Friday, July 25, 2014

Becca's Christmas in July wish item


Meet Us
Becca Pebley

Full-time, Becca is a human resources specialists and new talent recruiter for Columbus Container (Did you know our made in America boxes come from there?). Part-time, she works with us at 240sweet. Now a Hoosier, she is a New Mexican transplant who spends her free time volunteering to make the world a better place. She also loves to go horseback riding. Becca lives with her adorable long-haired kitty, Isabella.

She loves the marshmallows! Especially, she likes to go out to different events to toast the puffs and meet new people. When we asked, Becca couldn't even pick a favorite flavor, they are all so good. 

Christmas in July Wish List Item
Becca says, "I would love them even more if the packaging were easier to do." Becca's request of Santa is for new bags for 240sweet Artisan Marshmallows. New reclosable packaging with our logo preprinted will cost us about $6000 for the initial run and design. That's a lot of money for our small business. Becca and the rest of the staff would appreciate your assistance in serving you with better packaging.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Puff Fest Open House

We're planning a great open house and fun day for Puff Fest on July 12! 

Join us from 10:00 to 5:00 at our place.
240sweet
9600 N US Highway 31
Columbus, Indiana 47201

Art of Making Marshmallows Open Demonstrations
10:30 and 3:30 in the 240sweet Studio Kitchen
No reservation required. 
Sample marshmallows from goo to toasted while learning some fun facts about the process of making marshmallows. Read a description here. 

We have several friends who are helping us celebrate. Many are offering free activities while supplies last. Click on the name to go their website.

Outside Booths

240sweet

Come roast a marshmallow and have a free s'more. 

Bartholomew County Public Library
Check out what the library has in store for you.

Blackhawk Graphics
Did you know that Troy designed the Happy Camper tee shirt?

Boyd's Scents

Handmade wax scents to make your home smell wonderful.

Bun Bun Brigade



Stop by to pet some bunnies. This booth is accepting donations of newspaper to use as bedding. 

Columbus Food Co-Op


Learn about how people in our community are working to keep our food wholesome and safe.

Funny Farm Petcare

Bed and breakfast for doggies and kitties too. 

Girl Scouts of Indiana


Stop by to make a craft to take home.

Interfaith Forum Columbus

Celebrating religious diversity in our community. 

It Works!

Site-specific body contouring treatment and healthy living supplements.

Jamberry Nails

Lovely nail wraps.

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana

Stop by to blow some bubbles!

Seliz Design and Letterpress


Handmade letterpress items. 

Stone Creations/Luminaries in Stone

Artisan crafted oil lamps and sculptures.

Tri-State Artisans

Our community's newest art for everyone studio.

Walking the Path

Nature photos and cards from Tracy Price.

Inside Booths

Artisan Foodworks Catering

Offering a free lunch buffet at 12:00. 

240sweet


Gourmet marshmallows!

Best Boy & Company


Indiana Artisan sauces, including the best mustard in the world.

Divine Deeva Designs

Add some bling to your wardrobe.

Healthy Chocolate

Serving your other favorite treat in a healthy form.

Lila Pagni Jewelry


Handmade jewelry and barefoot sandals.

Pampered Chef

Everything you need to make your own gourmet delights.

 

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Tim Galligar wishes for a new laptop to serve customers faster

Meet Us
Tim Galligar

During the summer and other breaks, Tim works with us here at 240sweet. He majors in secondary education at Concordia University of Wisconsin, where he is a senior. As a member of the Alleluia Ringers, he loves to travel to new places to play bells. We can often find him singing karaoke with his fiancee, Amanda, on the Thursday nights. Tim's other favorite activities are volunteering with his church's youth group and reading. He is very busy!

For two years, Tim has been a part of our work family. He packs orders, prints postage, and makes labels with a smile. One of his favorite things about working at 240sweet is the people (customers and staff). "It is crazy how passionate customers are about the marshmallows. I enjoy serving them and finding out which ones they like best," says Tim. His suggestion of a Bloody Mary puff led to July's featured flavor: Hoosier Momma Bloody Mary with Bacon. Tim thinks it may replace Sriracha as his favorite.

Christmas in July Wish List Item
 
"The computer we use for printing orders and labels is really, really slow. It is incredibly frustrating," shares Tim. He asks for two new laptops: one for printing orders and one for making labels. "Often, I have to wait to use the five year old one that I share with other workers. I could get orders out days faster if I had a better computer to use."

Wow. He said "days." Wouldn't that be awesome? If we could ship out your puffs days earlier, you could eat them and share them faster. Waiting isn't much fun. You have the power to improve the process. Click here to help us better serve you. 

 New computers
 







Did you know that we are still using some computers that are over 5 years old? They are soooooooooooooooooo slow! New ones will help us fill your orders faster, answer your emails more speedily, and be more efficient in serving you.
Estimated cost: $800 each
 




Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Mary Willey: Wishes for new shelving and display items for pushing puffs


Meet Us
Mary Willey

Full-time, Mary is a Special Education Paraprofessional in Early Childhood. Almost every week, you can find her volunteering at the Fishers food pantry. She regularly enjoys swimming, biking, walking, and gardening. This June, her two eldest sons were married. Their rehearsal dinners were in Mary's beautiful back yard, decorated with bright flowers, over 25 varieties of hosta, and her handmade mosaics. When the youngest son is married, we're pretty sure his dinner will be there, too.

Since the beginning, Mary has been an important part of the 240sweet team. She lost count a long time ago of how many early mornings she waited for her sister Sam to pick her up to go to farmers' markets and shows. Mary also uses her creativity to create new dishes with 240sweet puffs. Her S'mores Quesadilla is our favorite. Read the recipe here. Did you know that the Salty Caramel Swirl puffs were originally created as a Christmas gift for her? We bet you're glad she loves fleur de sel caramels.

 
 
 
 
Christmas in July Wish List Item
 

"One of the highlights of doing events like the Junior League and artisan marketplaces is seeing all of the creativity of the displays the vendors have. I would love a professional display for 240sweet that showcases our great products!" says Mary. With her enthusiasm, it is hard for anyone to turn down a sample. Mary continues to say, "More people would stop to try puffs if they were welcomed into a professional display."

We agree. Would you have stopped to try a world-class marshmallow if not for the exuberance of the people offering samples? We need a display that communicates how addictively delicious 240sweet puffs are. Click here to help us grow.


Professional booth display
 
With a professional booth display, we will communicate to people how special our 240sweet puffs are. Can you see the giant pictures of our puffs on the backdrop? We also need some new shelves and carpeting to make a booth that will pop.
Estimate cost: $2000




Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Christmas in July

Christmas in July

Share the love this holiday season by investing in us this month

Receive a 100% return when you help our business grow


Sam and Chef Alexa toast puffs with holiday cheer.
Christmas already?
Yes, it is that time of year...for our 5th annual Christmas in July fund-raiser. Thank you to everyone who has invested in us over the years. Did you know that we have built 240sweet without taking out hefty high-interest loans? 

 
What is Christmas in July? 
Each year, we hold this fund-raiser to make improvements to our operations. You invest in us this month by purchasing vouchers in varying increments. In November and December, those vouchers are worth double the amount that you "loan" to us. We use your investment to grow. It is like Christmas for us--and you save on wonderful, handmade gifts for your clients, family, and friends. Just remember how you felt when you first tasted our puffs--Share that feeling and impress everyone on your holiday list.

What do you do with the money? 
Because of last year's Christmas in July, we were able to procure chef's coats, candy thermometers, a printer, a new desktop computer, racks for our gift shop, put the down payment on our blue truck, and more. We did this all with investments from people like you.

This year, our goal is $26,000. Please help us grow with your investment of $25 or more. 

 
How do I participate? 
It is easy! Just order vouchers amount from our webstore or by calling Sam at 812.372.9898.



Wish List 2014


New product packaging


While we have an idea, we don't know what it will look like yet! We do know that it will be resealable, made in the USA, and have a cloth ribbon. 
Estimated cost: $6000

Packing Tape Gun


Did you know that we are the second largest USPS shipper in our community? That's a lot of boxes to seal. New packing tape guns with safety guards and soft grip handles would be awesome.
Estimated cost: $20 each

Food Photography

With our new packaging and new size comes the need for new pictures. This way, everyone can be excited about our new look.
Estimated cost: $1500

Laptops

Did you know that we are still using some computers that are over 5 years old? They are slow! This will allow us to process your orders faster, answer your emails more speedily, and be more efficient in serving you.
Estimated cost: $800 each

We'll share more as the month goes on.

A few things that you should know: 
1. You can use your Christmas in July voucher(s) online, at our 240sweet Artisan Foodworks Studio, and at events where we have a booth such as the Indy Winter Farmers' Market.

2. Vouchers are not valid for purchases from retailers. 
3. A voucher must be used in one transaction. Call our office if you want to send items to multiple addresses.
4. We are a small, small business--so the Christmas in July vouchers can not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or sales. Thank you for understanding. 
5.If you choose, you may use your voucher(s) in any month that you like. However, it is worth double in November and December 2014 (and worth what you spend now in all other months). 
6. We do not provide change and/or cash back from vouchers.
 7. Also, no discount/promo codes can be used to purchase Christmas in July vouchers. 
8. Your order number is your voucher code. 

Sara Dunlap: Wants new packaging for Christmas in July


Meet Us
Sara Dunlap

For just over a year, the fabulous Sara Dunlap has worked with 240sweet. She comes in with a "let's have fun and get this done" attitude. Sara says that her masters degree in education keeps her ready for anything we throw at her--from tying bows for hours to toasting marshmallows at an event. 

To challenge herself, Sara competes in triathlons. For entertainment, she enjoys watching funny movies and playing pretend with her two children. Her favorite marshmallow is Roasted Coconut. We're pretty proud of Sara for recently obtaining her real estate license, so that she can help people find their "forever home." Check out her business Facebook page here.

Christmas in July Wish List Item
To improve her job, Sara requests new packaging. While she is glad to tie the bows, she says, "It is difficult to always get them on there nicely. The plastic slides around and the labels aren't always in the same place." Pre-printed packaging designed to have a bow will help her be more efficient and consistent in excellence.

We agree. Sam priced out custom packaging options that will keep our puffs fresh, accommodate our unique style, and will be made in the USA. The cost for this is estimated at $6000 (including design and first order minimum). That's an almost impossible chunk of cash for us to lay out at one time. We hope that you will help us with this, the biggest item on our wish list. Click here to help us with new packaging.