Spicy is HOT

As you all know, our Redstone bars, particularly the Redstone Red Chili Chipotle (72% dark), Jalapeno with Salted Peanut (milk), and the La Azteca (spicy with Cinnamon) are all doing very well.

What is NEW & HOT is the Lammes Habinero products. They have quite the kick, but are a nice edition to the Lammes line, which continues to grow in popularity. They would also be a nice edition to any candy line up and get great reactions from the hot food foodies. Please give them a try on your next order.

Trends for 2009

Okay, so we all read the bad news every day. The economy isn't great, people are losing jobs, and everyone's mood is sour. As someone in the candy business, there IS something we can do about it. We can sell our wares and make everyone happy.

Two categories are going to sell well, mark our words.
1) The first is nostalgia. Nostalgia is fun, filled with good memories, and not expensive. People love to think of their childhood - everyone remembers the neighborhood candy store where they grew up. Everyone has a dollar or two to relive a happy memory.
2) The second category is basic bulk items. People cannot afford great vacations or jewelery, but everyone can still afford a great piece of candy. Everything from gummy bears to chocolate almonds are going to do well. A pound or two keeps the kids happy in the mall and is still well within reach of most people.

As a merchant, keep these options available and easy to get to. Something as simple as creating a nostalgic area of your store or prebagging half pound bags (or $3 or $4 bags) of your top 5 bulk items and putting them in a basket near the front of the store will keep things fun and fresh. You will be on-trend in 2009 and you will also see movement.

Good luck! Tell us how it goes. If you would like us to email you a price list, just drop us a line. For contact information visit us at www.redstonefoods.com.

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Funky Chunky

Great news about Funky Chunky...

FunkyChunky is in the December issue of Redbook Magazine on page 184.

Please let us know how your customers respond...

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Schokinag - About the Flavors

Now for more on the outstanding Schokinag – European Drinking Chocolate

Triple Chocolate: A rich treat made with tiny morsels of real dark and milk chocolate with a dusting of pure cocoa powder.

Chocolate Mint: The classic combination of rich dark and milk chocolate and refreshing mint now makes a smooth, comforting beverage. Perfect for the holidays, or for every day, this is chocolate mint like you have never experienced.

Chocolate Mocha: One of the best-loved flavor combinations the world over – chocolate and coffee – is taken to new heights with out chocolate lover’s version of the traditional chocolate mocha made with milk chocolate, white chocolate, and real Columbian coffee.

Dulce De Leche: Inspired by the creamy caramel and milk confection popular in South America, our Dulce de Leche drinking chocolate is made only with real bits of white chocolate and natural caramel.

Winner NASFT Outstanding Beverage 2004!


Extreme DarkTM: The ultimate dark chocolate lover’s drinking chocolate. Made with morsels of our Extreme DarkTM chocolate and a dusting of cocoa powder, it has a cocoa content of 79%. This is the richest darkest drinking chocolate available.

Winner NASFT Outstanding Beverage 2004!


German Chocolate Cake Flavor: Milk chocolate, caramel and coconut milk powder blend to create a beverage with the real flavor of a freshly baked German chocolate cake.

Winner NASFT Outstanding New Product 2004!


Moroccan Spice: Our most exotic Drinking Chocolate yet, this blend of aromatic spices with dark and milk chocolate will transport you to the dazzling, romantic bazaars of Morocco. Experience the mystique of a rich civilization unchanged by centuries.

Strawberries and White Chocolate: Our NEW Strawberries and White Chocolate is a smooth blend of natural strawberries and our finest white chocolate. With a fine dusting of a white chocolate powder, it completes the first of many fruit inspired beverages to come. This lovely drink is perfect to accompany a pastry, dessert, or just alone as a special indulgence. Served hot or cold, it is truly a decadent treat! It also makes a wonderful sauce, fondue, or ganache!


New for the fall is the Organic Extreme Dark. With all of the wonderful flavors and aromas of the Extreme Dark, now completely organic!


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Drinking Chocolates - Schokinag

The idea behind drinking chocolates is this - its like drinking a chocolate bar. It is rich, think, and delightful. Its not the kind of thing you would drink a huge mug of in front of the TV or at a coffee bar. It is far to rich for that. To prepare it, you warm milk and put the drinking chocolate in the milk. Drinking chocolate is essentially a shaved chocolate bar and therefore it is heat sensitive in the same way that a chocolate bar is.

In a word, drinking chocolate is much closer to a fine chocolate bar, than to cocoa that you would use in chocolate milk.

Schokinag drinking chocolate is one of our strongest sellers. Though we do well with drinking chocolate from Santander (available in the fall), the E. Guittard, Dagoba, Scharffenberger, and others, Schokinag is the fastest mover and the one with the most flavors. Just so you know, Schokinag is one of the worlds top chocolate manufacturers, in the states, they do not have a retail presence, but in Europe they are huge.

A bit about the drinking chocolate, from their sales material...
Our European Drinking Chocolate line was created in the style of traditional European chocolate drinks of the 17th century. Made with tiny bits of real chocolate and prepared with milk rather than water, your customers will wonder why they ever drank instant hot chocolate.

This line sells best for us from September through February, but it is available year round. Later, I will post a bit about each of the flavors.


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Gufstaf's Licorice

By now, many of you have seen our newest licorice brand - Gustaf's. Below are some pictures and a description of what is special about each of the 3 items.

However, we wanted to let you in on a secret...licorice lovers are CRAZY. They are very loyal and will drive across town to find what they are looking for. While maybe only 10-20% of your customers are serious licorice lovers, they are loyal and willing to pay for the good stuff. So, while licorice may not be a huge mover for you, it is an important part of attracting and keeping great customers.

Below is some "romance text" from the company. We thought this would help explain the product.

31400 Gustaf's Duet 12 x 7oz
A composition for two. Our Chef has toiled endlessly in our kitchen to compose this delectable harmony to tempt your taste buds. Premium ingredients releases the intense licorice flavors. Bon Appetit!

31401 Touch of Italy 12 x 7oz.
Italia: Is it the place, the people, or the food? One taste and you're there. As distinct as the region it hails from, Touch of Italy entices the palate with a hint of bay leave extract. Premium gum arabic releases the intense licorice flavor. Buon appetito!

31402 Royal Rounds 12 x 7oz.
Befitting a soverign, these magnificant, Royal Rounds will please the most distinguished taste. Rich flavors of licorice are enticed by the highest quality gum arabic. So rare these days, but with royalty, no expense is spared. Enjoy!

Flavored Candy Corn

The newest and host rage in the Mellowcream world, is flavored candy corn. For those of you unfamiliar with Mellowcream or Mellowcreme as some spell it, Mellowcream is a distinct type of candy. Most people are familiar with it as candy corn, though it can come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

This year, the color/flavor combinations are stepped up a bit. We have lots of flavors for our customers and the colors to match. This product is from Zachary and the price is right. Click below for pictures and call us for more information.

For Halloween
05021 ZACHARY CARAMEL APPLE CANDY CORN
05027 ZACHARY CARAMEL CANDY CORN

For Christmas
05869 ZACHARY CANDY CORN - CANDY CANE
05871 ZACHARY CANDY CORN – EGGNOG
05870 ZACHARY CANDY CORN – GINGERBREAD

Give it a shot, its something new and exciting!

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Its Summertime, Enjoy a Margarita

We heard the weatherman talking about a cooling trend dropping the highs into the low 90's. Its must be summer.

Now that summer is here, its hot. What is better than a nice, cool, refreshing margarita? A quick search for the word Margarita, yielded the following results...

55101 RED STONE'S MARGARITA CHOCOLATE BAR 24/2.25z

55112 RED STONE'S MARGARITA TAFFY BOX 24/8oz

55165 RED STONE'S MARGARITA RIM TRIM 6/4.5oz

55200 RED STONE'S MARGARITA DROPS 6/7oz

55400 RED STONE'S MINI MARGARITA COOKIES 11/9oz

8140 RED STONE'S MARGARITA SOURS 12/10oz

52968 JELLY BELLY MARGARITA 10/LB

0075 HOTLIX MARGARITA POPS W/SALT SUGARFREE 36/1 oz

As always, click on the item number to see a picture. Happy drinking - er, hunting.


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Great New Snack - Pogos

We are always on the lookout for a great snack item that isn't usually available in the mass market - now we've got it. Its pogos. Check out the description below. Sounds cool huh? Give it a try - sales are brisk and customers are responding very well to them...

"You have never tasted a potato cheese stick like it! When you open the bag, the aroma of cheese tells you - it’s the real thing! Tons of crunchy, cheesy taste and none of the messy orange stuff left on your hands. Our unique baking process allows us to create a more wholesome product using only all-natural, non-GMO ingredients. Better-for-you has never tasted so good.

00221	POGO'S HICKORY SMOKED POTATO CHEESE STICKS	24/2oz
00251	POGO'S HICKORY SMOKED POTATO CHEESE STICKS	12/5oz
00222	POGO'S JALAPENO POTATO CHEESE STICKS	24/2oz
00252	POGO'S JALAPENO POTATO CHEESE STICKS	12/5oz
00220	POGO'S WHITE CHEDDAR POTATO CHEESE STICKS	24/2oz
00250	POGO'S WHITE CHEDDAR POTATO CHEESE STICKS	12/5oz

Fantastic Lollipops Now In

We just received a shipment of some new, fantastic lollipops. These are high quality, in displays, and at a better price that what has previously been available. Come and get 'em!

Item # Case Unit Description

59711	24	2.1oz	Western Pops w/Display
59712	24	2.1oz	Texas Pops w/Display
59713	24	2.1oz	Cow Pops w/Display
59714	24	2.1oz	Train Pops w/Display
59721	48	1oz	Twisty Pops w/Display
59722	48	1.5oz	Twisty Pops w/Display
59723	24	2.5oz	Twisty Pops w/Display
59731	48	1.5oz	Swirl Suckers w/Display
59732	24	3oz	Swirl Suckers w/Display
59733	36	6oz	Swirl Suckers
59734	24	10oz	Swirl Suckers

Click on the item number to see a picture of the item!

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Great Organic Snack Bars

Great news on the organic front…

We just got in a great new line of organic snack bars. Organic is a strong trend and consumers clearly express a preference for organic, particularly if it is not more expensive than a comparable item. [If you were in the grocery and had the choice to buy organic milk, or oranges, or riceThe brand is OSKRI. Its vegan, made with all natural sugars (like beet and date syrup), organic, and tastes great. It has lots of whole grains and fiber. Its not only a great tasting snack, but you’ll feel great too. They come in 18-20 count displays and are priced well. A product list is below. Please give them a try and let us know what you think.

01832 OSKRI ORGANIC COCONUT BAR-ORIGINAL 18/1.9oz Picture
01833 OSKRI ORGANIC COCONUT BAR-PINEAPPLE 18/1.9oz Picture
55574 OSKRI ORGANIC HONEY BAR W/CASHEW 20/1.5oz Picture
55573 OSKRI ORGANIC HONEY BAR W/DESERT DATES 20/1.5oz Picture
55575 OSKRI ORGANIC HONEY BAR W/MIXED NUTS 20/1.5oz Picture
11810 OSKRI ORGANIC QUINOA BAR 18/1.9oz Picture
44400 OSKRI ORGANIC SESAME BAR W/DATE SYRUP 18/1.9oz Picture
44410 OSKRI ORGANIC SESAME BAR W/MOLASSES 18/1.9oz Picture

Great Organic Snack Bars

Great news on the organic front…

We just got in a great new line of organic snack bars. Organic is a strong trend and consumers clearly express a preference for organic, particularly if it is not more expensive than a comparable item. [If you were in the grocery and had the choice to buy organic milk, or oranges, or rice and the quality and price was similar - how many of us would buy the non-organic? That is the choice here.]

The brand is OSKRI. Its vegan, made with all natural sugars (like beet and date syrup), organic, and tastes great. It has lots of whole grains and fiber. Its not only a great tasting snack, but you’ll feel great too. They come in 18-20 count displays and are priced well. A product list is below. Please give them a try and let us know what you think.

01832 OSKRI ORGANIC COCONUT BAR-ORIGINAL 18/1.9oz Picture
01833 OSKRI ORGANIC COCONUT BAR-PINEAPPLE 18/1.9oz Picture
55574 OSKRI ORGANIC HONEY BAR W/CASHEW 20/1.5oz Picture
55573 OSKRI ORGANIC HONEY BAR W/DESERT DATES 20/1.5oz Picture
55575 OSKRI ORGANIC HONEY BAR W/MIXED NUTS 20/1.5oz Picture
11810 OSKRI ORGANIC QUINOA BAR
18/1.9oz Picture
44400 OSKRI ORGANIC SESAME BAR W/DATE SYRUP 18/1.9oz Picture
44410 OSKRI ORGANIC SESAME BAR W/MOLASSES 18/1.9oz Picture


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Bali's Best

We just got a new line in - called Bali's best. It is hanging bags of Coffee and Tea flavored items. It comes from Indonesia where Coffee and Tea are grown. The hard candies are all individually wrapped, 42 pieces inside of a bag. The coffee flavors are in a shiny bag and the teas in a matte finish bag. The price is very attractive and we have racks to display the product, if you like. This product is perfect for summer and right in-line with the trend of American interest in higher end Coffees and Teas. The flavors are strong and true - give them a try today.

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Redstone Chocolate Bars

Lately we have gotten a ton of emails - that can only be described as fan mail. They all concern our Redstone Chocolate Bars. I won't go into too much detail about the chocolate bars except to say that they rock, we are adding more every few months, and you can see more information here:
http://redstonefoods.blogspot.com/2008/02/chili-in-chocolate.html. We recently added a Cranberry bar as well, also in 72% fantastic Belgian chocolate.

Below are the raves (just for this week):

Email 1:

Your Chipotle dark chocolate bar is one of the best chocolates I’ve ever had! What a delicious combination.

My problem is that I’m running out of the bar my friend bought for me when she visited XXXX and I have no clue where to find some locally up here in the XXXX area.

Can you help me find it? Otherwise I will want to order some directly from you. [Ed – we do not sell direct to the public.]

Help! I’m addicted.

Email 2:

I'm just writing to let you know how much I enjoy your spicy chocolate bars. I recently purchased two different varieties of Redstone chocolate bars: the jalepeno and salted peanut bar, and the chipotle pepper bar, at Central Market in Dallas TX. I enjoyed the mix of flavors and textures in the jalepeno bar, and the chipotle bar was a perfect balance of spicy and sweet. As someone who enjoys both spicy food and dark chocolate, it was perfect. I've tried several different kinds of peppery chocolates and truffles, and your brand was the best. My only complaint is that I actually live in XXXX, and haven't seen your brand for sale in my area, so I will have to wait until my next trip to enjoy it again.

Thanks so much for your work, and I look forward to you expanding all across the country!

Email 3:

My wife and I just experienced the wonderful sensation of your red chili chipotle dark chocolate bar. I purchased one at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport yesterday and we both fell in love with the decadent and exotic taste of your product. We would very much like to purchase a box of them. Please let us know how we can do so and how much they would be.

We look forward to your reply. Our sincere congratulations on your delightful product!

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Chocolate Santander

Always on the hunt for the best and most saleable chocolate we can find, we found another hot one - Santander. Santander is a chocolate company based in Columbia. All of the chocolate they produce is single origin. Below are some highlights and our product list. I have stolen the wording and information liberally from their website.

• Chocolate Santander, a single origin chocolate produced in Colombia, takes its name from the State of Santander, Eastern Colombia. The privileged terrains of the Andean mountains of Yariguies, yields Colombia’s best cacao known by its exquisite and delicate flavor.
• Peasants in the Santander municipalities of San Vicente de Chucurí, El Carmen, Rionegro and Landázuri have been growing cacao for more than two centuries in medium-size and small farms that sustain over 12,000 families. Cacao pods, in colorful yellows and reds, oranges and violets, are hand harvested with scissors and forks, split-opened with short machetes, sorted, fermented in wooden boxes, and then dried in the sun on wooden boards, all according to a centuries-old tradition that brings out the outstanding organoleptic attributes of Chocolate Santander.
• The special features of Chocolate Santander, the mix of Trinitario and Criollo cacao, rural tradition, and modern processing and quality-control technology are the pride of Compañía Nacional de Chocolates. Remarkable of this exceptional family of exclusive single-origin chocolates are the outstanding flavor, the richness of its floral and fruity aromas, and the distinctive nutty hues, attributes that will doubtlessly please the palates of the most demanding chocolate experts.
• For over half a century this company has been promoting good cultivation practices among growers like the use of organic fertilizers, species improvement and soil protection through adequate shading in planted forests that protect water sources and mountain slopes. For over half a century since the 1950’s, Compañía Nacional de Chocolates has been working side by side with cocoa growers. Its policy has been that of building an equitable and fair model that benefits producers and consumers alike and contributes to the country’s development.
  
  Aware of its responsibility, the Company abides by its corporate principles, namely:
• Fair prices and cash payments to growers.
• Permanent attention to maintaining good working conditions for all our personnel.
• Contribution to the wellbeing of workers and their families.
• Support to research and new technological developments at the Company’s agriculture farm.
• Promotion of sustainable and friendly agricultural practices.
• Establishment of a new farm with other sector members.
• Strengthening of cooperatives and growers associations.
• Improvements to growers’ competitiveness and returns, emphasizing sustainable environmental management of crops.
• Active participation in the Cocoa National Council, the Sector’s Policy Committee and the Technical Committees that direct and determine the sector’s future.
• Sponsorship of educational programs in cooperation with the Presidency of the Republic.
• Execution of the educational program “Nacional de Chocolates loves children” in existence for more than ten years.

Now its time to give this a try. My mouth is watering.

The product is inexpensive compared to other premium bars and is sold in 10 counts. Another neat thing is the range of cocoa contents as well as the interesting inclusions. Let us know what you think!

Click on the item number to see a picture.

40042	SANTANDER 36%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz
40041	SANTANDER 53%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz
40040N	SANTANDER 65%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz
40043	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/COFFEE BITS	10/2.5oz
40044	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/EXPRESSO	10/2.5oz
40252	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/NIBS	10/2.5oz
40122	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/PASSION FRUT	10/2.5oz
40123	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/PINEAPPLE	10/2.5oz
40039	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz

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MARGARITAVILLE

Margarita is a great flavor - heck its a great drink. In fact, we believe it is the favorite drink in the Southwest. We'd like to talk about the margarita items that we carry. They are in 2 categories - Redstone Branded Items and Non-Redstone Items.

Redstone Branded Items
55101 RED STONE'S MARGARITA CHOCOLATE BAR 24/2.25z
55200 RED STONE'S MARGARITA DROPS 6/7oz
55165 RED STONE'S MARGARITA RIM TRIM 6/4.5oz
8140 RED STONE'S MARGARITA SOURS 12/10oz
55400 RED STONE'S MINI MARGARITA COOKIES 11/9oz
55300 RED STONE'S JELLY – MARGARITA 12/12oz

• These are all fantastic tasting, nothing is compromised in taste just to say Margarita.
• They do well all year, but particularly well in the Spring and Summer time.
  
• You will not have competition on price for these item from national accounts. You will not find these in any of the "Marts" or Wal-Greens, etc. We design these items with the specialty retailer, and the typical margins, in mind.
• These are all small case packs with displays where appropriate. All have an easy way to merchandise them and have solid turns to keep product on the shelf fresh.
  
• Special deal on Rim Trim - we have a buy 2, get 1 offer, while supplies last.
  

Non-Redstone Items
001269 COCKTAIL CANDY TWIST – MARGARITA 12/1.26z
0075 HOTLIX MARGARITA POPS W/SALT SUGARFREE 36/1oz.
52968 JELLY BELLY MARGARITA 10/LB
351 STRAWBERRY MARGARITA WRAPPED HARD CANDY 30/LB

• These are not generally available in the mass market.
  
• They can be part of a seasonal section in your store, but can be sold off the shelf as well.
• Merchandising is fun with these items! The first two do really well by the cash register, the final two FLY off the shelf when merchandised inside of an oversized cup or margarita glass.

Please give these a shot and let us know how it goes!

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Sconza - Fantastic Products

Sconza is a great company with some fantastic items. They are family owned by some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. On top of that,

Anyhow, they have 3 outstanding items that I'd like to mention.
they have some really terrific items. Did you know that they are the largest producer of Jordan Almond's in the country? Pretty cool heh?

1. Chocolate Toffee Almonds: Four scrumptious layers of quality confectionary goodness: toasted almond, layer of buttery toffee, drenched in rich milk chocolate and dusted in delicate powdered sugar

· Made with premium California almonds

· Real premium grade Milk Chocolate

· Real Butter in Toffee

· Dusted in special confectioners powdered sugar

2. Chocolate Toffee Pistachios: Four scrumptious layers of quality confectionary goodness: toasted pistachio, a layer of crunchy buttery toffee, drenched in rich milk chocolate and dusted in delicate powdered sugar.

· Made with premium California pistachios

· Real premium grade Milk Chocolate

· Real butter in Toffee

· Dusted in special confections powdered sugar

3. Dark Chocolate Walnuts:

• Oversized toasted Walnut pieces drenched in dark smokey chocolate.

· Made with premium grade walnuts

· 52% Cacao Chocolate

SCONZA CANDY GENERAL INFORMATION:

· Sconza family started making and selling candy in the San Francisco

Bay Area in 1939.

· Today, the third generation of the Sconza family continues the candy making tradition.

· Signature confections are chocolate covered fruits and nuts.

· Quality ingredients are part of the family legacy.

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February Deals

Gang - We have some hot deals for February. These are items that we think needed a boost or product that is still fresh, but did not meet our expectations and we are clearing it out. If you'd like to see the list and are a current customer, please email our Customer Service.

cs at red stone foods dot com - this is all one word. We have to type it this way so that we don't get spammed like crazy. If you don't understand how to type this, just call us at our regular number.

THANKS!

Chili in Chocolate ???

You bet! When Redstone launched the
Redstone Red Chili Chipotle bar (72%
Belgian chocolate with Chipotle pepper),
people thought we were crazy. Less
than 3 years later, it is a top selling
bar. We now have a line of bars - see
below. The Christian Science Monitor
has an interesting story about spices in
chocolate.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/
1205/p13s01-lifo.html

55101RED STONE'S MARGARITA CHOCOLATE BAR

55102RED STONE'S RED CHILI CHIPOTLE CHOCOLATE BAR

55103RED STONE'S RED CHILI AND CURRY CHOC BAR

55104RED STONE'S JALAPENO & SALTED PEANUT - MILK

55105RED STONE'S OLD NEW ORLEANS CHOC BAR

Something Exciting - Ghirardelli Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie - a southern favorite, is coming to a candy bar near you. This is insider news, don't tell anyone who told you (okay, you can link the blog if you insist). Ghirardelli is coming out with a milk chocolate bar that tastes like Pecan Pie. No kidding. It is truely amazing. If you LOVE Chocolate Pecan Pie, like your blogger here, you are gonna go ape for this bar. You get the flavor, pecan pieces, and a mouth feel of a crust, all in a chocolate bar. Coming soon to a candy distributor near you. More details to follow, but probably not until summer time.

In other news, we will soon have the Ghirardelli 3 oz. stand up bars (with display) available very soon. These are not new items. The packaging has been updated and the bars now stand upright.



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