Breaking News...Diane Ryan from News Channel 10 (Fox News) will be at the Fairytale Brownies bakery Wednesday 12/24 at 8:00 am - 9:00 am. If you are in the Phoenix Metro area, tell your friends and family to watch. Also, anyone who comes into the bakery or Fairytale Brownies retail store to buy gifts and mentions CHANNEL 10 will receive a FREE Morsel 24 gift! Click here for directions to our retail store. We are open until noon tomorrow, so come and visit us for your last minute gifts and stocking stuffers!
Happy Holidays! ~ Hilary
Posted Friday, December 19, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
We received a couple of very nice customer follow ups today that I thought I would share. These customers ordered brownies as holiday gifts, and their gift recipients LOVED them (we knew they would)! We love to hear your brownie stories. It helps us make sure we are doing things right and keeping our customers and their gift recipients happy. Keep those brownie stories coming! ~ Hilary
Dear Fairytale Brownies,
I just wanted to let you know that everyone we sent the brownies to have called telling us how good they were and how they have really enjoyed them Thank you for your help and the prompt delivery to each recipient. Have a nice holiday.
Robbi W.
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Dear Fairytale Brownies,
I did not know your business existed. I received a catalog in the mail and was happy to support a local company, so I decided to send a few gifts. The recipients loved the product. I decided I'd better try some for myself and see if they were really that good. I ordered some and I love them, they are soft, tasty and not over the top sweet, which is good. Te biggest problem I see, is hiding them in the fridge so I won't eat them all in the first week! Congrats on a great product with reasonable pricing.
Judi K.
Dear Fairytale Brownies,
I just wanted to let you know that everyone we sent the brownies to have called telling us how good they were and how they have really enjoyed them Thank you for your help and the prompt delivery to each recipient. Have a nice holiday.
Robbi W.
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Dear Fairytale Brownies,
I did not know your business existed. I received a catalog in the mail and was happy to support a local company, so I decided to send a few gifts. The recipients loved the product. I decided I'd better try some for myself and see if they were really that good. I ordered some and I love them, they are soft, tasty and not over the top sweet, which is good. Te biggest problem I see, is hiding them in the fridge so I won't eat them all in the first week! Congrats on a great product with reasonable pricing.
Judi K.
Posted Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by
Alyssa Andrews
It rained a lot in Phoenix yesterday, and at least 150 volunteers experienced that rain first hand while building a playground for Riverbend Preparatory Academy in Laveen. Fairytale Brownies team members were there helping KaBOOM! and Home Depot provide a safe place to play for the elementary school students who attend Riverbend. Despite the wetness, the playground was finished by the afternoon.
Kurt Warner, quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, dropped by to help with the build as well. He worked on a rock climbing wall, mixed cement and planted flowers in the newly built planters.
Then he signed autographs for the volunteers in the school gym. Volunteers munched on Fairytale Brownies while waiting in line for their autographs.
Fairytale Brownies' co-owner Eileen Spitalny worked on the mulch crew with the mulch master (someone who's been on the mulching crew before), who is pictured above. In fact, this particular mulching master was a volunteer at the last Phoenix KaBOOM! build a few weeks ago but missed out on her gourmet brownie. We made sure she tried one this time. Below is a photo of Eileen in action.
See? I told you it was rainy!
After mulching, Eileen waited in line to visit with Kurt, too.
Kurt even signed Eileen's Fairytale Sprite!
That brownie won't be eaten any time soon...
Lian Mah was KaBOOM!'s project manager. She flew from Washington, D.C. hoping to have better weather than what she left.
Although the Phoenix weather disappointed her, she DID get to visit our Fairytale Brownies bakery and have a tour with Eileen.
By the way, I wasn't officially on the mulch crew this time. I got to be a cement worker and help lay the forms for the playground. I thought I was pretty sturdy until I tried to lift an 80 lb sack of cement. I really need to start lifting more brownie boxes!
Posted Wednesday, December 10, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
Step into chocolate luxury with Fairytale Brownies' velvety smooth Fairytale Truffles. We have taken our gourmet brownies to a new level with these snack-sized brownies made of Belgian dark chocolatey goodness. We are introducing three truffle flavors: Caramel, Raspberry, and Walnut. Raspberry Swirl is baked with lively raspberry puree that swirls through its top. Walnut is piled high with premium chopped walnuts. And Caramel has a creamy layer that flows through the middle. All three flavors are coated with 60% dark Callebaut chocolate and topped with sugar crystals (Raspberry), a walnut piece (Walnut), and a caramel dot (Caramel).
So go ahead and spoil someone with these tasty indulgences. ~ Hilary
Posted Friday, December 5, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
My 9-year-old son and I are huge hot chocolate fans. More often than not, I can be seen at our local Starbucks ordering a cocoa over a latte. When Fairytale Brownies was looking to improve its cocoa this year I was really excited about it. We had employee taste tests to find the best tasting cocoa around. We tasted about 5 different cocoas from chocolate makers around the world. We finally settled on a new formula that is more chocolaty than ever! This silky new Fairytale Cocoa is made from pure sweet ground chocolate. It is a dark chocolate lovers dream and has a rich, molten chocolate taste that’s the perfect indulgence - especially for those cold winter nights. Hope you enjoy the new cocoa as much as I do. ~ Hilary
Posted Tuesday, December 2, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
Hello! When I got into work today at 7 am, there was already so much hustle and bustle going on in our warehouse that I decided to snap a few photos and share them with you. We are really busy prepping for the holiday rush, so our shipping department is pretty busy building gifts as orders come in for holiday shipments. Below is a picture of a few pallets of Santa's Surprise gift towers ready to be packed into their respective shipping boxes. I thought these towers looked like pretty red Christmas trees!
Below is a picture of our new custom gift printer in action. We can print full-color photographs and logo's on to our newly designed gift bands. This form of customization is a new process for us, but has been very popular so far this year. Our corporate customers love that they can order custom boxes with no minimums and they get free matching logo gift cards as well.
Hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes peak at Fairytale Brownies. Oh and by the way, I hope you caught us on News Channel 3 this morning from 6am - 9am. We had a great time with April Warnecke and the Good Morning AZ film crew.
~ Hilary
Below is a picture of our new custom gift printer in action. We can print full-color photographs and logo's on to our newly designed gift bands. This form of customization is a new process for us, but has been very popular so far this year. Our corporate customers love that they can order custom boxes with no minimums and they get free matching logo gift cards as well.
Hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes peak at Fairytale Brownies. Oh and by the way, I hope you caught us on News Channel 3 this morning from 6am - 9am. We had a great time with April Warnecke and the Good Morning AZ film crew.
~ Hilary
Posted Monday, November 10, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
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.
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.
Posted Monday, November 3, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
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
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
Posted Wednesday, October 29, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
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
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
Posted Thursday, October 23, 2008 by
Alyssa Andrews
It's been a couple of weeks, but I'm still psyched about the We Play! workshop held Oct. 10. Representatives from KaBOOM!, a nonprofit that Fairytale Brownies is partners with, were in Mesa, Arizona, to help communities in the area learn how build playgrounds. There were about 75 people attending - from as far south as Tucson, and as west as California - and all of us left the workshop armed with a ton of knowledge. I left wanting to build a playground immediately!
KaBOOM!'s goal is to have a playspace within walking distance of every child in America. Fairytale Brownies helps KaBOOM! by donating funds and brownies, and team members volunteer to help with builds when they are local. Fairytale's co-owners, Eileen and David, met on the playground years ago, so it was fitting that KaBOOM! be their partner.
The workshop was informative and the speakers were fantastic, but the best part for me was getting to play with Legos and Play-doh during trhe presentations.
I LOVE to play! - Alyssa
KaBOOM!'s goal is to have a playspace within walking distance of every child in America. Fairytale Brownies helps KaBOOM! by donating funds and brownies, and team members volunteer to help with builds when they are local. Fairytale's co-owners, Eileen and David, met on the playground years ago, so it was fitting that KaBOOM! be their partner.
The workshop was informative and the speakers were fantastic, but the best part for me was getting to play with Legos and Play-doh during trhe presentations.
I LOVE to play! - Alyssa
Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
This week Fairytale Brownies had a Corporate Gifts showcase in our retail store for all of our Corporate Clients and Distributors. We showcased our new customizing options and our new custom packaging. We also sampled Fairytale Brownies, Fairytale Cocoa and Fairytale Coffee as well as our newest item, Fairytale Truffles! It was a great success and we had a great time visiting with all of our Corporate Clients and Distributors. Here is a picture from our event. Also, check out the background through the windows! Those are our bakers baking our delicious gourmet brownies!
~ Brandie
Posted Thursday, October 9, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
My name is Kim Silva, and I am the Operations Team Leader at Fairytale Brownies. I will be celebrating my 15th year of service with Fairytale Brownies this coming February, and I am so thankful to have been part of a true "Fairytale". During my time with Fairytale Brownies I have seen many changes, but we have always stayed true to our philosophy of using only the finest and freshest ingredients, including Callebaut Belgian Chocolate, farm-fresh eggs and creamery butter.
This week we were fortunate enough to have Patrick Peeters (Technical Advisor - Callebaut Chocolate Academy) visit with our baking team to consult on our new brownie truffles, which are brownie morsel pieces covered in decadent Callebaut chocolate. Patrick was able to give our team great advice on how best to work with the enrobing machine that covers the brownies in chocolate, as well as how to work with the chocolate itself, which can be extremely sensitive. The Fairytale Truffles are one of the newest additions to the Fairytale family of products and we anticipate them being a huge success, who can resist a Fairytale Brownie coated in only the finest Belgian chocolate!
~ Kim
Posted Thursday, October 9, 2008 by
Kari Gayes
Fairytale Brownies is in the news this week, in a feature article on brandchannel.com. The story profiles owners Eileen and David, tells the Fairytale story and talks about how we have built and revamped our brand over the last 16 years. It includes great food start-up advice and brand-building tips.
Check it out here: http://brandchannel.com/careers_profile.asp?cr_id=96.
There are many other exciting and newsworthy things coming soon at Fairytale Brownies, so keep checking back for updates.
~Kari
Check it out here: http://brandchannel.com/careers_profile.asp?cr_id=96.
There are many other exciting and newsworthy things coming soon at Fairytale Brownies, so keep checking back for updates.
~Kari
Posted Monday, October 6, 2008 by
Alyssa Andrews
The Fairytale Brownies crew was at The Phoenix Zoo twice this past weekend.
On Friday night, several of us donned fairy (butterfly) wings and served Cream Cheese and Chocolate Chip brownies to guests attending the zoo's annual fund-raiser, Zoofari. Some of the guests were reluctant to try the brownies before actually eating a meal, but we encouraged them to taste the brownies with the wine that was being served at the booths at either side of ours. All of our brownies are made with Belgian dark chocolate so it's only natural to sample one with a sip of wine. Some guests tried them as an "appetizer," and others waited until they were ready for dessert. Either way, everyone got their chocolate fix.
Early Sunday morning (some members of my family thought it was WAY TOO EARLY), the Fairytale Brownies crew (and family) were at the zoo again to walk for breast cancer. This time we shed our fairy wings and wore our new Fairytale Brownies T-shirts and something pink for the City of Hope's Walk for Hope to fight breast cancer. Whenever we go places in our Fairytale shirts, people ask us if we have any brownies on us. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. We were prepared on Sunday! Eileen brought a stash, and anyone who asked received a chocolate treat. Once the word got out though, the brownie stash was depleted quite quickly.
We're working on other brownie projects, so check back for more news.
Have a Fairytale Day!
- Alyssa
On Friday night, several of us donned fairy (butterfly) wings and served Cream Cheese and Chocolate Chip brownies to guests attending the zoo's annual fund-raiser, Zoofari. Some of the guests were reluctant to try the brownies before actually eating a meal, but we encouraged them to taste the brownies with the wine that was being served at the booths at either side of ours. All of our brownies are made with Belgian dark chocolate so it's only natural to sample one with a sip of wine. Some guests tried them as an "appetizer," and others waited until they were ready for dessert. Either way, everyone got their chocolate fix.
Early Sunday morning (some members of my family thought it was WAY TOO EARLY), the Fairytale Brownies crew (and family) were at the zoo again to walk for breast cancer. This time we shed our fairy wings and wore our new Fairytale Brownies T-shirts and something pink for the City of Hope's Walk for Hope to fight breast cancer. Whenever we go places in our Fairytale shirts, people ask us if we have any brownies on us. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. We were prepared on Sunday! Eileen brought a stash, and anyone who asked received a chocolate treat. Once the word got out though, the brownie stash was depleted quite quickly.
We're working on other brownie projects, so check back for more news.
Have a Fairytale Day!
- Alyssa
Posted Monday, September 22, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
Hello! My name is Brandie and I am on the Corporate Sales Team here at Fairytale Brownies. I have been with Fairytale Brownies for 4 years, and this will be my 4th Holiday Season with the company. As we all know, the holidays are fast approaching! In fact, I heard on the news this morning that there were only 97 days left until Christmas! Of course, Christmas is the best time to give Fairytale Brownies as holiday gifts!
The gift that I have featured here is the Custom 8-Sprite Favor. It's a pretty popular gift because we are able to print a high resolution full-color logo or personalized photo right on the box! With new customizing options available on our new bands and boxes, combined with our new flavor (Cream Cheese), and no minimums, we have the perfect custom gifts that will make a lasting impression on your new and loyal clients! If you are interested in finding out more information on custom gift giving, please visit our Custom Gifts information page.
Unlike most companies, this year we have actually lowered prices on our gifts to fit any budget. With the struggling economy, it seems more important than ever to be sure to thank your most important clients for their continued business as we thank you for your continued business with us.
~ Brandie
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
Welcome to the new Fairytale Brownies Blog! We’ve dedicated this category - Food Startups Advice - to try and offer some words of wisdom to other budding entrepreneurs. Eileen and I started Fairytale Brownies in 1992 with a $14,000 investment. Since then we’ve bootstrapped our way to a successful business, and we’ve learned many lessons along the way. We often hear from people with a great food product (toffee, cookies, chocolates, popcorn – you name it). They’ve been making it out of their home for a while and giving it (or selling it) to family, friends, and colleagues. They’re ready to take the next step, but they often don’t know where to begin. It all seems so daunting at first to think about equipment, health permits, packaging, trademarks, marketing, and more. In the future, we’ll be giving advice on all of those topics. There will also be contributions from other team members that have seen the entrepreneurial spirit working first hand. One of these team members is our Operations Team Leader, Kim Silva. Kim started working for Fairytale Brownies right out of college and has been with us for almost 15 years!
So welcome again and here’s the first piece of advice…
ASK FOR ADVICE! You won’t believe how much free expert advice is out there if you’re just willing to ask. In the early years, and even today, Eileen and I asked a lot of questions. Before you jump into any new venture, it’s always best to gather as much information as possible. Here are a few of the places you should seek advice:
- Call your local health department to find out the regulations in your area. Some places allow the public sale of food prepared in an approved home kitchen – other areas do not.
- Visit your local economic development or community outreach office for advice about loan programs, zoning, economic incentive packages, and more.
- Contact your nearest Small Business Administration office (sba.gov). Ask about the SCORE program offering free mentoring for small businesses.
- Visit your bank. Speak in person with a banker to learn about their business services (equipment loans, credit card merchant services, lines of credit).
- Visit a store that sells restaurant equipment. Learn the price range for new and used equipment that you’ll eventually need.
- Shop the competition. Although they won’t give you advice directly, you can learn a lot from ordering their products. Go online and order something like the product you’re going to make.
- Check with your local college about their small business classes.
- Tap the knowledge of family and friends. Are any of them attorneys, accountants, or in the food business?
There are endless examples of places to find great advice – sometimes for a cost, but often for free. The point is – ASK! You won’t be taking everyone’s advice, but it never hurts to listen. Asking a lot of questions will give you the confidence to tackle the challenges facing every new business.
Good luck!
David Kravetz
Co-Founder
Fairytale Brownies
Posted Wednesday, September 10, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
Speaking of NEW additions to Fairytale Brownies, I too am a new addition! The Fairytale Brownies team has opened their wholesale department and I am delighted to be a member of the team. Fairytale Brownies is so much more than a job for me, it is a sweet experience! It is so exciting to be involved with all the new, inovative ideas and products coming out this year. I can't wait to see whats next!
-Stacy Foster
Posted Tuesday, August 26, 2008 by
Hilary Lee
A letter from 1Lt Sonia P., 2nd Platoon:
Dear Fairytale Brownies,
Wow! Who knew that brownies could taste so good! The soldiers felt like they were in heaven. Your brownies are awesome!! Thanks for sending a "taste" of home!!
2nd Platoon.
Posted Monday, August 25, 2008 by
Alyssa Andrews
So today's my first day back in the office from a few days away from the brownie business. I feel like I've been gone for a month! So much is happening at Fairytale. We are excited about our new products being launched next week. Between the new Cream Cheese brownie flavor, new Cocoa, the new Fairytale Truffles, new packaging and bands, new and beautiful catalog, and new, amazing web site, it's almost as if we've created a new company. Actually, we are finalizing a two-year rebranding transition and everyone will get to see the results of our efforts. We'd love to hear your comments after the unveiling.
