Dawson Foods

Custom blends, the secret of successful brands everywhere

larry — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:58:04 +0000

Custom blends from a trusted source are the secret of successful brands everywhere. Consistent, high quality custom blends are the soul of great food products.

Custom blending lies halfway between science and art, requiring an accurate measure and exacting calculations in the factory to produce the smile of contentment when the food makes its way to someone’s mouth. Unlike home baking, industrial cookies, cakes, and other foods travel further than the kitchen table before people eat them, and knowing the ins and outs of the food industry is key to presenting your product as you know it to a customer thousands of miles away.

What can happen? You don’t want to know. Certain ingredients don’t store well and others may destabilize or alter their composition in transit. Custom blenders are aware of these pitfalls, and have protocols and safety checks every step of the way, to ensure that your cookies in California taste the same as they do in Boston. Consistency is key.

When repeat customers experience a change from the usual, they respond with overwhelming negativity. People are attached to their favorite foods, and if a company doesn’t get it right every day, every month, and every year, they risk alienating loyal customers. Making a gluten free food or a sugar free food takes more than substitution; it takes experts. The addition of even one new ingredient can affect the entire blend. Matching the end product is the goal; you want your gluten free cookies to taste as good as the original version, but that may require a few ingredients you would never have thought of. The right blenders have seen it all, and can add the perfect product at the right price to keep your customers happy and your bottom line healthy.

Give your great idea a chance-collaborating with experienced custom blenders will allow you to test and tweak your recipe without budgeting setbacks and shelving nightmares.

Apple Cinnamon Bread or Muffins

larry — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:22:33 +0000

Nothing is so welcoming on a fall day as a blend of apples, cinnamon and warmth. As far back as fourteenth century Europe, apples have been enjoyed as a fall rite, but somewhere in the eighteenth century the combination of apples with cinnamon became uniquely associated with America. It was this association that gave rise to the familiar phrase, “As American as apple pie.”

Sometimes pie isn’t convenient. We think these portable snacks are a healthy rival for apple pie, resplendent with the all American flavor of a Midwestern fall day. Commuters, school kids, and busy moms appreciate the portability and convenience of these breads and muffins, and they are a great way to increase sales from breakfast through after dinner dessert!

You can make outstanding Apple Cinnamon bread or muffins in a flash with our award winning mix. (Want more cinnamon, less sugar, or gluten free? We are happy to adjust any of our recipes to your standards-just give us a call to get started on creating a custom blend!)

Getting Started…

Make sure you have all the ingredients (fortunately for you, we have put most of them in a single package-the seventeenth century housewife would be tres jaloux!)

-Heat your oven to 375

-Blend the cinnamon into the muffin mix

-Add the water and blend on low speed for about a minute…the batter may still be lumpy-don’t worry about it!

-Fold in your apples with a spoon

-Fill muffin cups or bread pan 2/3 full

-Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

-Enjoy!

Ingredients

-10 lbs. Basic Muffin Mix

-#10 can Vacuum Packed Apple Slices (feel free to get artistic-cut them smaller, dice, chop-whatever you like)

-1/4 – 1/2 cup Cinnamon

-2 qts. Cold Water

Consumers are buying private label foods in unprecedented numbers

larry — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:48:01 +0000

There was a time when private label foods were confined to the value section of the grocery store. Viewed as a “knock off” of a national brand,consumers perceived these items as undesirable. That perception has been quickly changing over the past two years. Private label products have changed their image, and are steadily gaining prestige in the eyes of consumers, according to a recent report by J.D. Powers and Associates. This report chronicles the game changing shift in consumer perception of private label food merchandise. Consumers are buying private label brands in unprecedented volume, not only because they seek extra value in an economic downturn but because they perceive the products to be better; better tasting, better value, better ingredients.

Private label products are responding to consumer preferences in a way national brands are not. High quality, often organic, and attractively packaged private label products are winning conversions over established national brands. The ability to follow micro trends and adjust products to meet consumer expectations are just a few of the advantages private labels have over more conservative national brands.

How did this happen? Once associated with value at the cost of quality, the dingy labels, institutional sized containers, and cheaper ingredients that characterized private label brands of the past have been overhauled and replaced with attractive, easy to use, appealing merchandise that consumers associate with healthy, organic, and dynamic lifestyle choices. Niche markets and differentiated products are quickly becoming “must haves” for an ever more specific and precise clientele.

Dawson Foods has been helping clients deliver great tasting, superior products in inspiring packaging to customers for over five decades. Why not take advantage of this fantastic opportunity as customers are changing their minds about private label goods? We can work with you from first idea through delivery to create a great tasting, superior product your clients will love. Give us a call today!