Fairytale Brownies New Product Testing - A Look Behind The Scenes!

Friday, March 12, 2010 by Kim Silva
This coming season we are planning to introduce NEW Fairytale Brownie Cookies!  We are deep in the process of working on various recipes for these products, which can be easier said than done. . . .especially since this is not another gourmet brownie flavor, but a different baked good all together.

Many people don't realize that it can take up to a year or more to introduce a new product as there are numerous factors to consider when developing and testing new items.  We must first come up with the idea of what we want to introduce - this is mostly based on customer feedback and current industry trends, but it must also fit our brand.  Once we have figured out what we want to introduce, we then have to source the ingredients; making sure they are natural, kosher, readily available and meet our overall cost objectives.  We must also take into consideration whether or not the product can be easily and efficiently produced using existing equipment.    

Once we have figured out the actual item, recipe development can finally begin.  We have a test kitchen on site at Fairytale Brownies Bakery in Phoenix and we utilize the services of Stephanie Green from Nutrition Studio, she is an R&D specialist in the baked goods industry.  We'll go back and forth tasting, testing and tweaking the recipes until we come up with the perfect item.  At this point the next phase of testing begins, which involves shelf-life, storage and ship-ability of the product.  Ship-ability is important because we are in the mail order business, so if the item is not going to arrive in perfect condition, we can't introduce it.  This could very well send us back to the kitchen for more recipe tweaking. 

During the time the actual product itself is being finalized, our design team is working on packaging and the marketing team is working on how it will be sold and configured into our gift line.

All of this must take place prior to our Fall catalog photo shoot, which occurs annually in May.  If we miss this deadline, the product will likely be delayed until the following Spring.  As you can tell, the deadline for the coming 2010 Fall season is fast approaching so I must rush back to the test kitchen, a batch of chocolate brownie cookies is hot out of the oven and needs some tasting!


Gourmet Brownies Go To School

Monday, March 8, 2010 by David Kravetz
My daughter started high school this year and needless to say, Fairytale Brownies is very supportive.  Below is a photo of a banner we purchased to help support the school basketball team.  Having a Dad who owns a brownie company is always a fun bonus for my kids.  We send brownies to school with them every day and they regularly make new friends in the cafeteria.  My son and daughter both "order brownies" from me on a regular basis by putting a post-it note on my briefcase before I go to work.  Their friends put in special flavor requests so these orders can be very detailed.  I'm secretly hoping that all these students will grow up with a love for Fairytale Brownies and one day they'll buy brownies from us!  :) 



My final Brownie Blog

Thursday, March 4, 2010 by Brandie Davenport
I am sad to say this will be my final blog as a team member of Fairytale Brownies. Although I won't be here physically I will forever spread the brownie love, obviously I have become a huge fan of our gourmet brownies over the years. While I am excited to explore new ventures I will miss the smell of a fresh baked fudge brownies when I come to work each morning. I will be frequently reading the brownie blog to stay updated on the behind the scenes happenings at the Fairytale bakery. It has been a great 5 years, Fairytale Brownies is not only the best brownie company but an awesome company to work for. Thank you to all of my customers, co-workers and the many friends I have made over the years. It's been a very sweet experience but now it's time to go... Goodbye!

Behind The Scenes: Rave Waves

Saturday, February 27, 2010 by Tanika Richards
Hello, Hello, Hello...... to all of the wonderful readers of the Fairytale Brownies Blog. I know it has been a while since you have heard from your happy customer service team member and reading about the glorious stories from customers ordering brownies online. Well your resident "Brownie Gift Giving tour guide is here!" I love reading all the wonderful comments and raves from all of our customers, so since I love them so much I anounce them to all of the staff at FTB on Thursdays, we call it the Rave Wave. We get all kinds a letters from customers that have ordered brownies or recieved brownies as gifts and say they are the best brownies in all Fairytale land....I Love it!

One letter that made me smile was from a customer that purchased birthday brownies for her Aunt Ann birthday who turned 100 year old. She said that her aunt looks forward to the brownies. That just brings a smile to your face and applauds all around that we are apart of such a glorious day. Happy 100th Birthday Ann, enjoy the fudgy brownie treat.

~Happy Reading~

Fairytale Brownies Blog

Friday, February 19, 2010 by Brandie Davenport
Thank you very much to everyone who takes the time to read the Fairytale Brownies blog! We recently had a meeting to discuss how we can make our blog more interesting and draw more readers to it. We have a team of 9 bloggers and I think we came up with some pretty good ideas. After our meeting I got to thinking and realized what better way to find out what you want to read but to ask you! So, what is it you like to hear about? Obviously our gourmet brownies, but what else? Would you like to see more behind the scenes posts from the Fairytale bakery? Would you like more ideas on what to buy brownies for? More brownie recipes? We would love to hear any ideas you might have! 

I'm getting a seat on the couch!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 by Alyssa Andrews

Bringing the right dessert to a Super Bowl party will determine whether you get to lounge on the cushy couch in front of the big screen, or have to weave your body from side to side in a folding chair behind a 6'5" guy named "Buck" who won't sit still.

You know there will be plenty of football-shaped cakes and chocolate chip cookies at the party and they'll be quite tasty. But what if you brought fudge brownies from Fairytale Brownies instead? That spot on the couch will have your name on it!

I'm trying to decide what form my gourmet brownie dessert will take.

I might buy a couple of cut-and-serve 1 lb. Brownie Trays (sold at all AJ's Fine Foods in Arizona) and frost one of them with fudge frosting or maybe cream cheese frosting. The other brownie tray will be for the purists who just like their brownies naked, thank you.

If I decide to spend a little time in the kitchen, I might layer some brownies, pudding, fruit and whipped cream to create a delicious trifle. Maybe I'll use Toffee Crunch brownies, and instead of fruit, I'll throw some chocolate chips in between the layers. Would it still be called a trifle? Whatever. If the fruit is that important, I'll decorate with it on the trifle top... and add some chocolate sauce and chopped nuts, too!

Getting people to talk about and eat your dessert is key. While they're "oohing" and "aahing," you'll be lounging ON THE COUCH where you deserve to be because you brought Fairytale Brownies.

Trust me. I know. I've sat behind Buck before.

Another Fairytale Birthday!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 by Brandie Davenport
Today is Kristie's birthday! She is our Corporate Sales Assistant. Unfortunately since her birthday falls during our busiest time we aren't able to take her to lunch today like we usually do. Instead we decorated her desk! :) She will enjoying a delicious fudge Fairytale Brownie in place of a cake. Yummy! 

Here is a behind the scenes peak at Kristie's crazy birthday decorations

Happy Birthday! :) 

Secret Santa

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 by Brandie Davenport
This morning the Marketing Team here at Fairytale Brownies exchanged names for our Secret Santa gift exchange. We all wrote down three things we like on a piece of paper, put them in a hat and took turns picking. It's so exciting to start thinking about what special gift you are going to pick out for the person you chose. We set the spending limit at $20 so I am very excited to see what I can find! This got me thinking what an awesome Secret Santa gift Fairytale Brownies would make! Under $20 we have at least 7 different gifts to choose from! My favorite gift under $20 is our Magic Morsel Dozen. This gift is one dozen of our perfectly portioned bite-size Magic Morsels. It includes 3 each of Original, Caramel, Chocolate Chip and Walnut flavors in a beautiful purple box with silver lining. I think a box of fudge brownies would make someone very happy! 

Behind the scenes with Fairytale on Cyber Monday

Monday, November 30, 2009 by Alyssa Andrews

Today is Cyber Monday, the busiest day of the year for online shopping. Jay Reynolds of ABC 15 stopped by the bakery to discuss web shopping with David Kravetz, Fairytale's Co-Founder and Catalog & Web Team Leader.

David and Jay reviewed web order stats from 2008 and compared last year's Cyber Monday's orders with this year. At 10:30 a.m., Fairytale received 50% more web orders than last year!

Today's Fairytale Brownies sale of 20% on select items is doing well.

Jay toured the bakery to familiarize himself - and photograph - the brownie baking and shipping processes.

Get the scoop on purchasing fudge brownies online during Jay's interview with David at 6 p.m. today on KNXV-TV Channel 15.



Pictured above, David Kravetz talks about online shopping for Fairytale Brownies holiday gifts.
 


Behind the Scenes Halloween fun!

Friday, October 30, 2009 by Brandie Davenport
A couple of us at the Fairytale bakery decided to be festive and dress up a day early for Halloween. We thought you all might like a behind the scenes peek at the craziness that can go on here! 

 





















This is Kim, our Operations Team Leader. She has gone a little batty! :) 
























Here is Ellie, our Customer Service Team Leader, as the Ultimate Steelers fan! Lisa, one of our seasonal Customer Service Team Members, as a fairy. And Miriam, another one of our seasonal Customer Service Team Members, as a Thundercat!



























This is David, Co-founder and our Catalog and Web Team Leader, in his silly disguise. We almost didn't recognize him! ;)

 
And this is me and Kristie, both Corporate Sales Team Members. I am a beer wench, with fake beer while at work of course, and Kristie is a Countess.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween! 

Vote for Best Pumpkin Today!

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by Hilary Lee
We love the Halloween season around here. It gives us a reason to act totally silly - and we love that! So, for the past 3 years, we've held a company pumpkin carving contest to see who has the best pumpkin carving skills! This year we are doing it a little different. We're letting you pick the winner. So, we need your help! Help us choose a winner in Fairytale Brownies 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest!

Visit our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/fairytalebrownies and vote for your favorite pumpkin! Please leave a comment under your favorite; we'll choose a winner tomorrow afternoon (Friday, October 30th). Here are the entries below, but remember, please visit our Fairytale Brownies Facebook page to vote =).

#1 - First time pumpkin carver (or so he says) decided to test his skills by carving a skull with flames behind it. Turned out to be pretty "hot!"



#2 - Went with a sexy carving of a girl battling with her good and evil side.



#3 - The moon gone batty. It's kind of tricky on the eyes at first, but the design is pretty cool! 



#4 - Inspired by our Fairytale Brownies logo, here is our Brownie Guy dazzling you in 3-D! He may be cooking up something spookily delicious for Halloween!



#5 - "I'll get you my pretty!" Her inspiration was from the movie "The Wizard of Oz." (She may be reaching for a Fairytale Brownie!!)

Happy blog winner shares her thoughts

Monday, October 26, 2009 by Alyssa Andrews
Monday morning is not my favorite time of the week, but as I was reviewing my emails today, my day was brightened considerably. Jeanine Feldkamp recently won a Fall Dozen and Caramel Sauce from the mom blog Snafood and Fairytale Brownies. This is what she had to say about her winnings:

We were getting ready to eat dinner last night when we heard the unmistakable sound of the UPS truck outside. Our family loves when the "big brown truck" comes. 90% of the time they are delivering something I've won online and I always share :). This time was no different. It was a big white box that was pretty hefty for its size. I tore into it and found my amazing win from the fall festival courtesy of snafood: a dozen fairytale brownies and a jar of carmel sauce!!!!!!! Think that's too many exclamation points? Well, then you've never tried a fairytale brownie. I am in no way exaggerating. I wasn't asked, bribed or paid to write this. I won these from a random giveaway and loved them so much, I had to share them with all of my readers. What's so great about them? Let me count the ways....

1. Speed. This is the fastest company I've ever won anything from. The period from winning to eating was MAYBE a week. My prizes have never come that quickly before. I don't complain about the wait or anything because, hey, they're free. These people were on the ball though. And I like that in a company.

2. Presentation. It really did feel like Christmas when I opened the packing box. Inside was a lovely jar of carmel sauce wrapped in tissue paper and a box with a gorgeous fall scene on it. When I opened the box there was a nice note and more pretty paper. There was also a catalog in the box so I can order more brownies---which I will ABSOLUTELY be doing for Christmas gifts!!

3. Here's the best part---Taste! These are the freshest, moistest brownies I have ever tasted! I love to bake and I love brownies but I have never had anything that came close to these tasty treats.

There was one of each of the 12 flavors: original (nothing original about it--DELICIOUS!), pecan (with whole, fresh pecans on top), walnut (I love brownies with nuts but can't usually make them because Chris doesn't), espresso nib (HEAVEN!!!), mint (austin's favorite!), white chocolate (i don't even like white chocolate stuff and I enjoyed these!), caramel, raspberry swirl, chocolate chip, peanut butter, cream cheese and toffee crunch. i haven't tried the last 6 yet, that's why there aren't any comments by them.

On the label of the caramel sauce (which is so good, it's sinful) are the phrases "luscious beginnings, fairytale endings" and "a taste so enchanting, it could only be called...fairytale". I couldn't agree more!

Thanks, Jeanine! We're glad you're a Fairytale fan!
Alyssa

Fairytale Brownies Tweetup!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 by Kari Gayes
I'm a little behind on getting this up, but I wanted to share some photos from the first ever Fairytale Brownies Bakery Tour Tweetup. If you don't know, a Tweetup is simply a gathering of people who normally interact on Twitter. It was so nice to get a chance to meet some of our Phoenix Twitter followers in real life last Thursday here at the bakery. We got to chat and eat delicious gourmet brownies while watching the baking team make fresh brownies by hand, and David took all the attendees on a tour of the bakery where we bake, pack and ship brownie gifts.

Tweetup attendees watching a video of Fairytale Brownies on the Food Network:

















A baking team member enrobing brownies in 60% dark chocolate to make Fairytale Truffles:

















Baking team members wrapping White Chocolate Fairytale Sprites:

















Attendees Tweeting about the tour:

















Some even took video:

















Two brave attendees in the freezer. It's 15 degrees in there!

















David talking about the shipping process in the warehouse:

















And finally, people mingling in our retail store (That's me on the right in the black shirt):

















Thanks to all who came! We had a great time showing you around.
~Kari

Happy Independence Day!

Friday, July 3, 2009 by Hilary Lee
For some of us, the 4th of July is a day to BBQ and watch fireworks with our friends and family. The meaning of the 4th of July gets lost in translation with the frenzy of daily life. I like to be reminded why I am celebrating holidays when they come around - not just for the commercialization of the holiday. I usually Google the holiday and get reminded of the story behind the occasion. Recently I Googled "History of Independence Day" and found a site that tells a great story. It is short, sweet, and to the point. If you have a minute, check it out: http://www.holidays.net/independence/story.htm.

Meanwhile, if you are celebrating with friends and family today, we hope that you have a wonderful holiday spending it with the ones you care about the most. After all, that's why our forefather's fought for our Independence. And if you happen to catch a fireworks show tonight - savor the moment and reflect on the meaning of the day! 

Personally, I am taking my son to California to visit my Mom who we
haven't seen in a while. We'll spend the day together then head off to Huntington Beach to watch the fireworks show they put on every year by the ocean. I look forward to spending the holiday with family, and talking to my son about the meaning of the holiday. If you get the chance, tell us how you are celebrating your Independence Day! We'd love to hear from you. ~ Hilary

Help us reach 1,000 Facebook Fans!

Monday, June 15, 2009 by Hilary Lee
Hello out there in the blogoshpere :)

Not sure how many of our readers are active on the social media site Facebook, but Fairytale Brownies does have a great Fan page there. We post pictures, event information, behind the scenes happenings, and a ton of other interesting brownie information there. We were so excited to hear the announcement that Facebook is releasing vanity URL's available to everyone. There is one caveat however. In order for a business, or an entity that is classified as a "Page" instead of a "Profile" they have to have 1,000 fans at the minimum. We were a little sad that we couldn't reserve the vanity URL facebook.com/fairytalebrownies until we reach 1,000 fans, but see it as a great opportunity to grow our fan base! 

If you'd like to help us reach 1,000 fans that would be great! Click here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairytale-Brownies/17947896355?ref=ts to see our Facebook Fan page and click the "Become a Fan" link under the Fairytale Brownies logo! 

Thank you for helping us in our quest for 1,000 fans :P
~ Hilary

The Fairytale Brownies Rave Wave - Behind the Scenes

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 by Kim Silva
We receive so many great customer raves and stories about Fairytale Brownies, whether it be about our fudgy chocolate brownies, tasteful gourmet brownie gifts or outstanding service, we decided to share them throughout the entire company.  We wanted a fun and exciting way to share the raves and brownie stories with our entire staff, so we came up with the Fairytale Brownies Rave Wave.  The Rave Wave is a weekly announcement that includes some of the best customer raves shared over the loud speaker system throughout the entire building!   Everyone loves knowing how their hard work, dedication and commitment to quality have resulted in so many positive customer experiences.  Our customers let us know, without a doubt, that we are the Best Brownie Company around!

A Fairytale Photo Shoot!

Friday, May 22, 2009 by Kari Gayes
Erin (our graphic desiger) and I just returned from our annual catalog photo shoot, and I just wanted to share what those photos of our gourmet brownie gifts look like from behind the scenes. We always have a good time with our photographer Rick, food stylist Kim, and their assistants Ken and Jill. Check it out, and keep your eyes open for the actual photos in your upcoming Fairytale Brownies catalogs! 

Here's a refrigerator full of our delicious Belgian chocolate brownies:
    

Kim on set, arranging brownies for a new Valentine's Day brownie gift coming in 2010 (you can see Erin's sketch to Kim's right):


A sneak peek at our updated Custom Fairytale Dozen, coming this fall:


Sneak peek of our new flavor of Fairytale Truffles (dark chocolate-covered Fairytale Brownies) debuting for Christmas:


And finally,
Kim heating up the Truffles right before Rick shoots the photo to give them a little shine:


Hope you enjoyed your look at a Fairytale Brownies photo shoot!
~Kari

Father's Day Rhyme FTB Style

Thursday, May 21, 2009 by Tanika Richards

Wrote a Brownie Rap and here it goes....

(8 count beat)

Tis the time and springs the season,
No making an excuse, June 21st's the reason

Let a chocolate brownie be the answer that day
No giving your father a sock bouquet! 

I know it's early, rather now than late,
Do a pre-order now, don't wait wait wait!

We deliver worldwide and in your counties
so go ahead and send delivery brownies.

Please send your orders Fairtyale Brownies way
to make this year a special Father's day!

He's not counting calories or watching his weight. 
Let's all be honest these brownies are great!
 

I know, "don't quite my day job". Behind the scenes: I was thinking that was a great way to put it in the minds of all fudgy chocolate brownie lovers to remember that great day. Remember BUY BROWNIES!!

~Happy Reading~

Mother's Day Gifts

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 by Ellie Perry
What are you getting your Mom for Mother's Day?  How about a delicious assortment of gourmet brownies from Fairytale Brownies?  My Mom loves the Toffee Crunch Sprites.  They're just the right size, not too much, not too small. 
For her 75th birthday, we had custom logo gift favors for everyone who attended.  What a hit!  Everyone said they were the best brownies they had ever tasted.  The secret is the brownie recipe, created by co-founder David Kravetz's Mom. 
Treat your Mom to a fantastic gourmet chocolate gift of Fairytale Brownies.  Ordering is so easy.  Just go to www.brownies.com or call us at 800.324.7982. 

Carol Connors Shares Brownies!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 by Ellie Perry

Fairytale Brownies were in all the gift bags at singer/songwriter Carol Connors' Annual BBBBBBBs in Your Bonnet Easter Party!

This year's BBBBBBs in Your Bonnet party was held at A Cow Jumped Over the Moon in Beverly Hills.  The ladies were dressed in their Easter finest.  There were smiles all around for the delicious lunch but nothing compared with the dessert of Fairytale Easter Brownies and Fairytale Truffles.   The Easter Bunny definitely delivered Easter gifts this year! 
The winner of this year's best bonnet contest was none other than Barbara Lazaroff!  Ms. Lazaroff had the most bbbbeautiful hat.  The best bonnet winner received a gourmet browne gift from the best brownie company, Fairytale Brownies. 
Thank you CC for sharing the wonderful pictures from behind the scenes of your fabulous party and for allowing Fairytale Brownies to be a part of the Easter party.  We can't wait for your next event!