We love getting feedback from our customers here at Fairytale Brownies. Every time you order brownies, you and your recipient get an opportunity to tell us what you love and if you have any suggestions for us. If you haven't ever responded to our online survey or via the postcard in your brownie box, please do so the next time you order. Or send an email to service@brownies.com. You just might be featured on our blog! We got some emails today about two things that are near and dear to our hearts, soldier care packages and our partnership with KaBOOM!, so I thought I would share them.

"Hey, I just want to say thank you so much for supporting the troops. One of the girls I know said she was trying to order brownies and you sent some to her deployed soldier at your expense. Although I am lucky enough to have my husband home this holiday season, I just want to say thanks again, because little things like this mean the world to deployed soldiers who are happy to have anything that reminds them of home. Next deployment I will be sure to pass along the word that you guys are great! I hope your business continues to be prosperous." -Rebekah S.

"Hello Fairytale Brownies. My wife and I have been using your services to send client gifts for 10+ years. We were recently visiting my grandparents in Long Beach, MS and were amazed to see your name on a small park sign - as a supporter and contributor to the KaBOOM park project. Thank you for giving my 3 little girls a fun place to play in a tiny town that was almost wiped off the map." -Ryan

Thanks Rebekah and Ryan for your kind words, we really appreciate it!

~Kari


Fairytale Brownies loves to tweet! Search for ftbrownies or click on the Twitter logo below!



~ Hilary

Hello! Friday is almost here. It is a big day for us because we are expecting a film crew from The Food Networks 'Unwrapped' to film an episode entitled 'comfort food' featuring Fairytale Brownies! A few years back, Fairytale Brownies was featured on The Food Networks 'Food Finds.' It was very exciting for us and was an honor to be chosen for the episode. We are just as excited for The Food Network to be back and looking forward to a 'comfy' episode of Unwrapped. As soon as we have an air date, we'll let you know. Oh, and check out our Food Finds video below from back in the day.



Oh, and don't forget, we have lots of other video's from behind the scenes at Fairytale Brownies on Fairytale Brownies YouTube channel...check them out!




Hello, I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Brandie Davenport and I am in Corporate Sales with Fairytale Brownies. I just celebrated my 4th Anniversary with the company. I wanted to give you an inside look to what's going on in the world of corporate sales at the moment. Monday is our custom box deadline so I am putting in some extra hours today (Saturday) to make sure I have all my clients taken care of! There are a lot of steps to making sure that everything is in order to have your one of a kind gift created. Being able to print photos on the boxes this year has been very exciting. And with the one week lead time and no minimums you can't beat it! I know I would remember a company if they sent me a box of Fairytale Brownies with their logo on it!


The buzz going on here at Fairytale Brownies is huge this week. We are all so excited about this Friday because we are expecting a TV crew from The Food Networks "Unwrapped" show to shoot an episode featuring Fairytale Brownies. The premise of the show is 'comfort food' and they'll be shooting the bakers baking our gourmet brownies from scratch, interviewing our founders David Kravetz and Eileen Spitalny, filming our shipping team packing and getting gifts ready for FedEx shipment, and showcasing our retail store that is open to the public.
 
From the show, we are hoping to remind people that Fairytale Brownies are great as Holiday Gifts and are easy and simple to Order Brownies! As soon as we have an air date for the show, we'll pass the word along to you!

~ Hilary


Fairytale Brownies is back from the chocolate show in NYC! The 3 lucky Fairytale Brownies employees who went took lots of pictures of not only the show, but of their antics out in the city. We are all excited to see the pictures and we decided to share them with you as well. Check back soon for pictures and a (long!) blog on Fairytale Brownies in NYC!

~ Hilary


Here is another recipe that you can use gourmet Fairytale Brownies with. This one is for mini cheesecakes, Yum!  

Fairytale Brownies Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
Crust:
4 Original Fairytale Brownies, processed into crumbs (in food processor).
Press crumbs into mini muffin pan with small baking cups.

Filling:
12 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 14.5 oz. can of cherry pie filling

Directions:
Blend ingredients. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoon of filling on top of each brownie crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Once the mini cheesecakes have cooled, place cherry pie filling (with liquid) on the top of each cheesecake.

If you do try this recipe, please send us a picture of your final product so we can post on our blog. We love to hear from our customers and hear your brownie stories. Oh, and don't forget that the holidays are right around the corner! Please keep Fairytale Brownies in mind for all of your holiday gift giving needs! 

~ Hilary




Today is Veteran's Day. It is the day where we honor our American Heroes with thank you's, parades and speeches across the nation. Currently, in the United States, there are over 23.7 million military veterans (source: U.S. Census Bureau). In my family alone, we have 2 US Army Veterans and 1 USAF Veteran. Also, my brother-in-law (another US Army family member) is currently stationed in Iraq on a 14 month tour. This is my brother-in-law in the picture below.

 
Fairytale Brownies fully supports our troops in every possible way. We offer Free Shipping to all APO/FPO addresses and we frequently send Soldier Care Packages to various troops stationed all over the world. Additionally, as we mentioned in our last post, we are members of the Soldier's Angels Bakers Group. Angel Bakers is a volunteer-led non-profit organization providing aid and comfort to the men and women of our armed forces. Contributing in these ways is our way of saying 'Thank You' to our soldiers for all of their sacrifices. Fairytale Brownies sends a huge 'Thank You' to each and every service member on this Veteran's Day.

~ Hilary

Veterans' Day is upon us, and I thought I would take a minute to thank all of our veterans, past and present, on behalf of everyone here at Fairytale Brownies. We love our troops, so much so that we even have a bulletin board in our office overflowing with all the notes and photos we've received over the years from the soldiers we support.



Not only do we offer free shipping on any gourmet brownie gifts sent to an APO/FPO military address, but we are also part of the Soldiers' Angels Bakers Group, sending delicious Belgian chocolate brownies to our deployed troops each and every month. Our Customer Service Team also writes letters and sends care packages to soldiers to remind them someone is thinking of them.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for your favorite veteran, try sending one of our Patriotic brownie gifts to show your appreciation for their service to our country.
 
Thank you veterans, for being our heroes!
~Kari


Hello! We just received a comment into our customer service department that I thought I would share.
In every Fairytale Brownies gift we send, we include a 'Business Reply' card. On this card, we ask for customer feedback regarding the gift they received. We ask questions such as the condition of the gift as it arrived, how did the brownies look and taste, and overall impression. We also ask for comments and new product suggestions. We encourage our gift recipients to fill out these cards by offering an incentive. If you complete and return the card within 30 days, you'll be entered into a monthly drawing for a Fairytale Dozen. Here is a link to our monthly winners page.

The comment that we just received was from last months Business Reply card winner. Her comment is as follows:

Dear Fairytale Brownies,
I want you to know how surprised and grateful I was to receive your scrumptious brownies. I can't thank you enough for your thoughtfulness. A faithful BROWNIE lover.
Barbara W. - Gasport, NY

Well, you are very welcome Barbara, and we thank you for filling out our survey so we can create the best quality gourmet brownie gifts available. Enjoy your Fairytale Dozen!

~ Hilary




Hello, my name is Steve, and I am an Information Technology Team support member. I have been here about 3 months and I am very thankful to work with a great team and contribute my knowledge. I really enjoy IT and I am happy to be here and learn so many new things. Fairytale Brownies are definitely the best brownies I have eaten anywhere. I really admire the commitment of the company to use only the finest and freshest ingredients, and offer new products every year. 
Did you know that something in every department here at Fairytale Brownies utilizes information technology? It is true, IT support is always needed and is required year round. Yes, from updating equipment and applications involved in things ranging from getting ingredients, to selling brownies, we strive to keep ourselves on the cutting edge of technology. We work as a team to help make Fairytale Brownies a great company with a superior product.

Thank you,
Steve K.

I came into work today and immediately was lifted by the sweet smelling aroma of the Fairytale Brownies bakers baking away. We are baking away getting ready for the holiday season. So, I decided to visit the kitchen and snap some photographs of our awesome bakers in action.  Order brownies for holiday gifts...its a gift that won't soon be forgotten, I promise!

Pouring the brownie batter into the baking pan. Mmmmmmm, smooth, rich, Callebaut Belgian Chocolate!



Here is the Toffee Crunch flavor ready for the oven! Notice how every inch of the batter is covered in toppings. These pans will get cut into our 3" x 3" and 3" x 1.5" Brownies and Sprites, so we want to make sure that there are plenty of toppings in every savory bite!




Walnut Brownies getting their toppings. Here again, notice how many Walnut pieces are getting spread onto the batter! YUM!!!



Take a look at our Flavors page to see our entire luscious brownie family. 
I don't know about you, but I am ready for some chocolate! Enjoy!
~ Hilary

We just made available on You Tube several of our Fairytale Brownies videos. Visit www.youtube.com/fairytalebrownies to see our channel. We are still fine-tuning the Fairytale Brownies Channel and will be adding in more videos from behind the scenes and an upcoming episode of The Food Networks "Unwrapped" featuring Fairytale Brownies soon.

Below is a video of how we bake our gourmet brownies gifts from scratch. Hope you enjoy watching!


Gosh, it's unbelievable that it is November already. We are geared up here at Fairytale Brownies for the holiday season. As we've shared with you previously, we have some really cool new custom gifts this year. We can print your full-color logo or photo on our keepsake wooden boxes and on our gift favors. Also new this year, we are printing on gift ribbon that wraps around your Fairytale gift. Click the links below for examples of our new custom gifts.

Examples of our Custom full-color Gift Favors.

Examples of our Custom Gift Ribbon.

Examples of our Custom Keepsake Gifts.

What is really cool too, is that there are no minimums on custom gifts anymore. Previously, we had a 25 gift minimum, but we decided to do away with that to make it easier on our customers who didn't need 25 or more customized gifts. There is a one week lead time on custom orders to get the order placed and to get the artwork approved. So, if you're interested, the custom gift deadline is November 17th!

You can always call customer service with any questions at 800.324.7982. You can also email us at service@brownies.com with questions as well. We will get back to you within one business day.

Thank you, and have a Fairytale Day!

~ Hilary



Ever wonder how we get all those 2 million catalogs mailed every year? Well, here's a behind the scenes look at how we address catalogs for our mailings. This photo is from a local mail house that is sending a 50,000 piece mailing for us this week:



That machine is inkjetting addresses onto the catalogs from a list that has been presorted to get us the best possible postage rate. Pretty cool to see it in action, huh?

Look for a Fairytale Brownies catalog in your mailbox next week, and if you're not on our mailing list click the request a catalog link on the right to sign up!

~Kari

Here is a yummy recipe that one of our loyal customers created using Fairytale Brownies. This was sent in during our recipe contest a few years ago. By the way, keep an eye out for our next recipe contest coming early next year! Awesome Fairytale prizes will be awarded.
Fairytale Brownies Mousse Cake

Ingredients:
6 Chocolate Chip Fairytale Brownies
1 Tablespoon freshly brewed Fairytale Coffee
2 Tablespoons coffee liqueur
6 egg whites
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 cu of good dark chocolate broken into small pieces
1 cup Fairytale Jumbo Cashews
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Layer the base of the cake pan with the chocolate chip brownies. Place the coffee, liqueur, and the chocolate in a heat resistant bowl and melt. Set aside to cool. Once cool, add the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold the melted chocolate into the whites. Whisk the heavy cream until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate egg white mixture. Pour the finished mixture over the brownies and place in the fridge overnight to set. Melt the sugar over a medium heat with 1/4 cup water until it turns into a blonde caramel color. Finally, place the Jumbo Cashews on an oiled baking sheet or silicone mat and pour over the nuts. Once cool, break into uneven pieces. Once set, unmold the cake from the pan and decorate with the caramelized cashews.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.  
~ Hilary

Food Start Ups Advice: One of the most common mistakes I see with new startups is the failure to protect their intellectual property (their "brand") through trademarks and copyrights. One of the first things a new business owner does is choose a name for the venture. Often these new owners register the business name with their Secretary of State and then think they own the exclusive rights to the business name - this is not the case! In order to fully protect the use of the name (and more importantly ensure they are not infringing on someone else's name), it is critical to secure a federal trademark for the business name.

One option for securing a federal trademark is to hire an intellectual property attorney. But this can often be very expensive. The less expensive route is to search for and apply for the trademark yourself with the United States Patent &Trademark Office. To begin the process, go to http://www.uspto.gov. Click on "Trademarks" in the left column, and then click "Search TM database (TESS)." Finally click on "New user form search (basic)." This is your starting point to search and make sure that somebody else is not already using the name. It can be very costly if you skip this step and find out down the road that someone else owns your business name (especially if it is a large business with deep pockets).

Once you determine that your business name is not already in use, you'll want to begin the application process to secure your own trademark. Start here to get an overview of the process - http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/workflow/start.htm. This web page has many other links where you can learn more details about how it all works. Filing a trademark registration only costs $325, so it is well worth your time and money to take care of this early on in your new business venture. Good Luck!

~ David

Happy Halloween!

Here is a picture of our goofy Marketing Department; we love being silly! In the photo from left to right: Alyssa - Marketing and PR, Kari - Marketing Coordinator, Hilary - Web Designer (me!), Brenna - Corporate Sales, Stacey - Wholesale Sales, Kristie - Corporate Sales, Brandie - Corporate Sales.





Here is a picture of David, Fairytale Brownies Co-Founder. Apparently he sprouted horns overnight :)



Fairytale Brownies wishes everyone a happy and safe Halloween!
~ Hilary
 

Fairytale Brownies will be on the CBS Early Show on Friday, October 31st! They will be showing our Halloween Morsels. Kids in the audience will also receive some morsels on Trick-or-Treat Alley.







The CBS Early Show airs at 7:00 a.m. PST on Channel 5 (KPHO). Check your local listings for air time in your location. Or, you can check TV Guide's website for your local listings online!

~ Hilary

 

BizRate Research
Fairytale Brownies is the winner of the BizRate Circle Of Excellence Gold Award for four years in a row! We are among a group of top performing online retailers who have met the strict criteria set by BizRate Research to recognize outstanding customer service throughout the year. Fairytale Brownies is praised for achieving high customer satisfaction ratings on all seven key metrics and high survey volume during the year. BizRate Research is a division of shopzilla.com.

Click to view the Fairytale Brownies BizRate Research Merchant Profile.

~ Hilary