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!


Send Brownies - A Fairytale Dream Come True!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 by Hilary Lee
I just wanted to share a really great blog article that was written by Geoff Fox, who is a weatherman on WTNH New Channel 8 in Connecticut. Geoff's wife Helaine decided to send brownies as a holiday gift this last December and the scheduled delivery date was set for December 21st. The following story is from Geoff's blog.

"This blog is often the best place to give a kiss on the cheek to a business which has gone above and beyond the call. That's especially true of David Kravetz at Fairytale Brownies (brownies.com) who came through and saved the day in the midst of their/our Christmas rush. Fairytale Brownies is a Phoenix based business. This is not a case of someone being nice because they've watched me on TV for the last 25 years. Helaine sent a gift to a friend. The package tracking info said it would be there on the 21st.  When Helaine hadn't heard from the friend by the 23rd she called. No delivery! Except that's not what the tracking data said. UPS said the package had been delivered to her apartment building. 

Helaine called Fairytale and spoke with David. Whether he always answers the phones or was drawn in for Christmas isn't clear. He saw we'd been good customers over time. He didn't need to see any more. David said he'd make it right even though Fairytale could have defensibly claimed it was a UPS problem. As someone with a stake in the business, he knew this was where long term relationships are made and lost. If Helaine would provide a daytime address, he'd sent it overnight at his expense. 

This is a Christmas story with a happy ending. The brownies arrived the next day. Thanks David! The Foxes of Connecticut really appreciate your kindness and wanted everyone to know! Oh, and the brownies are really yummy!"


Our goal at Fairytale Brownies is to provide the highest quality products and incomparable service. That's why we offer our "One Pure Promise" which states from choosing the finest Belgian chocolate to our customer's last bite, we are uncompromising in our standards for product quality and customer service. Our "One Pure Promise" is supported by our unconditional guarantee: If you or your gift recipients are ever dissatisfied - even a little bit - we will cheerfully do whatever it takes to make things right, whether it's replacing the brownies or issuing a credit or refund! Thank you, Geoff for sharing your story! You can read Geoff's blog post here  http://www.geofffox.com/MT/archives/tag/christmas

Order brownies at brownies.com.

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!  :) 



Gourmet Brownies and Eye glasses..what a match!

Friday, March 5, 2010 by Tanika Richards

This week I had to get new glasses, due to always getting a headache when I wore my current prescription (this went on for a full year, not recommended). Well I went to a new eye doctor, who was very personable, funny and figured out my issue. My current glasses were to strong of a prescription. While he was doing the examination, he noticed the sweater I was wearing displaying the Fairytale Brownies logo. He inquired of the business and said he would visit our website brownies.com. The next day I took him an 8-Sprite Favor ($15.95) to try. This gift delights any and all recipients. It contains 8 of our most popular flavors in the snack size portions. Needless to say days later I received a thank you card in the mail. Chocolate brownies are always a hit!


~Happy Reading

Free Shipping From Fairytale Brownies + Contest!

Thursday, March 4, 2010 by Hilary Lee
We recently asked our Fairytale Brownies Facebook fans what kind of Spring offers they would like to see. Most of the responses from our fans were to run more contests/giveaways in addition to more Free Shipping offers... You asked for it - and we listened!

Currently, we are running a new contest to win a Congratulations Morsel 24 if you correctly predict the top 4 Oscar winners for this Sundays Oscar Awards Show! For your chance to enter/win this contest please visit Fairytale Brownies Blog at blog.brownies.com or click this direct link http://blog.brownies.com/blog/ask-alyssa-all-things-prmarketing/0/0/predict-oscar-winners-and-receive-fairytale-brownies. Good Luck!

Also, if you order brownies online by Friday March 5th, receive FREE STANDARD SHIPPING on your order of $50 or more! Simply use priority code FACEBOOK at checkout to receive your shipping discount. Fairytale Brownies has a large selection of gourmet chocolate brownie gifts to choose from including Special Occasion packaging such as Happy Birthday Gifts, Thank You Gifts, Welcome New Baby Gifts, Congratulations Gifts, Easter Gifts, Thinking of You Gifts, and St. Patrick's Day Gifts! Send brownies to your friends and loved ones this Spring, it's a gift they won't forget! I promise! Visit brownies.com for more information.

Mint Brownie Recipe - St. Patrick's Day Brownie Idea

Monday, March 1, 2010 by Hilary Lee
March has arrived, and I started thinking about creative ways to use Fairytale Brownies in a St. Patrick's Day recipe. I scoured the internet for ideas and found this really great recipe from About.com's BusyCooks. The recipe is called Irish Mint Brownies - but I made a few small adjustments. Instead of baking the Mint Brownies from scratch, I've substituted them for our individually wrapped gourmet Mint Chocolate Brownies - which are to die for (and my personal favorite). I thought they would be perfect in this great brownie recipe! Imagine hand drizzled chocolate mint spread over our rich 3" x 3" Belgian Chocolate brownie. Yum!

Ingredients:
12 Mint Chocolate Fairytale Brownies

Green Frosting:
1 tub vanilla ready to spread frosting
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Few drops of green food coloring

Top Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 tbsp water
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preparation:
Unwrap all 12 Fairytale Brownies. Arrange them on a serving plate, or line them in a pan. In a small bowl combine frosting, green food coloring and mint extract and beat will until frosting is evenly colored. Spread the mixture over the Fairytale Brownies. 

In a medium bowl, mix with a wire wisk the powdered sugar and cocoa. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter, water and microwave for 30-45 seconds until the butter melts. Add the powdered sugar and wisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla until smooth. You may need to add more water to reach a pouring consistency. Then carefully poor this frosting over the green frosting and gently spread to cover. Don't worry if some of the chocolate frosting mixes with the green frosting - that just looks pretty!

I've included a picture of the recipe, however keep in mind yours will look different if you use Fairytale Brownies. They will be square and not in a pie shape. 

    
Here is the original recipe pic    Here is our Mint Chocolate Fairytale Brownie

You can visit our website brownies.com to order brownies online, or you can call our customer service line at 800.324.7982 to reach our 24-hour customer service number. I've included the link to our Fairytale Dozen (here) but don't forget, if you are ordering brownies for this recipe, you'll want to order all Mint Chocolate Brownies so click the Choose Your Own Flavors button! I hope you find this brownie recipe delicious and useful. 

Recipe courtesy of Busy Cooks (About.com http://busycooks.about.com/od/barcookierecipes/r/mintbrownies.htm)

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~

Random March Holidays

Friday, February 26, 2010 by Brandie Davenport
In March we have the traditional holidays such as, St. Patrick's Day, Palm Sunday and Passover. Well there are some really fun holidays that you might not even know existed!

March is Employee Spirit Month
- Sometimes keeping your employee's spirit positive can be a challenge. A great way to boost their mood, spirit and maybe even production is to buy brownies for your office. Imagine the surprise when a delivery arrives and it's for your employee's. They open it and inside is a gourmet chocolate gift from the best brownie company! That would definitely improve my spirit! 

March 15th - 21st is American Chocolate Week
- I never knew there was an entire week dedicated to chocolate!

March 19th is National Chocolate Caramel Day - Our gourmet brownies come in 12 different flavors and caramel happens to be one of my favorites. Last year when we introduced our version of a truffle, a dark chocolate enrobed fudge brownie in caramel I was in awe. Celebrating this day will be a very easy and enjoyable thing for me to do! I am going to place my order now! 




March 25th is Pecan Day - Another flavor that our delicious brownies come in is Pecan. Since Pecans have their very own holiday this brownie is pretty special. My Grandfather is a big fan of this brownie so I think I will send brownies, all pecan, to arrive around the 25th. It's a very random holiday but I think it will put a smile on his face! 

Hope everyone has a happy March!

Decorating Gourmet Brownies at the Farmers Market!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by Kari Gayes
A few months ago, the person who coordinates the Kids Korner at the Old Town Farmers Market (OTFM ) in Scottsdale invited us to put together an activity with our gourmet Belgian chocolate brownies for the kids who come to the market with their parents. After getting rained out in January, we packed up trays of big fudgy brownies, icing and decorations to take to the market last Saturday. Here we are setting up:



It rained for an hour or so while we were there, but we still had a great time with all the kids who braved the rain to make their own brownie creation. Here's one who was a little too young to decorate, but old enough to enjoy a delicious brownie sample:



If you didn't know, before selling mail order brownies David and Eileen sold Fairytale Brownies at local farmers markets just like OTFM, so it is always nice to get back and see what it happening at the wonderful markets around the Phoenix area. We hope to come back to the Kids Korner again sometime!

Fudge Brownies Enrobed = Fairytale Truffles!

Monday, February 22, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Our delicious fudge brownies are great alone, but even better when we enrobe them in 60% dark Callebaut Belgian chocolate, an indulgence that we lovingly call Fairytale Truffles! Fairytale Truffles are rich, fudgy Morsels (1.5" x 1.5" mini brownies)  that are enrobed in velvety dark belgian chocolate. Our Truffles gifts contains 9 purely decadent truffles in Caramel, Raspberry Swirl and Walnut flavors nestled in an elegant brown box with a purple or red satin bow.

View our Fairytale Brownie Truffle Gifts here

What are people saying about Fairytale Brownies? This review that came to our service department raving about Fairytale Brownies gourmet brownie gifts: "Fairytale Brownies are absolutely delicious, and the prices are very reasonable considering the care in gift wrapping and delivery. I would recommend this product to any chocolate lover. ~ Candace C., Clarksville, AR"

Order brownies and Fairytale Truffle gifts online at brownies.com or by calling our customer service number at 800.324.7982. Thank you for making the world a sweeter place! 

  

Corporate Food Gifts

Thursday, February 18, 2010 by Brandie Davenport
Looking for a way to create a lasting impression on your clients? Fairytale Brownies offers a fantastic variety of Custom Logo Corporate Gifts! Not only is your logo imprinted on the packaging but they will get delicious gourmet brownies inside!



Make a tasteful impression with new and loyal clients by giving a dozen gourmet brownies. Our best-selling assortment presents 1 each of all 12 rich chocolate flavors in a classic gift box with your company logo printed on the custom band.

This gift is just one of the corporate gifts in our selection. To see more click here. We offer a very simple ordering system, volume discounts that can save you up to 15% on your order and can drop-ship worldwide!

For more information call or email our Corporate Sales Team at 602-489-5123 or corporate@brownies.com

Brownies: A great runners snack?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by Brandie Davenport

Kari in our Marketing Department got the email below from her cousin Matt: 

Hey there!
So your brownies are my new pre-run meal! I ate one just to get something in me before I ran 12 miles yesterday and I felt great during the run! So I came home and looked on the wrapper and you it's pretty great for workouts - the carbs, sodium, etc... are good! I am going to order some online.

 

Wow! I had no idea! I mean I knew our fudge brownies were tasty but had no clue they would help a runner have a great run. Thanks Kari and Matt for sharing this with us. Happy running! 

Kurt Warner on Jay Leno tonight!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by Brandie Davenport

As I'm sure you've heard Fairytale Brownies is a big supporter of Kurt Warner and his foundation First Things First. When you place an order using the source code FTFFTB we donate 20% of the order to the foundation. We just got an email from First Things First informing us that Kurt Warner is going to be on Jay Leno tonight! It's going to be a very exciting show because Kurt is joining Ashton Kutcher on the final prime time episode of the Jay Leno Show! Click here if you'd like to read the newsletter with other exciting things going on with Kurt, Brenda and First Things First!

Last minute Birthday Brownies!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by Brandie Davenport
This weekend was a crazy weekend for me, I moved. For the past couple weeks that has been the only thing on my mind... boxes, packing, renting a moving truck, transferring utilities and all the other annoying things that come with moving. I got to work yesterday morning and looked at my calendar... dang it! Wednesday is my little sisters birthday! I was at the store a dozen times this weekend and didn't even get her a card! For about 10 minutes I sat here thinking about what a horrible sister I was. She lives in Illinois so there is no way a card will get to her in time now! My mind started racing about what I could order to get to her by Wednesday and then it hit me... buy Brownies! I don't know why I forgot about the awesome Birthday Celebration gift we have! It comes with 18 delightfully rich, snack-size Fairytale Sprites, a fluffy Brownie Bear, a KaBOOM! kazoo, 4 Fairytale purple balloons, 12 message candles, a classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey game and a birthday button all wrapped in a box with a Happy Birthday band! Since I can't celebrate with my sister on her birthday I sent the celebration to her! I'm pretty sure her birthday will become a little happier when she opens the box to find all these goodies and our delicious gourmet brownies inside!

Kurt Warner Sent Brownies To Teams That Beat the Arizona Cardinals?

Thursday, February 4, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Here is an interesting article that I came across that talked about how Kurt Warner sent brownies to the Saints coach after they beat the Cardinals in the playoffs. This article references our own Fairytale Brownies Blog article written by Alyssa, our Marketing and PR guru. The author seems really surprised that Kurt would send brownies to a "foe" - but I surely am not.  We've grown VERY fond of Kurt at Fairytale Brownies, especially because we donate 20% of the proceeds of every brownie order placed with the source code FTFFTB to Kurt's First Things First Foundation. Quoting Alyssa, "Thank you Kurt for spreading the brownie love!" Oh, and just to clear things up....Fairytale Brownies are not laxative laced or of the "special" variety! They are truly "A Taste Of Pure Enchantment!"
----------------------------------------------------
Article Source: www.newsfootballshare.com
There aren't many people who would deny that former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is a good guy. But it turns out he may be nicer than any of us ever thought. According to the blog Ask Alyssa All Things PR/Marketing on the Fairytale Brownies Blog, Warner is amazingly nice even in defeat!

"First we want to thank Kurt Warner for being a Fairytale Brownies Fan. He sent congratulations brownies to Saints coach Sean Payton after the team won against the Cardinals in the NFC divisional playoffs, and then sent another brownie box to him after the Saints beat the Vikings. Thank you, Kurt, for spreading the brownie love!"

Send brownies to the coach of the team that not only knocked your team out of the playoffs but also knocked you out of the game. That's just saintly. And he did it not once, but  twice! The only way most athletes would even consider sending brownies to a foe is if they're laxative laced or of  the "special" variety just days before a league drug test. It's unclear whether this was a one-time thing, or if Warner has extended similar niceties to others who have knocked his teams out of the playoffs.

But you've got to wonder, exactly how many brownies do you send someone for winning the Superbowl? I guess I'll have to "Ask Alyssa" next week if the Saints beat the Colts! 

Cool Things People Are Saying About Fairytale Brownies!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 by Hilary Lee
This week I received a surprise email from one of our business affiliates, The Employee Network, that they had recently held a contest encouraging their members to write testimonials of participating businesses to win a Sedona Weekend Getaway. Several of their members wrote testimonials on behalf of Fairytale Brownies! Here is what they had to say about us:

Richard from Bank of America wrote:
"My testimonial is for Fairytale Brownies. I just wanted to tell you what a quality company they are. I was impressed from their website brownies.com to their delicious looking gourmet brownies of course. Their brownie selection is so varied and each one looks so scrumptious. I ordered a variety box and every flavor of brownie became my new favorite! Thank you for having them as a merchant."

Jeff from the City of Mesa wrote:
"Two weeks before Christmas we had relatives in from St. Louis, MO. My wife and I took them on a tour of the Fairytale Brownies Bakery. Everyone loved the samples and filled their lists with holiday gift boxes. The week after Christmas we got calls from relatives asking where they could get more so we gave them the brownies.com website so they could order brownies online. The 15% discount code they gave us was a big help too. Thanks for carrying Fairytale Brownies as a vendor!"

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries on behalf of Fairytale Brownies! We couldn't do it without the great support of our friends and customers! 

A Fairytale Birthday!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 by Brandie Davenport
Monday was our graphic designer Erin's birthday. She took Monday off to enjoy a nice relaxing day so we celebrated today. We ordered in lunch from one of her favorite places, Dilly's Deli. It was delicious! She didn't want us to sing to her but we did anyway! :) Happy Birthday Erin! 

Wacky February Holidays

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 by Brandie Davenport

February has a lot more happenings than just Valentine's Day! 

February is Bake for Family Fun Month - If baking just isn't your thing, order a dozen original brownies online and decorate them with your family. If baking is your thing we have a ton of brownie recipes!
February is National Cherry Month - Yummm, a cherry Fairytale Brownie would be delicious!

February 8th - 14th is International Flirting Week - Sending your love interest a box of fudgy chocolate brownies would be quite a nice way to flirt with them!
February 12th - 15th is Random Acts of Kindness - A gourmet chocolate gift would be an awesome random act of kindness!

February 5th is World Nutella Day - I am not a Nutella fan but for those that are try spreading it on one of our yummy brownies!
February 19th is Chocolate Mint Day - Our delicious mint brownie has a day all to itself!
 

Hope everyone has a wonderful February!

 



 


Fairytale To Raise Funds To Build Local Playspace

Friday, January 15, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Fairytale Brownies co-founders Eileen Spitalny and David Kravetz believe that they can do more for children and promote the importance of play. Since 2001, Fairytale Brownies has been donating brownies and funds to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit that helps communities build playgrounds, but this year, Fairytale's focus will be to raise funds to construct a KaBOOM! playspace in the Phoenix area.

"We've helped fund and build playspaces in several Arizona cities, Chicago, Mississippi and New York, but other companies were the main funding partners," Eileen Spitalny said. "Our goal is to fund a playspace in Phoenix that will truly be a fairytale for the children to experience."

Fairytale Brownies customers play a significant role in funding the playspace. Through their pruchases of special occasion gifts (Thank You, Congratulations, Happy Birthday and Thinking of You), a portion of the cost is donated to KaBOOM! Customers are also able to give the "Gift of Play" by opting to donate $1 to any purchase made when ordering brownies online at brownies.com. In 2009, Fairytale customers contributed more than $3,000 by adding $1 "Gift of Play" to their online orders.

Eileen and David met while playing on their kindergarten playground at Madison Heights Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona in 1971, so a KaBOOM! partnership is a natural fit for Fairytale Brownies. Research shows that kids who play are healthier and less likely to be obese. They also develop the cognitive skills that are linked to learning and academic performance. Although the Fairytale playspace physically will be in Arizona, Fairytale Brownies' customers all over the world can be proud knowing they are helping to promote play. Learn more about KaBOOM! here.

      

Sweet Giving From The Heart With Fairytale Brownies

Friday, January 15, 2010 by Hilary Lee
Begin a new Valentine's Day tradition this year by sending that special someone a chocolate indulgence from Fairytale Brownies. New this year is the Valentine Keepsake Dozen. The handcrafted wooden box is filled with one each of every Fairytale Brownies flavor (Original, Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Cream Cheese, Espresso Nib, Mint Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Pecan, Raspberry Swirl, Toffee Crunch, Walnut and White Chocolate). Once the brownies are eaten, the box can be used to keep treasured mementos for years to come. Shoppers can take advantage of special pricing on the Valentine's Keepsake Dozen, regularly $45.95, sale price $38.90.


Other select Valentine's Day brownie gifts will be specially priced as well. The Valentine Truffles box includes 9 fudgy bite-sized brownies enrobed in 60% dark chocolate, regularly priced at $24.95, sale price $19.95. The Valentine Truffles gift box includes three each of Caramel, Raspberry Swirl and Walnut flavors nestled in an elegant brown box with red satin bow. 

The Valentine Sprite 24 ($36.90), Valentine Dozen ($33.90) and Valentine Morsel 24 ($26.90) are also specially priced for the holiday. Baking since 1992, Fairytale Brownies is known for its rich Callebaut gourmet chocolate brownies. Every batch of chocolate brownies is baked by hand using a 50-year-old family recipe and natural ingredients including pure creamery butter and farm fresh eggs. Fairytale Brownies are Certified Kosher. Order brownies today at brownies.com.