Anyone who knows me in person, or who has read this blog for any length of time knows that January is not a good time for me. Really, it’s more like the day after the candy leaves until February 1st. I do my best to enjoy Christmas, but it doesn’t always happen.
Thursday morning I woke up and it felt like I’d had a really long one night stand. The kind where you wake up in a strange hotel room and look around and say, “where the hell is my tooth?” I’d been so buried for the past 3 weeks that I didn’t even have time to come up for air. I walked out the door Thursday morning and noticed that there were rotting pumpkins on my front patio and a coil of garland still unhung. I didn’t have my Christmas shopping done, my house was a mess and there was only a week left.
Needless to say I wasn’t feeling that great.
Today we spent a good part of the day finishing some Christmas shopping and that made me feel a little better and slightly more relaxed. Of course that could have been the 3 glasses of wine I’ve drunk, but who’s counting really.
I was feeling pretty good until I got an email from someone. Actually it was a comment moderation email for Sweet Hope. It was a review. It wasn’t a good review.
I’ve had many many people over the years email me about how the truffles arrive. I am well aware that they get bounced around in shipping and are often a jumbled mess in the boxes. I do my best to pack them so that won’t happen, but it doesn’t always work. I am also aware that the ribbon/sticker idea wasn’t the best. We tried it, it failed. We are going back to tied ribbons next year. Sorry volunteers.
However, never in the history of me making truffles have I gotten a bad review on taste. Especially not one that claims they are offensive. Talk about kicking someone while they are down.
I’m not a professional candy maker. Sweet Hope doesn’t exist to make candy. We do this as a fundraiser. I do this as a fundraiser. Yes, I have 18 people who help me put this whole thing together and without them I couldn’t do it, but I’m going to be honest. I put in a shitload of time making truffles. I made over 4700 truffles in less than 3 weeks. Let’s see you do that anonymous commenter. Way to kick a woman while she’s down. I didn’t need that tooth anyway.
Are you freakin kidding me? Someone had the nerve to diss the candy that you slave over and do not make one cent on? Candy that puts food in the mouths of orphans and warm coats on their backs and schoolbooks in their hands? The candy that is right now sitting in my pantry ready to be given as the warmest-hearted, thoughtful gifts I could ever think of? i think some ‘anonymous’ reviewer is one seriously off-base troll who needs a good bitch slappin. I volunteer to do the job!!!!!
Stand tall Elle. Your candy arrived today and tastes divine. Perhaps that commenter had shoes two sizes too tight.
That commenter is a bitch and we hate them. They are delightful.
Your candy arrived yesterday. Intact, beautiful and yummy. I thought the ribbon/sticker idea worked fine. My boys were intrigued by the idea that you are helping orphans in Russia.
A favorite middle school teacher here adopted a sibling group of 3 from Russia, and two additional siblings from that family went to her brother-in-law. So they are all still family!
I had to take a deep breath and walk away from my computer for a minute after reading this post. I, too, am stunned that someone would have the balls to write what they did to you. It says a lot that they chose to be “anonymous”. Any valid criticism is one they should be willing to stand behind, not hide behind.
My candy arrived quite safely in the shipping container and the ribbon and stickers are a lovely presentation. I am giving most of it as gifts and am VERY proud to do so.
Please know that there are many of us who are appreciative of the time, effort, and talent it took to pull this off. I’m impressed, I know I could not have done it.
OK, I have been stewing about this even though I already commented. I spent a good part of yesterday delivering some of my almost $300 of candies and I got 100% praise and gushing compliments on your candies. These are people who do not know you from a hole in the ground, they have not adopted and are not vested in the interests you are vested in. And yet, every single one of them thought you are a hero and that your candy was AWESOME. I can’t tell you how many hugs I got and how many people had tears in their eyes and vowed to buy from you next year. So, Elle, stand proud and know that we LOVE you AND your candy! Heck, Levi ate an entire box of caramels by himself. He loves you and your candy, too!
The entire reason we had over $7,000 in sales this year – and it keeps growing every year – is due to taste. The packaging is all secondary. So, I wouldn’t sweat the comment too much – the numbers speak for themselves 🙂
Good grief daughter, STOP! Their is a negative Annie around every corner. One negative comment is a HUGE success. Working with the public for 27 years was a great teacher, one you can learn from. MOST people are nice… one bad apple can spoil your whole day. Uh… NOT! Great job done, and those children who have nothing… will be grinning because of you!
Oops, spell check please 😉
If our of 4700 truffles, someone said 10 didn’t taste good – screw them. I’ve tasted them and think they are fab…apparently everyone else (with the exception of 1 person) agrees. You do good stuff.
This is the bad part of the Internet…. small people can voice their opinions via an anonymous email. Shame on them. I own a small manufacturing business and I’ll tell you… IT’S HARD to produce 4700 of anything, especially food.
Honestly? I hope she chokes on them.
Congrats to you for doing this difficult task during a time of the year when many people would decide it’s too much.
My MIL would NOT be happy if those carmels were not ready and waiting for her when she arrived. I am not a fan of truffles, just not that into them but I did order some candy cane ones cause I know some folks who come here at the holidays love them! You can’t make everyone happy…I guess not even when doing charity.
I thought the ribbon/sticker worked out really well! Provides some good awareness for your logo/brand.
I have given three boxes out as gifts and they were very well received.
One of my old bosses said to me (when I had someone upset with me & I was all unsettled by the comments), “If you aren’t pissing anyone off, you aren’t working hard enough!”
I know I’m a little late on commenting on this post but I just have to say that I love the truffles and the sea salt caramels are insanely delicious. My favorite part about the truffles are that they got tossed around in the box so, except for the apricot sage, I don’t know which is which. Biting into each one is such a surprise as to what the flavor is going to be. It’s so fun!
Well I’m very excited to report that my truffles arrived today — and they’re DELICIOUS!!! I will have to really restrain myself to not go overboard though — I have eaten three already and have set my sights on a fourth! 🙂
Aside from the deliciousness, I’m also just happy that they finally got here — I knew from tracking online that the package was in the Chicagoland area on the 18th of December already, but would you believe it took them until the 31st of December to deliver??!! Apparently the box got stuck at a sorting facility in Elk Grove Village (yeah, that’s right, I’m publicly naming the culprits) and just arrived at my local post office today. Anyway — no matter. As long as I have them safe in my very own paws now, all is well…
Happy New Year, one and all!!
[…] and possibly the year before. By the time Christmas rolled around last year I felt like hammered dog shit. I had just finished 4790 truffles and 2684 caramels, my mother-in-law had brain cancer, my dog […]