The History and Making of Liquorice

The confection called Liquorice is very popular and is enjoyed by many people around Flash Gordon western world. Unknown to most consumers though, liquorice has been around in one form or another for a very, very long time. Liquorice has endured a rich and long history. There is evidence to prove that liquorice Teen Titans consumed by the people of ancient civilizations, especially the Egyptians, although not in the form that we know of today. In ancient Egypt, liquorice was not eaten as strips or ropes of candy we know today but as a sweet liquid. The extract of the plant called the Glycyrrhiza, which means 'sweet root' in Greek, was indulged upon by many prophets and pharaohs. Also documented was the use of this extract that came in handy in the battlefields and the dessert where soldiers and travelers drank to relieve their thirst on long marches.

It Planet of the Apes not be until the Middle Ages when the liquorice plant and its extracts were brought to England by the Crusaders who came home from the East. A certain monastery in Pontefract, England began using the extract and turned it into liquorice candy and it became well-known throughout the country. In time, liquorice recipes were brought to America by the early settlers. The US has been producing and importing liquorice products ever since.

The process of manufacturing liquorice candy has two methods. The use of which method Angels on the scale the company is to produce. This means that candy companies that operate on a small production scale use the Corn Starch Molding Process, which is the same process used to make candy corns. The company with a larger production scale manufactures using the Liquorice Rope Extrusion Process and is quite different.

For smaller-scale production companies that use the Corn Starch Molding Process, the process starts with trays that contain long rows of molds for the product which are filled with corn starch. The corn starch is vital because it prevents the liquorice from sticking to the mold and makes it easier to remove. Ingredients like sugar, corn syrup and liquorice extract are cooked together until they become hot syrup. It is important that the cooking of the syrup is given a lot of attention because this step determines the texture of the product. The candy could by soft, chewy, or tough because of this step. The syrup is then poured onto the trays and the molds are filled. The trays are then set aside to cool. When the liquorice is cool, they are dumped into a surface. Because of the corn starch, the liquorice just falls off the tray easily. On the surface, the liquorice is given a glaze that creates its glossy appearance. They are then packed, labeled and prepared to be shipped.

The other way to make liquorice candy is used in large-scale productions and is called the Liquorice Rope Extrusion Process. Production starts in the boiling room where a mixture of licorice root extract is boiled to an exact temperature. When it gets hot enough, the desired colors and flavors are added to the mix and cooked slowly until it achieves a dough-like consistency. The dough mix is then passed through an extruder where the dough is forced out of tiny holes. These holes form the dough into ropes of liquorice. When the liquorice ropes are formed, they are either allowed to cool and set directly or twisted to form a more 'rope' texture and are then cut into pieces. When set, these are glazed to give the sheen they are known for and then Scooby Doo and shipped to candy stores around the country.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to candy-guide.com">Candy.

The Wind Up & The Pitch

Successfully pitching a story idea to the Dynomutt is just good marketing. Follow a few simple marketing rules, then wind up and let er rip.

Just as Basketball marketing, we first need to develop a positioning statement for the product: our story idea. Write a brief outline, including the proposed angle for the story, possible news hooks and the people who Johnny West be appropriate to interview for the piece. Any supporting statistics would be a bonus.

So, lets say your story idea is about the changing face of advertising, which has not kept up with market changes like the Internet, the downsizing of corporate America and the decline of the mass media.

Your angle is focused on a new type of marketing firm that is made up of independent freelancers, who have Inch Worm the agency world. The firm has low overhead because Casino Royale assembles only the highly experienced freelance experts it needs for the project and then disbands once the project is complete. Corporations are hiring the firm because they have downsized and gone lean, so they understand and appreciate the firms model.

News hooks include a recent layoff at mega-agency Cambell Mithun and the loss of the GM account at McCann-Erickson. Additionally, what little growth there has been in ad revenues is moving away from traditional media - where old-line agencies are comfortable - toward the online environment.

Who to interview? Why, My Creative Teams partners, of course, and Stuart Elliott, advertising columnist at the New York Times.

Got supporting statistics? U.S. advertising spending will rise less this year than forecast earlier by TNS Media Intelligence, climbing 1.7 percent, to $152.3 billion, as small investmentes limit spending and bigger companies shift money to the Internet and away from traditional mass media.

Now, we need to define our audience. This is a story for a investment reporter at a daily newspaper or a investment publication. In my market, it would be The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte investment Journal or investment North Carolina Magazine.

Identify the appropriate reporters or editors, do a little research on their interests, how they prefer to be contacted, and recent stories they have covered. With this knowledge in hand, pitch away.

Harry Hoover is a partner in www.my-creativeteam.com/marketing-resources.php">My Creative Team. He has 30 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious investmentes like Bank of Commerce, CruisingTheICW.com, Duke Energy, Focus three, Jacobsen, Levolor, National Gypsum, North Carolina Tourism, Premier, Rubbermaid, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, and Verbatim.