They sell the best brownies in the world... What is Fairytale Brownies?

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 by Alyssa Andrews
Every month during the off season, Fairytale Brownies team members gather for an all staff meeting that includes lunch and a celebration of staff birthdays and anniversaries. For the last few months, we've been reviewing each department's duties and procedures. We call these gatherings, "Learning Lunches."

The Marketing Team (Catalog, Web, PR, Corporate Sales and Wholesale) shared its procedures today with a friendly game of Fairytale Jeopardy!

Emcee Eileen (pictured in top photo) read the clues from five Marketing categories (Fairytale Potpourri; C's The Day; Around The World; Sell, Sell, Sell; and It's In The Mail) while three different teams vied to answer with the most correct questions.



Team Brownie:
"Around the World for 100, Eileen."
Eileen: "Also known for its beer, this European country produces the fine chocolate we use in our brownies."
(A bell rings.)
Eileen: "Team Sprites, your answer?"
Team Sprites: "What is Belgium?"
Eileen: "That is correct!"

Donna and Leslie are pictured here cheering Team Sprites's correct answer.


Some of the answers were a little tricky, so our Marketing Judges were called upon to determine a question's correctness. You can barely see our judges, Kari and Holly, way in the back of this photo.

The first-place team received mini board games for each member, while second- and third-place teams received "lovely" parting gifts of their own.





Triple B: Beer, Brownies & Buzzcation!

Monday, August 23, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Last Thursday, Fairytale Brownies participated in Buzzcation (Buzzcation is mostly a networking and happy hour event attended by local media and professionals) at The District Kitchen, Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Phoenix. The event was a fundraiser to help raise money towards our KaBOOM! playground build scheduled for April 2011. The event had over 200 attendees and raised over $1,500 towards our fundraising goal!  

Fairytale Brownies was there armed with brownie gifts donated for the raffle and with hundreds of gourmet brownies and new cookie flavors for attendees to indulge in. We asked attendees to try our new Caramel Pecan Cookie and Double Chocolate Cookie and then tweet about how they liked them. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the new cookies and are very excited for their debut in a few weeks. 

Altogether, Buzzcation was a great way to support a fantastic cause and have fun with Phoenix locals! If we had the chance, we'd most definitely do it again! Below are some pictures of the event.


Alyssa (Fairytale Brownies PR/Marketing), Hunter (Fairytale Brownies IT), and Hilary (Fairytale Brownies Web Designer) taking a rest toward the end of the night. Alyssa counted up the donations and we grossed over $1,500! Great thanks to Buzzcation and to all who donated!!


Jo (Fairytale Brownies Customer Service), Lisa (Fairytale Brownies Corporate Sales), Hilary (Fairytale Brownies Web Designer, and Michelle (Fairytale Brownies Accounting) having a great time together! 


Our new cookies ready to be sampled! We asked attendees to tweet with our @ftbrownies Twitter handle on how they liked the new flavors!


Daphne Monroe of ABC15's Smart Shopper stopped by too! (photo courtesy of Christopher Stark www.BauhasPhotography.com)


Lars, Yvette, and Mike - the creators of Buzzcation! (photo courtesy of Christopher Stark www.BauhasPhotography.com)


Happy Buzzcation attendees! (photo courtesy of Christopher Stark www.BauhasPhotography.com)


Alyssa (Fairytale Brownies PR/Marketing) thanking attendees for their generosity! We raised over $1,500 towards our KaBOOM! playground build goal! (photo courtesy of Christopher Stark www.BauhasPhotography.com)

Customer's Rave about Belgian Chocolate Brownie Gifts!

Monday, August 2, 2010 by Hilary Lee
I just wanted to share some of the great comments and raves that we've had pouring in to our customer service center about our great Fairytale Brownies and our excellent service! Here are some of the best ones from this week:

Fairytale Brownies offers a huge selection of brownie gifts in every price range - the quality is top-notch. My families request for birthdays is that I send birthday brownies! So easy to order brownies online and the shipping is a great value. ~ Stephanie B., TX

Our entire family enjoys the fudge brownies from Fairytale Brownies, and when there is a time for a special treat, we always look to Fairytale. Thank you for such an excellent product! ~ Ruth B., PA

I received Fairytale Brownies recently as a housewarming gift and loved them so much that I'm sending brownies to my Dad for his birthday! ~ Vic J., AZ

Great product! Ordering brownies online couldn't have been easier. I really appreciate the reduced shipping promotion. ~ Mary S., PA

I enjoyed Fairytale Brownies when I received them as a gift. The people I have sent them to raved that they were the best brownies too! ~ June F., IL

Visit us online at brownies.com for more information or to order brownies online! 

Include Fairytale Brownies in your school lunches

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 by Alyssa Andrews
Even though it's the last week of July, in Arizona we are getting ready for our children to return to school. Some area schools are already back in session!

Don't forget to include Fairytale Brownies in those lunch boxes.

Magic Morsels are a perfect bite-sized ending to any brown bag lunch. They are available in Original, Chocolate Chip, Caramel, Walnut and Sugar-free Original flavors.

Need a little larger size option? Try our Sprites - they're 3" x 1.5" and equal to one serving size. Sprites are available in 12 flavors.

Order your gourmet brownies online and they will be shipped to your door. Buy them in bulk without the special packaging and receive an even better price. Just put the spare brownies in the freezer (they'll stay fresh for up to 6 months) and use as needed.

Now that you've got lunches covered, time to focus on back-to-school clothing!

Brownies.com getting a fresh update

Monday, July 19, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Every year the catalog & web team here at Fairytale Brownies discusses improvements and updates to our catalog and website based on what our customers are asking for. We listen very closely to what our customers' requests are and plan for updates and upgrades. We do this not only to stay close to our customers, but we strive to stay technologically competitive and implement features and benefits that are industry standard.

For example, on our website brownies.com we've just added a great new feature called "Enlarge/More Views" for our product details pages. This allows the customer to see close-up beauty shots, or "zoomed views" before they buy brownies. This will help the customer in understanding exactly what they are purchasing when they buy brownies for themselves or send brownies as a gift from Fairytale Brownies. For example, based on a simple product photograph, some customers did not realize our gourmet brownies are individually wrapped for freshness with all nutritional information listed on each brownie wrapper. 

Another feature we are adding both to our website and catalog (coming September 1st) is a full and complete description of the gourmet brownies including quantities/flavors in each brownie gift. Previously, we've included a product description with a descriptive photo for the customer. Now, we will be including all flavors, inclusions, weights, and their respective quantities in every brownie gift.  

Along with some really cool new features and benefits, we are debuting a fresh new look for both our catalog and website. Our corporate branding will remain the same, however, both channels will be updated with a modern and airy look and feel. We're excited for our customers to see these updates! Our catalog and web team has been working hard to get these updates ready for the Fall/Holiday 2010 rollout. Request a catalog here if you aren't already on our mailing list, and/or visit brownies.com after September 1st. You won't want to miss these updates :). Oh, and the delicious gourmet brownies are divine too, tee hee. 

Fundraising with Fairytale Brownies & KaBOOM!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 by Melissa Eisenstein
Recently, I became a part of the KaBOOM! build team, and I'm doing my best to assist with some additional fundraising to make our new build possible!  We've held meetings, sent emails, everything, trying to come up with WONDERFUL gourmet brownie based ideas to help this wonderful charity raise the funds to build another beautiful, safe playground for deserving kids.

We have an event on July 22nd, at the Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe, AZ at 6:00pm, featuring our Belgian Chocolate Brownies paired with their handcrafted brews.  Admission is only $15, and all proceeds go to KaBOOM!  We have the event posted on our Facebook page; just RSVP if you'd like to attend.

Our 2nd major event is on September 10th, at the Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler.  This is a golf tournament sponsored by Aerotek Industries, $95 per person, $350 per team, or $450 per team with hole sponsorship.  It includes the 18 holes of golf and the cart, as well as some extra goodies, AND since we're partnering with Aerotek for the tournament, Gourmet Brownies will be served!  If you're interested, here is a link to the registration form and details:  cdn.content.compendiumblog.com/uploads/user/ff23ca86-5016-423d-b8e7-eea72065d36e/1adc32d5-a44a-4298-b0d9-623757f73165/File/28fc1983e33a8a9ae8de908f04c89591.pdf

As always, if you can't participate in any of our upcoming fundraisers, you can always donate a dollar, $5 or $10 online when you order brownies on our website. I'll keep you all posted on our upcoming events!  For more info about KaBOOM!, and our upcoming project, visit out website at www.brownies.com/facts_info/kaboom.aspx.

On a personal, side note, I've discovered a new site www.mommylingo.blogspot.com, and started posting there as well, just little tidbits about being a mom and the crazy situations you occasionally come across.  She loves Fairytale Brownies too!  Check it out!

Sharing some brownie bites!

Friday, July 2, 2010 by Eileen Spitalny
Actually these are bites of advice. Recently I talked with Jim Blasingame, The Small Business Advocate. Here is a link to the most recent interview - http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-interviews/eileen-spitalny-8257
We talked about how we are using social and online marketing at Fairytale Brownies.
Maybe you can apply to your own business or where you work or to attract more Facebook fans to your personal page!

Use Golden Coupon to receive 20% Fairytale discount

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 by Alyssa Andrews
Fairytale Brownies is proud to participate in Local First Arizona's eighth annual National Independents Week.

Arizona residents can download a Golden Coupon from Local First Arizona's web site and bring the coupon into Fairytale's retail store between June 28 and July 2 to receive a 20% discount on all merchandise (excluding sale items).

Local First Arizona works to strengthen communities and local economies through supporting, maintaining and celebrating locally-owned businesses throughout the state. Independents Week is just one way the organization promotes its mission.

We encourage Arizona residents to "go local" next week and purchase fudge brownies from Fairytale Brownies. They make the perfect summertime dessert with or without ice cream.

Fairytale Brownies is located at 4610 E. Cotton Center Blvd., Suite 100, Phoenix. That's just south of Broadway and west of 48th Street. We are open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.


 

Brownies.com = Hot 100 Retail Site 2010

Monday, June 21, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Every year, Internet Retailer Magazine (Strategies For Web-based Retailing) announces 100 Retail Web sites that they feel go above and beyond in making their online presence more useful and effective in connecting with customers. This year, Fairytale Brownies web site www.brownies.com, was awarded a "Top 100" award in the Food/Drug category.

We were honored for our commitment to excellent customer service and our customer engagement activities in the social media space. Notably, our blog, blog.brownies.com was recognized as well as our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube presence for being a branded, useful and unified customer experience.

Fairytale Brownies is your premier gourmet brownie gifting company, offering a large selection of chocolate brownie gifts including Special Occasion and Custom/Corporate Food Gifts. To read the full article, click this link: http://www.internetretailer.com/2009/11/21/food-drug


QVC - Buy Brownies Online!

Friday, June 18, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Last year, Fairytale Brownies was a featured item on QVC's segment of luxurious chocolate gifts. Various customers who ordered our special assortment of gourmet brownies from QVC left great feedback on the product and their experience with our company. Below are some of the fantastic reviews left by those customers. Also, if you follow the link below, you can see the special QVC assortment we featured on the segment!

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.M18026.desc.Fairytale-Brownies-4-lb-Brownie-Assortment

OMG - JUST OUT OF THIS WORLD  ****** (5 stars)
"At first I said how can they be worth the money for brownies, but boy was I wrong. With every bite, you can taste the high quality of the recipe and there are many flavors for everyone. They can each have their favorite. I guess it is true, you get what you pay for. I will wait for easy pay to buy again, but I will buy again and again and again!"
~ Posted by maroc 02-13-10

BEST KEPT SECRET ***** (5 stars)
"I sent these to a friend for Christmas. Took a chance, had never heard of this company. My friend called all of his friends to tell them that these were the best brownies he had ever eaten. What a great purchase. Highly recommend this item!"
~ Posted by beckee on 05-05-10

MOST DECADENT BY A CHOCOLATE LOVER ***** (5 stars)
"I have ordered brownies online for years, and they are the best I've ever had. Decadent chocolate brownies! Love love love them! Order them for everyone you know who loves chocolate!"
~ Posted by cstog on 09-21-09

HAVE A FAIRYTALE DAY! ***** (5 stars)
"I have purchased these brownies for many years for my family, friends, co-workers, and customers. I also gave a box of Sprites to my child's teachers. These have always been of terrific quality and we have enjoyed all of the flavors. One tip... if you can't eat them all at once, put them in the freezer and take out as needed. Great warm with a little ice-cream!"
~ Posted by neani on 02-27-09

Donate to KaBOOM! at Fairytale checkout

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by Alyssa Andrews

By now, most of you know about Fairytale Brownies' partnership with the national nonprofit KaBOOM! and the fact that we are trying to raise funds to build a playgound in Phoenix. We are ready to provide your first opportunity to participate in our project.

When you buy brownies online, you can donate $1, $5, $10 or any denomination to KaBOOM! at checkout and the money will go towards our playground build in April 2011.

You can monitor our fund-raising progress on Fairytale's KaBOOM! facts page.

Fairytale's brownie gifts are the perfect way to spread chocolate happiness all over the world. We ship brownies pretty much everywhere.

Send brownies and don't forget to donate your dollars at checkout.

Thanks!
 

Celebrate your best friend with Fairytale Brownies

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 by Alyssa Andrews

I just found out that yesterday was "Best Friends Day" and I missed it!

Well, my three best friends know that I am ALWAYS late so they won't be surprised if I send my Happy Best Friends Day wishes after the fact.
 
To Dollie, my best friend from kindergarten, Barb L. aka Bobbie, my best friend from high school and Barb A. aka Fluffy, my best friend from adulthood: We hardly ever see each other but I know that when we get together we'll just continue where we left off!

I'm surprising each of them with some fudgy chocolate brownies from Fairytale Brownies.

There have been many great songs written about friends, but  "You've Got a Friend,"  "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "For Good" (from "Wicked") best describe my relationship with these three women.

Do you have a favorite "friends" song?

Have you talked with your best friends lately? You might want to order brownies online and let them know you're thinking about them.
 


Thank You Gift Idea

Monday, June 7, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Recently, my husband and I purchased a small piece of Real Estate in the small town of Queen Creek, AZ. Due to the economy, it was an extremely arduous task to complete the entire purchase process. We really "worked" our realtor; she definitely earned her commission on that deal! On document signing day, my husband and I went to the title office to complete the paperwork. We went after I had gotten off of work and I was still "in uniform" (still wearing my Fairytale Brownies logo shirt). The ladies in the office noticed my shirt, and commented that they knew who Fairytale Brownies were and proceeded to harass me because I had not brought any of our Belgian Chocolate Brownies with me! 

So, as I do every time somebody asks me for a fudgy chocolate brownie sample, I promised that I would send brownies to their office right away. So to say "Thank You" to our realtor, loan officer, and title company, we sent them each boxes of Fairytale Brownies. Not only are they the best brownies around (hands-down!), they make excellent Thank You Food Gifts. I sent them each a Thank You 8-Sprite Gift Favor which contains 1 Original, Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Pecan, Toffee Crunch, Walnut and White Chocolate Sprites (Sprites are our 1/2 size brownies that measure 1.5" x 3"). 

I did receive Thank You messages from our gift recipients; they all loved the gourmet brownies. I even had our realtor tell me that she is going to start sending brownies to her clients as Thank You Gifts for her business! For more information, or to order brownies online, visit us at brownies.com

Remembering Our Soldiers with Fairytale Brownies

Thursday, June 3, 2010 by Melissa Eisenstein

This past weekend we celebrated Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day) as our nation’s way of commemorating all of our proud U.S. Soldiers who have given their lives in service to our country. Fairytale Brownies supports our forces deployed worldwide. We send our Belgian chocolate brownies to the troops overseas, and we receive nothing but gratitude and happiness in return.

As a way to help everyone who would like to send brownies on their own, we offer Free Shipping to all APO/FPO addresses! Visit us online at brownies.com.




Soldiers’ Angels and the Ladies of Liberty, both organizations that help to provide the troops with morale boosting snacks and hard-to-find necessities helps us out on a regular basis. They provide us with names and addresses of those service people who are in need of a little taste of home, or a little comfort when things aren’t going as well as they had hoped. We are honored that they have chosen our rich, fudgy brownie gifts as a way of filling that role. 


If you’re interested in helping out Soldiers’ Angels/Ladies of Liberty, you can visit their sites at: 
www.soldiersangelsladiesofliberty.com (Ladies of Liberty) www.soldiersangels.com (Soldiers’ Angels).  They have many branches nationwide who help soldiers from that particular area of the country. To all the members of the U.S. Military, thank you for all you do everyday. 


Fairytale Brownie Gifts featured on "Daily Grommet"

Monday, May 24, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Today Fairytale Brownie Gifts are featured on "Daily Grommet!" "The Daily Grommet is an online marketplace where you can discover and buy inventive, new products and learn true stories. Their website that is committed to finding really fresh products, and telling their stories! Those products, and their creators, and the people who love them (the products, that is) are the real heroes at Daily Grommet."

You can join the conversation about our gourmet brownie gifts and how they were created with David & Eileen at http://www.dailygrommet.com/. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/fairytalebrownies! We'd love to hear from you. Your opinion and thoughts are welcome, also get answers to your questions today :)!


 

Ready-To-Serve: 2 lb. Gourmet Brownies To The Rescue!

Monday, May 17, 2010 by Hilary Lee
This wonderfully rich 2lb. Walnut brownie is the perfect solution for your BBQ, graduation or Memorial Day party, an easy dessert, or simply a delicious gift for a host or hostess. Each ready-to-serve tray contains about 24 1.3 oz. (2" x 2") servings that everyone will love. 

The best part is that you flip up the lid, cut, and it's ready to serve. Chocolate lovers will rejoice when you add a dollop of ice-cream or any of your desired toppings for a scrumptious dessert that is so easy yet totally satisfying! 

Visit the Fairytale Brownies Bakery in Phoenix, and receive a special price on this 2lb. gourmet brownie! Regular retail price for this fudgy ready-to-serve brownie is $24.95 - however - for the next two weeks, its ON SALE for only $14.95! Or, visit us online at brownies.com for more information on our gourmet brownie gifts! The Fairytale Brownies Bakery is located at 4610 E Cotton Center Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85040 (48th Street & Broadway in the Cotton Center). Sale price is valid for cash and carry customers only. 


Delivery Brownies to US Troops!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 by Hilary Lee
As we've talked about many times before, Fairytale Brownies is a huge supporter of our Armed Forces. We partner with many different organizations to send brownies to troops stationed all over the world. It's really important to us to send brownies to our troops; we want them to know we haven't forgotten them and we appreciate their sacrifice for our freedom.

A few of our biggest partners are Soldiers Angels, Soldiers Angels, Angel-Bakers, and Soldiers Angles, Ladies of Liberty. Recently, we sent delivery brownies to soldiers in Haiti working on disaster relief efforts (read my Brownies to Haiti blog post).  Our most recent support effort was sending brownies to the Military Appreciation Party that took place on May 11, 2010. We sent about 250 gourmet brownies and sprites to the party for patrons to enjoy. Our ongoing support services include sending Fairytale Sprite 24's to about 10-12 U.S. soldiers each month who need some extra care. It is the very least we can do.

Our partnership with Soldiers Angels is two fold. We send brownies in support of our military personnel, but we also get so much back in return. We get many letters and tokens of thanks from our brownie recipients saying how grateful they are to get a little piece of home. We've received everything from pictures, foreign currency, cavalry patches, and other military memorabilia to an actual U.S. Flag that flew over a U.S. military base in Iraq. These items are priceless to us and we store them in our office on our "Wall of Heroes." Most recently, we received a lovely glass angel statue from Soldiers Angels thanking Fairytale Brownies for our support efforts (see pictures below). 

For more information about Fairytale Brownies, visit us online at brownies.com.






Potluck’s Most Wanted - Fudge Brownies

Thursday, May 6, 2010 by Melissa Eisenstein

Have you ever noticed that if you bring something tasty and well-liked to a potluck how you’re asked to bring it over and over? Through the winter, when I was a seasonal employee here at Fairytale Brownies, I brought boxes of Fairytale Sprites and Morsels to family dinners and potlucks alike. These rich, fudgy chocolate brownies were the delight of many of the guests, with the favorites being the Raspberry Swirl and Espresso Nib for the adults, and the Chocolate Chip and Original for the kids.  


    


Now that many of my friends, family, and former co-workers know I’m here once again, I’m beginning to see those requests all over again! Since many of my extended family are watching their waistlines this year, I think I'll include the sugar free brownies in my selections.  All of these decadent fudge brownies have caused a spike in my Potluck Popularity!!  

So, needless to say, when you’re requested to bring the dessert for your next family or office potluck event, go no further than Fairytale Brownies!  Take a look at our brownies online at brownies.com, just so you'll get an idea of the wonderful flavors you can order.  You’ll join me on the Potluck’s Most Wanted list, and, well, probably make a few great friends too!

Congratulations Gifts For Graduates

Monday, May 3, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Talk about elated! I just turned in my last assignment of the 2009 Spring semester! I only have 1 more semester to go (I currently attend Arizona State University), and then I walk with my Master's Degree in Science and Technology Management with emphasis in Graphics. It's been an extremely looooong and arduous journey, but the personal accomplishment I feel along with meeting the career goals I've set for myself are my best rewards!

Even though I am not graduating this semester, I have a niece who lives in Waco Texas that is graduating with her second degree from McLennan Community College. She is graduating Phi Theta Kappa and we are so proud of her. She sent us her personalized graduation announcement this past weekend. We are very sad that we can't be there in person for commencement, but I fully plan on sending her a congratulations gift for her accomplishment. Last Christmas she requested more of those "delicious fudge brownies" from me (I send brownies on special occasions). Of course she is referring to Fairytale Brownies! So I figured that along with the monetary gift I am sending her, I'd send brownies along too! Her favorite is the Mint Chocolate brownie, so I am planning on sending her a Congratulations Dozen (pictured right) with 12 Mint Chocolate brownies inside! 

Know anybody who is graduating...high school, college, trade school, etc? Why not order brownies from Fairytale Brownies to congratulate them of their accomplishment? Adding a gift of gourmet brownies to their celebration is a tasteful and delicious addition to their success! My niece will be receiving her Congratulations Dozen this Friday.....when will yours arrive? Visit brownies.com to order brownies online! 

Fairytale Brownies Provides Corporate Gifts for the Arcadia High Titans

Monday, May 3, 2010 by David Kravetz
I've written a few blog posts recently about supporting my daughter's new high school, Arcadia High in Phoenix, AZ. In the fall, we bought a scoreboard sign for the football team.  In the winter, we bought a gymnasium banner for the basketball team. Well, it's spring and baseball season has begun.  So we recently purchased a commemorative brick for the new baseball field. The high school just finished a three year renovation and the baseball field was the final piece of construction.  Our "brownie brick" will be there for many years to come, and it's a nice reminder for people to buy brownies online when they look down to read all the bricks.

In addition to the ads, we regularly supply brownie gifts to the teachers and staff at the school.  And of course, my daughter always has a steady supply of fudgy brownies in her lunch box every day.  At this point she gets daily requests from friends for specific flavors.  Like all of us at Fairytale Brownies, she loves spreading joy through gourmet chocolate brownies!


















Our "brownie brick" at the new baseball field of the Arcadia High Titans