Valentine's Virtual Bazaar: For the Love of Toffee
Does your love have a sweet tooth? Look no further! Check out For the Love of Toffee, a New Jersey small business that makes delicious handcrafted packaged toffee candy in three flavors: Salted Peanuts & Dark Chocolate, Coconut Almonds & Dark Chocolate and Spicy Pecans & Dark Chocolate. Yum!
For this Valentine's Day, we recommend their heart shaped sampler boxes which come in 8 and 24 oz., along with our 12 oz. Mason Jar Trio Set with Valentine's Day themed decorative ribbon. Enjoy 15% off your order now with the coupon code VALENTINE. You can visit their website here to place your orders now!
Their toffee is distinctly different in that nuts are the primary ingredient. You will experience crunchy, sweet, salty melt-in-your-mouth goodness in every single bite! We were excited to catch up with owner Lisa Dreher to learn more about her love for toffee and being a small business.
How did your business get its start?
Baking has always been a passion of mine and I always dreamed of parlaying my love of baking into a business of my own. I was determined to one day turn that dream into a reality. Years ago, I was experimenting with some new holiday desserts and created the Salted Peanuts & Dark Chocolate Toffee and it was as an instant hit with family and friends. They would anxiously await a new batch of toffee each year, telling me how they loved it.
Fast forward several years and, with my kids now grown, I was ready to get my business venture underway. I began researching everything I needed to know about starting a small food company in NJ and took all the necessary steps to establish my business. And in September 2018, For the Love of Toffee, LLC was born. I am amazed and extremely grateful with the consumer response to our toffee. It began as a labor of love, but in the last two years our passion for our product has grown exponentially, and we are so excited to be sharing it on both a local and national level.
Tell us more about your business and what products you are featuring for the Valentines Virtual Bazaar.
For the Love of Toffee currently offers three flavors that come in standard packaging, as well as seasonal gift sets tailored to holidays or special occasions like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and more. It can be purchased through their online store (www.fortheloveoftoffee.com), at some local retail shops in NJ, at artisan events, street fairs and numerous wine and food expos throughout tri state area. The toffee can be served as a snack or dessert, yet also pairs well with hot beverages, wine, and even beer! And we will be launching a new flavor this spring!
This Valentine's Day we are featuring our Heart Shaped Gift Boxes containing all three of our delicious flavors. The boxes come in 8 an 12 oz. sizes. Our 12 oz. Mason Jar Trio Set also includes all three flavors and each jar is decorated in Valentine's Day themed ribbon.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! Where are you from and where do you reside and work now?
I grew up in Dumont, NJ which is located in Bergen County and now have been living in Sparta NJ (Sussex County) for the past 23 years. In addition to my business, I work for a pharmaceutical company in Morristown, NJ, heading up the sales training function. My boyfriend/partner, Phil and I run all aspects of the business together. He's a newly retired Newark Fire Captain of 27.5 years. So, now he can run the daily business operations and I spend nights and weekends managing other aspects of the business. We love to sell at events together and book as many as feasibly possible throughout the year. We love engaging with our customers and offering samples of our toffee for them to try!
How has Covid19 impacted your business and what goals do you have what do you have in store for 2021?
As with most small businesses, Covid-19 impacted our 2020 sales quite a bit since our primary source of revenue came from live events. However, Phil and I feel very fortunate that we still had our other jobs, so it didn't effect our personal income stream. Our plan for 2020 had been to expand our live selling event footprint by bringing on some sales consultants to help sell our toffee. With that plan falling through, we made the decision to increase our investments in digital marketing and social media, and also preparing for future growth with a refreshed package design that now meets all the NLEA labeling requirements. Our investment in digital marketing paid off as we saw a substantial increase in our online channel. In 2021, we are continuing to invest in our online marketing channel to keep the momentum going. We are also proactively seeking out as many live selling events we can and plan to target the client gifting channel, as we have had some positive experience in this area.
What is your favorite Valentines Day tradition?
My Valentine's Day tradition is different than most since my younger son is a Valentine's Day baby! He is turning 22 this month...how time flies! So every Valentine's Day included a birthday celebration as well. My older son (who's turning 25) LOVES strawberries. So I make him chocolate covered strawberries and make the birthday boy his dinner and dessert of choice! Even though, they're adults now, this tradition is still alive and well!
Shop Small this Valentine’s Day! Shop For the Love of Toffee.