Summer Fancy Food Show 2016
Revealing the secrets behind The Invisible Chef’s new baking mixes
The Invisible Chef to hoping to boost brand awareness through the new products, which were announced earlier this year and rolled out at last month's Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City.
Comprising Jelly Belly Swirl Cakes and Jelly Belly Cookie Mixes, and with a recommended price of $9.95 for a 20-ounce kit, the products are available at grocery chains and natural stores across the US.
Jelly Belly-inspired products will help The Invisible Chef target more purchasing occasions, especially holidays, co-owner Jill McCauley told BakeryandSnacks. Jelly beans are a traditional Easter candy.
Targeted at the holidays
“When you think about holidays, you think about fun candies like Jelly Belly, and different flavor profiles that they offer," said McCauley. "Many of them speak to holidays. So using their already popular flavors and bringing them to the baking mixes make perfect sense for the holidays.”
She added that some of their cookie mixes also contain Jelly Belly pieces, as well as a flavor profile that’s made with two or three different flavors of jelly beans.
The company is planning to introduce birthday cupcake mixes under the Jelly Belly license early next year, including chocolate pudding and French vanilla flavors. The business has also created a Jelly Belly baking mix that it will launch for Valentine’s Day next year.
The Invisible Chef grew turnover 13% in its last fiscal year and the company hopes to exceed that in the coming year and again in 2017.
“2017 is the year when we fully grow our Jelly Belly line, so we do expect some larger growth that year,” McCauley said.
Donuts and Dots line in development
The Invisible Chef is also developing a range of Donuts and Dots baking mixes. It was exhibiting packaging for the range at the Summer Fancy Food Show and expects to bring them to market by the end of the year.
“What’s special about the new product is that it’s baked, not fried, and you don’t need any special donut pan or preparation,” McCauley said.
The Donuts and Dots line is an extension of the brand's French Breakfast Puffs but will offer more “elaborate” flavors that may include sticky toffee, almond cappuccino and cherry crumble.
“We got a lot of feedback from customers at the show in terms of the package design, and we might have to tweak our flavors a little bit based on feedback,” McCauley said. “But we’ve already hit those key components our customers are looking for.”
The Invisible Chef has spent around $20,000 developing the Donuts and Dots mixes, and hopes to grow its overall business 15% after the new product launches.