The Results:

Karen deemed her experience amazing. “When you follow the program the way Calico has it laid out, it helps make your business more successful… I rely on Calico as a trusted partner, “ stated Karen. The level of support and training she received from Calico allowed her to integrate the product into her store’s footprint in record speed and in time for her grand opening. She now had a high-quality signature item that separated her store from all others.

Much To Karen’s Delight, The Financial Reward Is Astounding.

• Fudge is the most profitable item in the store and her #1 best seller – selling 40-50% more than ice cream.
• The margin on fudge is 65%, exceeding ice cream by 15 points. Karen shares, “Fudge requires a much smaller footprint with a much higher profit margin than ice cream.” The store is making three times more profit per square-foot with Calico fudge.

The Southern Churn’s fudge is a critical part of her store’s identity. Customers love to try samples of her new flavors and will often drive miles across state lines to stock up on her fudge, which they can only get in her store. As an added bonus, while Karen feels pressure in her gift business from online shopping, her fudge business hasn’t been impacted because the product is uniquely hers, which keeps the foot traffic coming back into her store. Karen is thrilled with her decision to go with Calico Cottage’s Fudge Retailing Program and has opened another store, Hester’s Country Store and Fudgery, where fudge is front and center.