Whenever a certain spice seems to move to the top of the charts in our internet business, there is some driving force putting it there. It often becomes an entertaining puzzle that we piece together. Sometimes it is as simple as a few phone calls with folks saying "I am making that great turkey recipe that was in the Tribune today and I need that brining spice they mentioned." Other times we have to sleuth out the culprit!
When our Hungarian Sweet Paprika suddenly moved into a catalyst position in our internet sales, we wanted to determine why. Eventually, through several email inquiries, we realized that our Hungarian sweet paprika was listed in the December edition of Cook's Illustrated . Not just listed, but their FAVORITE choice! The magazine describes our paprika as FIRST-RATE FRUITINESS. Their comments - "This specialty brand outshone the competition with the complexity of its "earthy, "fruity", flavors and "toasty" aroma, making the slight inconvenience of mail-ordering it well worthwhile". Our Hungarian paprika proceeded to fly off the shelves. In the last few weeks we have sold several thousand dollars worth of paprika. Paprika is a staple in the spice rack but rarely does it add up to any noticeable revenue at $1.09 per ounce! THANK YOU Cook's Illustrated. We have had many mentions in food magazines over the years. Those make for great scrap book material and conversation grabbers, but we realize by the amount of paprika sales your magazine generated, your readers are really serious cooks. They obviously hold your tasters opinion in very high regard. There is also a great recipe in this issue for Real Hungarian Beef Stew, a really good winter dish.
Congratulations on the Cook's Illustrated review. I've been using your sweet paprika for a few years now after my sister-in-law discovered it and gifted it to me. I absolutely love it. As someone who married into a family with recent immigration roots in Eastern Europe, paprika is a staple in our house. So, when I decided to try the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Hungarian goulash/beef stew, imagine my thrill when I read that one of the key ingredients was already stocked in my pantry. Too cool.
Thanks for providing such superior quality in your spices. They make all the difference in the complexity and richness of my dishes.
Posted by: Meg Just | December 10, 2008 at 01:29 PM