There’s no better validation than when your brand-new product wins an award on the first try. Tania’s Toffee was awarded Bronze in the Top Toffee Texture Category at the International Chocolate Salon Awards for Toffee Double Coated, thanks to the even topping, light, crisp bite and walnuts. We spoke with Tania Brady, founder, about her new business venture, and why walnuts make the difference in the family recipe.
What prompted you to enter Toffee Double Coated into the International Salon Awards?
Tania: I just happened upon it. I was Googling chocolate awards, and the timing was great. I noticed that they had a toffee category. I had to send 10 to 12 samples to San Francisco. It was only about a month and a half wait until I found out I got Bronze.
And you won Bronze for best texture! How did walnuts make the difference?
Tania: Walnuts add a nice depth to the toffee — the bitterness and their earthy flavor that they have — is a really nice combination with the sweetness of the toffee and the butter and the sugar. The contrast of that earthy flavor makes it really a perfect combination. I crumble them and I sprinkle them on top of the chocolate, so it adds a really nice texture to it. Not to mention it makes the toffee look pretty.
Why are you starting this company?
Tania: I had a full-time job that I actually just stopped, and I’m going to try and attack this full time. It’s an old family recipe. My mom and I used to make the toffee together around the holidays, and my friends and coworkers could not wait for the toffee. My friends and I started selling at farmers markets, and the amount of return customers I have … people really love the product. The thing they say over and over again when they bite into it is that the texture is different. That’s what the award was for, but also it doesn’t break your teeth. It’s a really nice perfect consistency.
What is the secret to that?
Tania: I honestly think it’s because I take it out at a different time than most people do. If you Google a toffee recipe, they will probably say to mix it to what’s called a candy crack, or a candy thermometer. And I don’t follow that. Visually there’s a certain way my toffee looks, and a certain smell that happens, and I just know that’s the time to take it out. It’s magic in the sense that I know when it’s right.
The judges said the toffee was clean and tasty. The repeat customers you spoke about agree!
Tania: I have so many repeat customers that we have a loyalty program. I have three package sizes, and if you bring an empty jar back, I will refill it for a $2 discount. It’s a nice way to cut back on waste and to give customers an incentive to come back, and at the same time the toffee pairs great with red wine, so farmers market customers in particular will walk around with toffee and a cocktail.
Do you have walnuts in other products than the Toffee Double Coated?
Tania: This is the only flavor I have right now, but there’s another competition category for Most Unique Flavor, so I was thinking it would be fun to involve my customers in the process and enter that next year. It would be fun to do a flavor of the month and do something driven by what my customers want.
