This building wrap has caught a lot of attention here in Sudbury. Folks who hadn't heard of what we are doing were intrigued and the local bulletin boards were buzzing with speculation until those in the know explained the plan!
In case I caused confusion last time by showing the very first wrapper (from 1938), I just want to reassure everyone that you will recognize the bar when it hits the stores: this is what the wrapper will look like. We pulled the 1938 font to write "Sky Bar" down the middle of the bar where "NECCO" used to be. But we are sticking with this wrapper. Believe it or not, fun fact, taking "NECCO" off this wrapper involves changing 4-6 printing plates. Each plate is a different color and the NECCO name crossed over most of them!
Meanwhile, taste testing has begun. I know, I know, you would like to be involved. BUT if we don't keep moving forward it will take even longer to get this back on the shelves. We need to finalize the ingredients and get the wrappers ready for printing! Rest assured, we are using the real Sky Bar recipes. And as our elite supporters, we will make sure you have plenty of input once we get off the ground. Who knows? Dark chocolate Sky Bar, Sky Bar with different fillings???
The first piece of equipment to arrive is likely to be the wrapping machine. Frank and I will go to the Ilapak plant in Pennsylvania for factory acceptance testing and I will be able to tell you all about how amazing this is. It is being custom built, in the U.S.A. We have been asked to supply film (that's the wrapper without the writing on it) and the cardboard that Sky Bar sits on (called a "boat"). So now those have been sourced and secured.
I told you about the molds last time, and showed you an artist's rendering of the bar that the mold company made.
We are having a molding machine made specially for Sky Bar which can deposit all four centers at once. This is being made by Egan, also in U.S.A. Because it's being made specially for us, I don't have a photo of it. We plan to go to Grand Rapids Michigan for factory acceptance testing.
Those are the big things, but there are many other pieces that also need to be in place: chocolate tempering machine, center storage units, center cookers, mixers, bakery racks, walk in cooler etc etc.
Plumbing to start next week and as of now, we are still on track for an end of year launch. Fingers, toes, everything crossed!
We now have a temporary website up and we will post these updates there in case you missed them. They are not there yet but will be soon!
Do you remember the NECCO kid? Here he is eating a Sky Bar in an advertising agency mock-up. Can any one tell me why his eyes are blue? I'd love to know! I was given this framed original and I love it.
Also, we are collecting all those Sky Bar memories you are sending in so please keep them coming!
