Smaller Products To Win The Show

Tiny Is Better

Bigger isn’t always better. Miniature versions of popular baked products are flying out of the showcases, and bakers are packaging several of the minis together to maximize profit on the minimally-sized treats.

Paul Conforti, cofounder and president of Finale Dessert Co., Boston, says sharability has a lot to do with the success of the trend. “Instead of each person having their own individual dessert, people interact over a sampler platter. People just like to have a sense of variety,” he says.

Finale now offers a new “Girls’ Night Out” menu, available from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, in an effort to bolster the evening daypart. That time of day is associated with social interactions, common for happy hours, and Conforti is capitalizing on sociability by headlining the special menu with three-piece miniature dessert trays for $7.95 Finale also offers trays of nine or more miniature desserts designed for sharing and sampling. The desserts can be purchased individually as well.

Conforti believes price point and customer awareness of portion size also have added to the miniature boom.

“In this economy, people appreciate the fact that they can share a crème brule and drink ice water, or buy miniature pastries for $1.25 a piece. A customer can customize what they want based on their mood and their budget for the evening,” Conforti says. “We were probably at the forefront of portion sizes shrinking when we started 10 years ago, comparing a big slab of cake to an individual plated dessert. With miniatures, customers customize their portion sizes, too.”

- from Modern Baker