money is important.  That is one of the reasons that people want to get into this business. So let’s go over a few things.

Marketing is a big deal when it comes to starting a company. If you are not able to get the word out about your company you are indeed doomed to fail.  Now this can be done in a multitude of ways.  In some cases having a deal beforehand of where to sell the product will be just as important.  The store can sell the candy if you are not able to build those relationships and even placement is huge.  Having your candy box be up front or on the right spot on the shelf can be the difference between life and death of the company selling products. So work on those relationships first before getting directly into advertising.

Another area is having the correct supply chain for your products. This can be from packaging to the boxes they are going to be shipped in.  If you have contracts in place beforehand and you know the quantity of product you will be making and shipping then you can accurately predict how much product you will need.  This means that you can find and place deals for the products at much discounted prices.  This can be super important when you are not running on cash flow but a credit that is limited.  So make sure you know what quantity you can and will be doing so you can rock at lowering costs.

One thing I can say is that if you are thinking about getting into this business you need to just jump in and do it.  I know I am talking about being cautious, but there is a greater chance of success by ;jumping in then just reading about it from afar. Best of luck!