Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/623506
} Hundreds of Virginia food & beverage products on display } Free admission for buyers } Added Bonus: Enjoy hotel discounts at participating Richmond area hotels } Not open to the public For trade only • • • Sample and place orders at the VIRGINIA FOOD & BEVERAGE EXPO March 23, 2016 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PRE-REGIstER tODAy: Vaexpo.com or 800.284.9452 Find neW Virginia products Through her loss, Mains has found a way to stay connected to her stepson. But she also understands that "giving back is the best thing anyone can do for themselves, the business, and the charity they choose." It's two part: raising awareness and raising funds for research," she says. "Every time someone turns over a Brownie Brittle bag, sees the CFKC logo, and goes to the website, we've done our job and the organization is going to benefit." chip, salted caramel, and peanut butter chip, and the product has received numerous accolades. Among these are Self magazine's Healthy Food Award and being selected in Oprah.com's "7 Fabulous Finds." The most popular Brownie Brittle f lavors currently are chocolate chip and salted caramel brittle. "We launched peanut butter chocolate chip on the West Coast recently and will move it across the coun- try," Mains says. To get consumers excited about new f lavors, she focused on a social and digital media blitz. "We created quite a frenzy about the new f lavor. We tracked the shipments, telling people where they were and when they'd arrive." Through Pinterest, she posts recipes and has 1,400 followers; 7,946 fans on Instagram; 24,800 followers on Twitter; and 300,000 Facebook fans. Mains has a dedicated staff member for social and digital media, "but I do a lot of my own," she says. "I think it's nice to have a personality attached to a brand. I love getting tweets and emails from our followers." Future Plans With other flavors coming down the pipe- line and the upcoming launch of an organic line, Mains works hard to keep her customer base excited. "We will continue our effort with CFKC, and we want to do more every year. Winter Fancy ood Show Booth 407 Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine. To be a successful partner with a charity, "there has to be a personal connection. You have to feel good about it and make sure everyone is on board, ready to roll up their sleeves and raise money." WINTER 2016 73