Dietary Managers Association (DMA)

Hoffmaster® is pleased to announce that we are now a Supplier Member of the Dietary Managers Association (DMA), which is a national non-for-profit association established in 1960 that today represents more than 14,000 professionals dedicated to the mission of providing optimum nutritional care through foodservice management.

When we first launched our blog, we said we were dedicated to staying on top of all trends in the foodservice industry. Nutrition and healthy living is a huge corporate focus for Hoffmaster®. “Health-Master” is the name of our health and wellness program. A committee of over 20 employees plan monthly activities to promote health and wellness through education and initiatives that encourage healthy habits, increase awareness, and support, inspire, and empower individuals. Our membership with DMA shows that we are a company of action. What are you doing to help your local community, peers, and patrons live a healthy life? Let us know!

How the Color Yellow Impacts Our Lives and Our Business

Last month I posted some information on how color impacts our lives and our business. It is fun and important to understand the impact of color! I have decided to provide some insight on the color yellow since we are in the dead of winter here in Wisconsin and I thought a little YELLOW may help!

As you know, yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. According to color-wheel-pro.com, the color yellow produces a warming effect, invokes a feeling of happiness and stimulates mental activity. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is why most taxicabs are painted this color. You need to be careful not to overuse the color yellow as it has been known to have a disturbing effect if overused. Yellow is one of the first colors seen and when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning.

Yellow is very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your design. Men usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, 'childish' color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men – nobody will buy a yellow business suit or a yellow Mercedes. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety.

Put some yellow in your life when you want:

- Clarity for decision-making
- Relief from 'burnout', panic, nervousness, exhaustion
- Sharper memory and concentration skills
- Protection from lethargy and depression during dull weather

Hoffmaster® Announces Product Line Integration

For over 60 years Hoffmaster® has been an industry leader in the foodservice disposables category, with guiding principles of best-in-class products, innovation, sales support and service. As a total company, we are focused on increasing our efficiencies while balancing our supply and demand through consolidation planning and investment in new technology.

In order to improve administrative efficiencies and meet the specific needs of our customers, Hoffmaster Group, Inc.® will soon consolidate the Brooklace® plant in West Haven, CT into our Oshkosh, WI, location. Our approaching integration will merge our foodservice business units together on one system. We are working diligently to ensure our customers’ business is not affected by this closure, as well as working with employees to make a smooth transition. The Hoffmaster® and Brooklace® product lines will be consolidated effective February 1, 2010. Also beginning February 1, 2010, customers may purchase both Hoffmaster® and Brooklace® branded product on the same purchase order through Hoffmaster® in Oshkosh, WI.

We are committed to remain focused on offering a product bundle in the specialty category that stimulates sales growth and differentiation. Our customers’ satisfaction is our top priority as we continue to strive to be the first choice in decorative disposable tableware products and accessories. We encourage you to contact your Hoffmaster® sales representative at 800-327-9774, or log on to http://www.hoffmaster.com/ for further details.

How Color Impacts Our Lives and Our Business

Understanding how color can impact your business and your customers impression of your establishment is critical in today’s competitive business environment. Color will help you distinguish your business from your competitors and is an integral part of your overall identification. Color is often called the “silent salesperson.” It can attract your customer’s eye, convey the overall message of your brand or service, establish your identity and more importantly, it can help you make a sale!

The Marketing team at Hoffmaster® has studied the impact of color for over thirty years and has compiled a very good data base of color impact facts which we use in developing our solid color product offering and use to help us create our stock fashion designs. Since one of our primary goals of our blog is to help Foodservice operators, I thought I would share some of the interesting facts related to the impact of color with you. I will be updating this blog with other color impact facts, so be sure and check back in!

Purple

It is important to look at symbolism with any color, but with purple, it may be more important than you would think. Purple symbolizes power, spirituality, luxury, magic, faith, imagination, sensitivity, royalty, mourning, and sometimes death. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is also one of the hardest colors for the eye to discriminate, making it a poor choice for the food industry but an excellent choice for astrology, magic or a spiritual business.

According to color-wheel-pro.com, the color purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children surveyed preferred purple to all other colors. Purple is a very rare color in nature; some people consider it to be artificial.

Light purple is a good choice for a feminine design. Bright purple is a good choice when promoting children's products. Light purple evokes romantic and nostalgic feelings. Dark purple evokes gloom and sad feelings.