Passing out samples at Wild by Nature in Hampton Bays.
I’m going to say something that might shock a lot of you out there. So brace yourselves. Sometimes when we ask people if they want to try a free sample of gelato or sorbet…they say no. I know, right? Who turns down free samples of gelato?
We had several of those today at our sampling events. We have learned though that there are a lot of really health conscious people in this world, and the word gelato really freaks them out. We can always tell when someone doesn’t want to try a sample because they think it’s a really fatty, sugary scoop of ice cream. They always have this look on their face and a moment of hesitation. If you’ve ever given out samples any sort of sweets, you know what we are talking about. The pause is just long enough though for us to be able to share with them how Ciao Bella is a healthier option for them.
We had a man come up to us today, and he would only try the sorbet. He told us that he had stopped eating ice cream a long time ago because it was too bad for him. I started telling him about how Ciao Bella’s gelato is a healthier alternative. I told him that it is all-natural and has less butter fat than normal ice cream. I showed him our handy dandy pink notebook. This notebook has the nutritional information for all of our samples and products available in stores. As he was looking at the ingredients and other nutritional facts, we could see he was starting to change his mind. He told us we had made him want to give ice cream…well actually gelato…another try.
We also had a 12-year-old boy come up to the truck today with his family. He signed up in our enter-to-win sweepstakes and asked for the Chocolate Alba Hazelnut gelato. A little while later he came back to the truck, this time with the evidence of his Ciao Bella love down the front of his shirt and on his face. He asked us if we had ever thought of marketing to elementary, middle and high schools. He was telling us how the gelato was definitely a healthier alternative than ice cream, and how the thought kids needed a healthier treat. He told us how much he thought parents would love for their kids to have that option. “Imagine when a kid gets finished with soccer practice and is hot. They could go and buy some gelato. It would be the perfect treat after practice,” he said. His mom was trying to drag him away from the truck, and then asked us if we wanted to take him on the road with us. I told her he was more than welcome to join us. He would be the perfect spokesperson for Ciao Bella.
When offered a sample, it’s always a good idea to learn about the product before turning it down. Like the old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. You never know when you might be missing out on something delicious and healthy!
P.S. Still no celebrities…
Great blog entry!