Chef Linda's Confection Commentary

Tag: guittard

Shipping Goblins are in the Air

Shipping Goblins?

A set of uncertainties may impact nationwide product delivery in the approaching holiday season.

Inconsistent availability of ingredients due to supply chain fluctuations, highly irregular inter-state delivery times and changing delivery costs are converging to impact most holiday purchases.

Personal experience abounds. A FedEx wine shipment from California took seven days to leave the state and evidently spent the next eight days moving in and out of the Portland hub with zero delivery attempts. The major issue is understaffing. FedEx is performing at 60% of normal capacity. They declared the shipment as ‘lost’ when I inquired. There has been no FedEx truck in our community for at least three weeks.

As was our practice last year, we will have specific, three-week pre-order periods for our flagship products, Essential Panettone Artisan Milanese and Essential Panettone Northwest. In an attempt to offset holiday delivery issues, we will back that order period up by, perhaps, seven days. Unless shipment services improve, we will be required to ship all out-of-state holiday products via second-day air because what is important to our guests is the value of the gift to the recipient.

Essential Holiday Tin

Our first annual holiday tin, Essential Douglas Fir Shortbread, will be available for pre-order, as well. If you wish to be on our pre-holiday list for either product, please email me directly. Specific order details for each product will follow.

In+Dulge™

Essential Confection has another pre-holiday announcement. Recipe formulation and testing for our most-special chocolate cookie is complete. Packaging, pricing and shipping details are yet to follow in a formal product launch. Our new chocolate cookie is called In+Dulge™.

Accidentally gluten-free!  Here’s a “taste” of In+Dulge™’s heavenly qualities: bittersweet 72% Guittard chocolate and a luxurious mouthfeel, punctuated with a bit of the finest flaked sea salt. In+Dulge™ will always be shipped second-day air to allow you to bake them directly from your freezer at home.

 

“This moment’s indulgence is tomorrow’s nostalgia.”

 

We will continue to proactively communicate with you as shipping goblins ebb and flow. We value our relationship with you, and will make extraordinary effort meet our commitments.

 

Please feel free to email with your interest in joining our pre-holiday order list.

 

Linda

wwwEssentialConfection.com

linda@essentialconfection.com

#essentialconfection

The True Cost of Cheap Food

Ruminating on the extraordinary bounty and accessibility of food in this country, I reflected on how locked-down consumers’ buying habits might bring about significant – and needed – change in the American food system.

Consumers’ increasing practice of buying local fresh fruit and vegetables – supporting local farmers – is leading governments to increase localization of their food supplies to decrease dependence on global food chains. It needs to be a sustainable transition – and sustainability is a big subject.

The flip side of the food equation is that many agri-businesses’ overuse of the land benefits their bottom lines but damages local air, water and soil systems. Sustainable practices to restore and perpetuate these systems are critical.

As a confection company owner, I’ve made commitments to purchase key staples from regional suppliers:

We have the luxury of accessibility and opportunity; that is, the wealth of high-quality regional products and the resources to purchase them. I have the added benefit of using these quality staples in our home kitchen at ~60% of the cost of grocery store retail.

Purchasing regionally strengthens local economies and reduces transportation cost – food miles – so companies, consumers and the environment benefit. In all honesty, these are easy choices.

Ruminating again on the luxury of accessibility and the true cost of cheap food…

 

The ear of Nature

listens to what is asked of it.

It must be the same act of intense and unfettered listening

as when one discloses her deepest secret.

Is holding the health of the land naïve?

 

This is a conversation about quality. We each have the power to create profound and large-scale change in our food systems by supporting regional companies whose commitment is already to us.

The quality of Essential Confection products reflects these choices. Mini Essential Butter Cake, showcasing local European-style butter, is a perfect finish or gift for the upcoming spring holiday season. Order here:

https://essentialconfection.com/product/mini-essential-butter-cake/

How has your commitment to sourcing food changed? What action will you take to promote the best products and growing practices you know about?

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