My 85 year old mother Joy (86 in 11 days) just unexpectedly visited me in my office ostensibly to see how I was going but I know it was really to check up on me. 

She pointedly reminded me, with eyebrows raised and that old familiar look of disapproval, that it's been quite a while since I posted anything on this blog. 

She then politely instructed me (well not that politely really) to "get my act together" and write something…anything…particularly with her day…Mother's Day…just around the corner.  Naturally I immediately dropped everything else I was doing like a handful of hot nuts and proceeded to do what I was told.

She said what's the point in spending all that time developing a range of gifts for Mother's Day and then filling up all our stores with them if you don't tell people about them? That's pretty obvious I guess, but she always did have to point out the bleeding obvious to me.  So with that in mind, and to try to get back in the good books, here's a link to our Mother's Day gifts so you can see exactly what we have to offer. 

This range has been exclusively designed for Mother's Day 2012 by our own design team (which includes her grandson) and as you can see has lots of options for you to choose from.  The best thing about it though (like with all our ranges) is that "you can't go wrong" and how often can you say that when you're doing something for your Mum?

The reason is simple!  Our nuts and chocolates are the best…everyone loves them…our gifts are all beautifully presented…they're all packed by our team of Mums at our Marion Factory…and there's absolutely something for everyone…"you really can't go wrong."  Really!

There are only two exceptions to this rule…my older brother Mark and me.  The last time we tried to give our Mum a Charlesworth gift for Mother's Day, boy did we go wrong…BIG TIME!!  You wouldn't believe the language. So when you're browsing through our range secure in the knowledge that you have all these "safe" options to pick from…joyfully experiencing how the perfect Charlesworth gift can be so "quick" and "easy" to find, spare a thought for poor Mark and me…we don't have that same luxury that you have. We don't have a Charlesworth gift option. It's not fair! 

I love you Mum but it looks like it'll be another bunch of chrysanthemums from the side of the road again.  At least I wrote this post though.

And to all those beautiful ladies out there, honoured to be known as "mums", have a beautiful day with all the people who are special in your life.

Happy Mother's Day.

PS  By the way Chocolate Slabs are back, at least for a short time.  If you like your chocolate in chunky slab form, check this out.

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Nuts, mothers day, mothers day gift baskets, mothers day gifts

‘Twas the night before Christmas, at the Charlesworth Nuthouse
There was no one left stirring, it was quiet as a mouse
The gifts were all gone, been sent to the stores
I hope there’s enough, coz there ain’t any more

The team had collapsed all over the floor
Their eyelids just open, their bodies all sore
And Mark my dear brother, and I the Head Nut
Had crumpled beside them, our eyes nearly shut

But now they had gone and I lingered alone
Contemplating a time that had now come and gone
I glanced all around and what should appear
Was our warehouse now empty, it seemed very queer

All quiet in Gift Packing, there was none of the clatter
Of the last 3 months of hard work and chatter
From Brenda and Nova and fifty fine lasses
Who made thousands of gifts to delight the masses
They had toiled with talent, our own clever Elves
To make all the gifts to fill all our shelves
Backed by Andrew and Ian and Harry and John
What a wonderful team, a merry old throng

And the door to the Chocolate room now stands ajar
The pans have stopped spinning, it all seems bizarre
The Chocolate Team’s gone, they’re all tuckered out
But their chocolate lives on in mouths all about

The copper pots in Glazing sit idle and cold
While the tonnes of glazed product have now all been sold
The spoons are all hung up, the stirring’s all stopped
And for one glorious last time the floor has been mopped

The Packers have packed up and all gone away
By car and by bike and quite possibly sleigh
Their orders are picked (but never their noses)
The sealers were turned off as the roller door closes

The drivers, the sievers, the roasters, the fryers
The makers, the takers, the sellers, the buyers
The hustling, bustling, bubbling teams
Have all disappeared with their laughter and screams

While up in the office the screens are all blank
The keyboards lay silent, a dead fish in the tank
The phones have gone quiet, the fax has run cold
The ink in the pens is now dried up and old

And out in the stores where the throngs had amassed
And pillaged and plundered our shelves all en masse
The crew in the frontline stayed tireless and strong
And spread Christmas spirit and smiled all along

And then in a twinkling, I remembered them all
Three hundred great people, they all can stand tall
There’s the oldies, the newies they’re one and the same
And the 20 year champions, all revered by their names

There’s Ollie! There’s Shirley!… there’s Jenny and Mazza
Then Tattsy! Then Walshy!…then Elsey and Dazza
They’re some of the champs, to name just a few
They’re a world beating team, this legendary crew

Then I stand their reflective on a Christmas near gone
And I think of them all as I stifle a yawn,
upon my broad face, ‘bove my little round belly
Which shook as I laughed like a bowlful of jelly

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Christmas, Charlesworth Nuts

We all go a little nutty at this time of year don't we? I know I certainly do.  I went straight from school into the family business when I was 16 and worked at our Central Market store the day after I finished my Year 12 exams (sheesh!!!)  I'm now 51 years old and for every one of the 35 years since then my world has gone nuts at Christmas. 

Nuts in the "busy" sense of the word… nuts in the "silly" sense…the 16 hour days were nuts and we'd be surrounded by mountains of nuts in the shops and at the warehouse.  Christmas was…and still is…nuts in every way.

But I've always loved it which is why I strongly encourage you "to have a nutty little Christmas too."

We can help you with that.  Firstly you can check out our new TV ad which came out last week plus there's some behind the scenes footage of when the commercial was made.  It was filmed "on location" (sounds impressive doesn't it?) at our West Lakes store and features Rachel Jones as our Customer…and Amy from our Elizabeth store as the Charlesworth Team Member.  As you'll see in the behind the scenes footage we had a cast of two and a crew of thousands (well not quite but almost).

Rachel is a talented, young actress who we have found to be a delight to work with and someone I'd thoroughly recommend. We pride ourselves on our Customer Service and Amy is a perfect example of our team members. She's friendly, happy, helpful and caring to her Customers…and an absolute delight as well.  When she's not working at Charlesworths Amy's an exceptional flautist, superb singer and loves musical theatre.

Despite the ridiculously busy times that Christmas brings we never lose sight of our Christmas spirit.  That's important to everyone in our company.  We try to spread goodwill and have fun in the midst of the chaos…and most of the time it seems to work.

Every year we raise money for the Make-A-Wish foundation and since 2008 when our Father Chappy passed away we have dedicated one or more baskets to his memory and donated $5 from the sale of each of these special baskets to children with life threatening illnesses.  In total over the years we have raised well in excess of $100,000.

Chappy was one of these larger than life characters with a heart as big as a peanut silo and a mischievous sense of humour that made Neil Kerley look like a choir boy.  That's not just a biased son's perspective but a feeling echoed by hundreds of people whose life he touched.

Click on this link to see this year's 5 "Chappy's Wish" baskets and a little tribute to Dad.  Like all our gifts there are limited numbers available (and two of the Wish baskets have almost sold out already) so please get in quick if you're interested.

If you want a little teaser about our full gift range (over 100 nutty gifts) and a few ideas on whom to buy them for then watch this video below and see if it helps solve some problems for you.

And lastly if Christmas is driving you nutty…here's some advice from a self-proclaimed expert who went nuts years ago…JUST GO WITH IT.  Don't resist it…see the funny side…spread good cheer…laugh hysterically if it helps..but above all else enjoy it…and have a nutty little Christmas.  It's not that hard if you really try.

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Christmas, Charlesworth Nut, Christ Bift Baskets, Gift Basket, Nut baskets, Nut Gift Baskets

It really is "beginning to look a lot like Christmas…in every Charlesworth store"

We really like to get into the Christmas spirit at Charlesworth and "deck our stores with boughs of holly".  We reckon it's a great time of year and we should all embrace it.

I wanted to check out how our stores were shaping up after our Visual Merchandising Team had worked its magic so I had a good day last Wednesday going around to a few of the stores and seeing for myself.  

There are always things you can do better (that's our philosophy anyway) but overall I thought our shops and our gift displays looked great.  (I'd love to hear if you have any thoughts on this…positive, constructive or negative).

While we like to go all out with the decorations and signage, for me the most colourful and exciting part were the gifts themselves.  Our gift walls were overflowing with colourful gifts of all shapes and sizes, filled with our nuts, fruits and chocolates, adorned with our own custom designed and handmade Christmas bows and trimming.  It's like entering some sort of bizarre, ethereal, "nutty" Magic Cave. (Well that's what it feels like to me…hopefully you too).

Speaking of bizarre have you tried our November "Fresh Tastes" product yet, curiously named "Opposites Attract"? This mix is a classic example of “thinking outside the box”. Only a lateral thinker (or someone with a few nuts short of a kilo) could conceive Salted Cashews & Salted Macadamias being mixed in with Chocolate Almonds & Chocolate Apricots and then combined with assorted Lollies plus White Chocolate Raspberry Bullets and Sugared Peanuts.

And you don't just pick them out and eat them all separately.  You try a Salted Cashew with a Chocolate Apricot followed by a Lolly chaser.  You'll be amazed at how such seemingly incongruous products come to life when united in your mouth. Genius or madness?…you be the judge.

Opposites Attract is available in all our Retail Stores through until Christmas and like everything else in our range, products and gifts, is also available from our Online Store.

I hope your world is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but if not come and visit our world and get caught up in the magic of Christmas at Charlesworth Nuts.  Have fun 'til next time.

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Nuts, Charlesworth Stores, Christmas Gift Baskets, Opposites Attract

The Charlesworth Christmas gift range has gone up in all our stores along with our gorgeous Chrissy decorations…our biggest ever Christmas catalogue is now available in-store…our Christmas gift range has gone live online…and the Christmas corporate gift orders are already flooding in.

With all this happening I think we can officially declare that "the Christmas season is here"…and I for one reckon that's great.  Sure Christmas can be a busy time but if you approach it in the right way it doesn't have to be…nor should it be…stressful and irksome.  Don't just leave it to Christmas Day to have fun…stretch it out and enjoy the ups and downs of the journey along the way for the next 2 months.  We intend to.

It's a ridiculously busy time at Charlesworth Nuts…fast-paced, long hours, a million-and-one things happening, invariably things go wrong and issues need to be dealt with right throughout the company.  But we really try to tackle it all with a smile on our faces and most importantly in our hearts…all 300 of us. 

We have fun.  We stay calm.  We pull together as a Team.  We solve problems together.  It sounds corny but it really works.  At Charlesworth Nuts we believe in the Christmas spirit.  "Yes" we're trying to set new sales records…and "yes" we're hoping to sell more gifts than ever before… (after all we've put a huge amount of time and effort into developing our gift range and promoting it to you)…but underpinning all that commercial stuff is a genuine love for Christmas..what it stands for..and a recognition that you can be busy, you can be tired but still never lose your patience, tolerance and humanity.  Go on..get in the Christmas spirit…I dare you.

I'll get off my soapbox now and tell you a bit about our Christmas catalogue.

I'm more proud of this catalogue than any other.  Why?  Well not only is it our biggest…but I believe it's also our best…by quite a long way.  But the main reason I'm so proud is that for the very first time it has been 100% conceived, designed, laid out, photographed and prepared ready for press by our own young and talented, Charlesworth Nuts Marketing Team….without any external input in any aspect of it  whatsoever. While we've always been responsible for most of it some skills had to be outsourced (as they are in most organisations) but not anymore. So to Michael, Tanya and Kain congratulations on developing the skills necessary to do such a fantastic job…and for setting such high personal standards…we're really proud of your achievement.

“Here’s the Charlesworth Team behind our Christmas catalogue…Michael (left), Tanya & Kain.  Best ever catalogue guys…well done.”

There's lots of stories our Customers will be interested in written into the catalogue but the two overriding messages we want to communicate to you is that within our gift range and our products…

1. "There is something for everyone"
2. and "You can't go wrong"

"There is something for everyone" because…we have over 100 gifts…with all sorts of combinations of our 140 nuts, fruits and chocolates (the best and  freshest in Australia)…priced between $8 and $250…in a stunning range of shapes, sizes and Christmas colours…all with our own completely unique, handmade bows and trimming.

"You can't go wrong" because…everyone LOVES Charlesworth nuts, fruits and chocolates.  I don't mean to sound big-headed but that's what our Customers are constantly telling us. We have the name…we have the reputation and we consistently deliver on both.  You don't have to second guess whether they'll like their gift.

So bearing in mind "there is something for everyone" and "you can't go wrong" we can  make your Christmas shopping really easy while staying within your budget and you'll still get genuine "ooohs" and aaahs" when they see what you've given them.

Just draw up a list of everyone you need a gift for and you'll find something perfect in our range just right for each of them.  It's quick and easy…which means less stress and more time for fun.  And that completes the circle and gets me back to the main message of this post which is…

"And so this is Christmas…we hope you have fun".

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Christmas, Charlesworth Nuts, Christmas Gift Baskets, Christmas Gifts

Hi…how are you?

Have you tried this month's Fresh Taste yet…"Cinnamon Cashews"?  Click on this link if you haven't.

I was a little sceptical when we first started developing cinnamon encrusted products but now I have to say "I reckon it works".  Cashews are a slightly sweet, relatively bland nut and the cinnamon seems to combine well with them and enhances them nicely.  You certainly need a sweet tooth to enjoy them but I know from experience there are a lot of sweet teeth out there.

Of all the nuts we experimented with we found the cinnamon also went well with Macadamias…in fact it was a close call between the two nuts which one we went with first.  After extensive research and marketing analysis we decided on our usual decision-making protocol…we tossed a coin.  A cashew looks like a "tail" and a macadamia looks like a "head"…it came down tails, so cashews it was.  Simple, yet effective.

Anyway once you've tried the Cinnamon Cashews I'd be really interested to know what you think.  Are they worth keeping on?…Should we try the cinnamon flavour with other nuts?…Should we get a two-headed coin?

Keep an eye out too during November when we release "Opposites Attract" the most bizarre yet strangely appealing combination of products we've come up with since Charley's Choice (one of most popular mixes ever) was first conceived in 1985.  "Opposites Attract" will be released on Tuesday, 1st November.

Now here's a blatant ad  but it's worth reading because we could be doing you a huge favour.

Corporate Gifts Made Easy!

If you're the boss (or the lucky person the boss has picked) to look for Christmas corporate gifts for your company that are "quick", "easy", "safe", "hassle-free" and "spectacular"…all at value-for-money prices…then relax…you'll find what you need amongst our range of over 100 gifts. (You can check them all out here).

We're good at "Corporate Gifts"…we specialise in them and can organise orders from 20 gifts to 20,000…and everything in between.

Whether it's for Staff, Customers, Suppliers or Associates, you know that EVERYONE loves Charlesworth nuts, fruits and chocolates, so we're a safe option…you really can't go wrong…and isn't that you're biggest worry?

Another plus is that because all our gifts are hand-made at our Marion factory to our own unique designs using high quality components, you know the finished gift will look classy, spectacular and very Christmassy and make a real impression on the people receiving them.  They'll love the gifts and be very grateful to you for making such a clever choice.

And because our Customer team are all highly professional, talented, lots of fun and full of Christmas spirit you know the process will be quick, easy, pleasant and hassle-free for you.

Just call us at the Charlesworth Factory (the nut version of the North Pole) on 8296 8366 and ask for our corporate specialists…Tanya or Kain…and they'll quickly and easily step you through the order process.  It'll be over and done with before you know it and then you can relax and concentrate on having a Merry Christmas and wait for the plaudits to come flooding in.

Technorati Tags: charlesworth gifts, Christmas Gifts, cinnamon cashews, corporate gifts

You know Christmas must be getting closer when we release our Christmas Cooking Recipe Leaflets and Ingredient Packs, which hit our stores (including our Online Store) this week.

Often when you mention "Christmas" these days it's followed by a deep sigh and a roll of the eyes but I reckon it's a great time of year.  Christmas Day is the "destination" that we all look forward to but it is just one day after all. We have to make sure we learn to enjoy the long "journey" to Christmas as well…all the other days.

Don't look at them as busy, tiring, stressful…view them as exciting, challenging, rewarding and joyous.  It's all about attitude and outlook…and making good choices to make the journey more enjoyable.  Look for "easy" options.  Easy doesn't have to mean compromising your standards.  Easy options can be every bit as good if not better than some of the harder options.  You just have to be clever enough to find them…and you won't find them unless you're open to them.

I reckon our Christmas Ingredient Packs are a classic example of this.  I'll freely admit that I say this partly as a blatant plug of this Charlesworth product…but I also genuinely believe if you want to impress your guests by baking something yourself (rather than just buying it) then our Ingredient Packs represent an EASY option to achieve this goal.  Let me step you through the process…

Step 1…Pick up a recipe leaflet. We have leaflets in our stores and online detailing 5 fantastic tried-and-true Charlesworth Christmas recipes including…

…Grandma Charlesworth's Christmas Cake (we've used a bit of poetic license with the Grandma Charlesworth reference)

…our Festive Cake

…our own version of a traditional Christmas pudding

…a spectacular and very tasty Panforte

…and the intriguingly named Jolly Little Puddin' Muffins (they look like muffins and taste like pudding…I love them).

Step 2…Decide what recipe or recipes appeal to you.  (Here's a tip…they're all great!)

Step 3…Buy the relevant Ingredient Pack from your nearest Charlesworth store or Online.  Now comes the best part.  The Ingredient Packs contain all the Charlesworth ingredients you'll require all pre-weighed to the EXACT amount you need.  No weighing…no waste…easy!!!  Plus because they're Charlesworth products you know you'll be using the absolute best and freshest ingredients…the number one secret of all great chefs.

Step 4…Add your culinary expertise (although you won't need a lot of this but no-one else needs to know that) and you'll produce a finished recipe that will impress your family and friends and have you proudly boasting..."I cooked it myself!"

This really is an easy (and very smart) option.

What's Happened To Glace Fruit?

For regular enthusiasts of our recipes you'll notice on the recipe leaflet this year on 3 of our recipes a little blurb that says "Recipe Change" followed by the following outrageous claims "Tastes better…Easier to make…Costs less."

Surely not…what marketing nonsense is this?

Well I can assure you it's true.  It's a classic case of turning a negative into a positive.  Here's the story…

"Once upon a time (a few months ago actually) after many years of production the only company in Australia making Glace Fruit closed down.  It was a very sad time for all the people who loved glace fruit and resulted in a very sticky situation. 

Apart from not being able to sell glace fruit separately as Charlesworth Nuts had done for over 50 years this also forced them to review their very popular Christmas recipes that contained glace fruit. 

As a result of that review instead of using Glace Apricot & Pineapple in their recipes they tried using Diced Dried Apricot & Diced Dried Pineapple. And it worked.

They didn't make this change lightly though…only after very thorough testing. As a result of their testing everyone believed the flavour was every bit as good as it was originally and in fact many of the lucky people who had subjected themselves to the taste-testing were saying it was better...which led the Charlesworth people to make outrageous claim No. 1, "it tastes better". (This was supported by the fact that one of their lovely Customers won first prize at the 2011 Royal Adelaide Show for her cake after hesitantly and skeptically using the diced dried fruit instead of the glace fruit.)

Because they were now using diced dried fruit in the recipe instead of whole glace fruit the preparation became much quicker and easier for the cook.  No frustrating cutting up of sticky glace fruit…which led them to make outrageous claim No. 2, "it's easier to make".

Lastly (and this is where the story gets really good) the diced dried fruit was considerably cheaper than glace fruit and so the ingredient packs affected  dropped in price from between $3 to $4 per pack…which resulted in their final outrageous claim, No. 3, "it costs less".

So amazingly as a result of these forced changes due to the discontinuation of glace fruit production in Australia the Charlesworth Nuts recipes were better, cheaper and easier to prepare. 

It's no wonder everyone lived happily ever after."

What a lovely story.  Another Christmas miracle!  I suggest you try them yourself and feel free to give me your thoughts.

And remember the Christmas journey has begun…don't fight it…accept it, embrace it and above all else enjoy it and everything it means.

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Nuts, christmas baking, christmas cakes, ingredient packs

Nothing from me for weeks and then 2 posts in 7 days…what's going on?  I guess it's just symptomatic of the fact there's a lot of positive things to tell you about at the moment.

Spring has hit us along with some amazing weather and that in itself creates a positive buzz…then it's Father's Day on Sunday and still plenty of time to pick up one of our exclusively designed gifts for Dad from one of our stores…and of course it's Royal Adelaide Show time as well and that's always exciting.

As we have been for the last 24 years, Charlesworth Nuts is at the Show again hoping to add another blue ribbon to our haul over the years. 

We had a training session with our Show Team last night which this year comprises 42 (that's right 42) of our brightest, happiest and most fun loving team members ready to knock you out with some of the best Customer Service you will receive anywhere…anytime. 

We pride ourselves on our memorable Customer Service right throughout our company, but at the Show we pick the absolute best of the best and take it to an even higher level.  No long faces or long waits when you visit the Charlesworth Nuts stand..just smiles, great products and above all else great value.

Each of our Showbags represents sensational value…with big savings on what these products normally cost through our retail stores.  When we first started at the Show in 1987 we went in with the simple philosophy of making "old fashioned" showbags that showcased our most popular products at a greatly discounted price.  That's what the Show used to be all about.  We have no toys, no gimmicks and no nothing else that adds bulkiness, but no real value.  All we have is a single leaflet that tells you a bit about Charlesworth Nuts and includes 4 vouchers that you can use at our stores to save even more money.

We can afford to offer our products at special Show prices because we believe our products are so good that if we get them out to more and more people their quality will speak for itself and people will keep coming back for more simply because they love them.  We don't look for a quick sale we look for "Customers for life" and the only way you can get that is with consistently great products and memorable service.

Our Showbags have become recognised over the years as the greatest value bags at the Show.  Come and see for yourself.  We often encourage our Customers to feel the weight that's in one of our bags…particularly the $30 "Insatiable" which includes 21 of our most popular products and weighs almost 2 kilos.  If this is not the most impressive bag at the Show I'll follow up the Grand Parade everyday and sweep up what's left behind with a toothbrush.

Like I said, the Show's all about splashing out and having  fun with the family and if you can pick up some great bargains along the way like our 4 fantastic Showbags it's a major bonus.  Heres a link that'll give you all the info you need on our Showbags.

So let's all add to the positive buzz that's in the air and enjoy ourselves. Happy spring…happy Father's Day to all the dads (including me)…and happy times at the Show to you and your family.

I'll do another post next week (3 in 3 weeks…unheard of) and I'll give you full details about the 4 brand new chocolate Clusters we're releasing during September…yet another reason to feel positive. Here's a link if you want a sneak preview of the Clusters.  (Free tastings available in all stores. Yum!)

Speak to you soon.

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Nuts, fathers day gifts, royal adelaide show

I've been a bit quiet with my posts lately but that's all about to change.  From here until Christmas it's all happening with lots of exciting news to break to you. Stay tuned.

But first Father's Day…it's just around the corner…Sunday week, 4th September.  Don't worry if you haven't thought about it yet…don't stress…don't panic…as always we have the perfect solution.  What we like to call our "you can't go wrong!" gifts.  Why are they called that?

Well "you can't go wrong" because…

1. Everyone loves "Charlesworth" nuts, fruits and chocolates…so they're a popular and safe option
2. Everyone knows "Charlesworth" nuts, fruits and chocolate are the best & freshest in Australia…so they're a prestigious option
3. All "Charlesworth" gifts are designed by us and made at our Marion Factory…so they're an exclusive and original option.
4. With 72 "Charlesworth" Father's Day gifts you have many choices…so they're a "you have options" option
5. And with "Charlesworth" gifts priced between $8.90 to $79.90 they don't cost the earth…so they're an inexpensive option.

They give maximum pleasure and enjoyment to the receiver without a big price tag for the giver.  "Charlesworth" gifts really are a little luxury..an indulgence…in a time when a lot of luxuries are unaffordable.  You don't need to spend a fortune to be rewarded with that "WOW" look from your Dad.

In fact these gifts are so good I'm hoping to get some from my kids this Father's Day.  I've dropped enough hints.

Anyway here's a link to our Father's Day gifts if you'd like to check them out.  You can order them online or visit one of our 9 retail stores…but please be quick; we expect them to sell out.

We're also running a competition for thrill seeking Dad's (or Dad's who think they're thrill seekers).  They can win their choice of 3 thrill seeking adventures including Rally School, Warbirds or Sky Diving.  Check this link for details.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE…not only do we have Father's Day Sunday week we also have the Royal Adelaide Show starting next Friday (2nd September).  As always we'll have the BIG RED CHARLESWORTH STAND in the Wayville Pavillion just inside the main entrance doors.

Look out for our 4 Showbags which have a reputation as the most value-for-money, most traditional bags at the Show and this year…when times are tough…it's no exception.  I'll have all the details for you in a post next Thursday or just keep an eye on our website for full details.

In the meantime do yourself a favour this Father's Day…choose an exclusive Charlesworth gift to make it easy for you (and your purse) while at the same time making it spectacular for your Dad.  Did I mention, "you can't go wrong!!!"

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Nuts, fathers day gifts, royal adelaide show

I warned you in last month's post that we were releasing Wasabi Peanuts for one month only during July along with Thai Curry Peanuts.  Well the madness has started and they're here as promised…(available at Charlesworth's Online Store or any of our 8 Retail locations) and blow me down they're actually selling quite well…so well in fact that we may run out of them before the month is up.  I can understand the Thai Curry taking off, they have a very pleasant and tantalisingly exotic flavour, but the positive response to the Wasabi is a shock. 

I really enjoy releasing new products and then letting our customers dictate to us through the  sales level which ones they love and which ones they don't.  Naturally I always have an opinion on what I think will work but I learned many years ago not to second guess our Customers.  Some products I thought would be huge have bombed and others I swore wouldn't last 5 minutes have gone on to be long term favourites. 

At the end of the day my opinion is only one of many. The only thing that really counts is the collective opinion of all our Customers like you. You determine what is popular and what is not.  I always like feedback so can you let me know what you think about the Wasabi…is it inspired or insidious?…is it insane or insatiable?  I'd really love to know what you think.

Next up new-product wise are Thai Sweet Chilli Cashews…they'll be unleashed during August, again just for one month only.  "They're savoury…they're sweet…with a spicy little kick at the end.  They're our most popular nut product given an exotic Thai makeover."   More on these next month.

As I'm typing this, I'm sitting here eating peanut paste and crackers and sipping my black coffee for morning tea.  Nothing very special in that you might think, except the paste is one of our very own "yet-to-be-released" Charlesworth Nuts gourmet pastes.  Don't go looking for it online or in our shops just yet…it's just the first prototype…and as usual I'm the guinea pig. 

I tell you what though, it's not too shabby.  It has a freshness and consistency about it that I'm not used to with supermarket pastes.  We'll keep working on it though and make sure we perfect it before the grand unveiling. 

We're actually working on a number of different flavours as well including honey, spicy and cheesy peanut pastes (some of which will double as great savoury dips) and we're just starting to experiment with almond and cashew pastes as well.  This is a pet project of one of my son's (Kain) and just between you and me he's doing a pretty good job with it.

If all goes according to plan we'll release the first of our Gourmet Pastes range later this year (maybe October/November) but if we encounter some unforseen hiccups along the way we'll postpone it until 2012.  I'll keep you pasted…sorry, posted on this.

There's lots of other nutty news and events in the coming weeks including lots of stuff happening for Fathers Day and the Royal Adelaide Show in early September and a spectacular release of not one but FOUR new Chocolate Clusters…all in the one month during September…and thankfully none of them involve Wasabi.

I'll leave you this time with an interesting question…

Q.  How can you halve your risk of developing heart disease?

A.  Eat a handful of nuts (say 30g) five times a week. Easy.

Too good to be true?…no it's not…for full details go to the following link http://www.nutsforlife.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=13&id=82&Itemid=89

Technorati Tags: Charlesworth Nuts, peanut butter, thai curry peanuts, wasabi peanuts