Funded! This project successfully raised its funding goal on February 4, 2012.
I'm sorry about the audio here. I did not realize the gain was turned all the way up on my camera. I could not correct the distortion. I shoot another of these soon.
Some of you may have already seen this first hand, but here is a photo of our new peppermint pearls (made on the drop rollers you helped us get.) in our new packaging. We are doing both a bottle and a bag, and the bottle will have a smaller sibling that will be packed in four bottle assortments. The label as you can tell is the descendant of the designs we crowd sourced here.
We need to make more Flag candy asap. So we're doing a batch starting around 9:30 or 10PM EST (GMT-5). We thought this would be a perfect chance to test the streaming system, and we invite you to join in and watch. Please be gentle, this is our first attempt at using this system for real.
URL to watch: http://www.justin.tv/loftypursuits
We have set up an automatic announcement system that will notify people on either
Facebook: http://www.facebok.com/loftypursuits or http://www.facebok.com/pdconfection
Or on twitter @loftypursuits
Please join us. It should work great, but I'd love feedback. We will be performing without an audience today. Also if you want flag candy, tomorrow is the last day we can ship it and easily get it to you by the 4th.
I've spent that extra money that we raised above our goal on some since streaming equipment. So starting this coming weekend with any luck, I plan to stream candy making live. The URL when we are up will be at www.Justin.tv/loftypursuits
I built the system around a small net-top with Ubuntu installed on it and a Logitech c525 720i camera and a 40 inch lcd TV. The system is setup to stream and super-impose our logo with a one touch control and to put the video image up on the screen for the people in the store to see, as it is sometimes hard to see what we are doing from the front. An overhead view will help.
I expect glitches, it is a new system. The next thing to do is to install some code to update facebook when the camera goes live. So if you follow us on facebook, we'll let you know when we go live, since we are not always making candy.
That candy video we posted has been viewed by a ton of folks and we got another mention in the NY Times food blog because of it. We're in the process of upgrading the website to better reflect our new packaging. I'll post photos soon.
Thanks again. I bet you thought you'd heard the last of me when we hit our goal. Not a chance. We still have to get the candy museum online :) But the streaming of our Public Confections is higher on the list.
I leave you with a 2nd video of us making candy. This time wedding candy with letters in it. I promise I'll have video of us using the machines soon. I aslo give you the test shot of the webcam. Pardon the mess.
And we made a video of it. I thought you might like to watch. These and the Nectar candy should go on-line at www.pd.net today.
-GReg
Funding period
Jan 5, 2012 -
Feb 4, 2012
(30 days)
9 backers
A Lofty Pursuits pin-back button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $1, International add $2 to pledge amount)
99 backers
CANDY: I hear you humming "I want Candy" under your breath. Well we have it. A 1/4 pound bag of assorted flavors of candy made on our Victorian equipment and a button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $3, International add $5 to pledge amount)
26 backers
MORE CANDY: A 1/4 pound bag of assorted flavors of candy made on our Victorian equipment and a 1/4 pound bag of our assorted image candy and a button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $4, International add $6 to pledge amount.) We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
7 backers
CANDY AND GOODIES: A 1/4 pound bag of assorted flavors of candy made on our Victorian equipment and a 1/4 pound bag of our assorted image candy, as well as a Lofty Pursuits Soda Fountain "Don't be a Jerk, leave it to the professionals" T-shirt & a button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $8, International add $11 to pledge amount.) We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
5 backers Limited (25 of 30 left)
A CANDY CANE CHRISTMAS: An assortment of 20 of our hand made candy canes delivered during the first half of December, as well as a 1/4 lb bag of assorted candies made on these Victorian Rollers, a 1/4 lb bag of our assorted image candies, and a button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $20, International add $30 to pledge amount). The Victorian Candies and Image Candies will ship in March, the Candy Canes in December. We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
4 backers
SEASONAL CANDY: Two 1/4 pound bags of assorted flavors of candy made on our Victorian equipment, two 1/4 pound bags of seasonal image candy (Your choice of assortments, St. Patricks Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years), two 1/4 pound bags of our variety pack of our image candy, 6 of our amazing Candy Canes (to be shipped in December), as well as our T-Shirt & a button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $10, International add $15 to pledge amount) The seasonal candy will ship about two weeks before the holiday in question. We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
2 backers All gone!
IMMORTALIZED ON A PIECE OF VICTORIAN CANDY EQUIPMENT: You will have a thank you plaque attached permanently to our Cullums Candy Cooler, which is one ton candy table made in Hartford CT way back in 1881. Considering that this equipment has been around for 130 years and is going nowhere fast, your name should be visible for quite a long time to come. Your help will be visible to all who come in and watch candy being made. You will of course also get two 1/4 pound bags of assorted fruit drops from the rollers we get and two 1/4 pound bags of assorted image candy, a button, as well as a photo of the staff here bowing down to your plaque. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $10, International add $15 to pledge amount.) We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
1 backer Limited (1 of 2 left)
FAME FOR YOUR NAME: You will get to help design and add a sundae, soda or float to the Lofty Pursuits menu. You will control the name, but we do require this name to be family friendly. When you come visit Lofty Pursuits in person, we expect you and your party of up to 4 to try your creation as part of this thank you. You will also get two 1/4 pound bags of candy from the new rollers & 4 buttons. We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
0 backers Limited (4 of 4 left)
CUSTOM IMAGE CANDY PARTY: A candy party for 10 with ice cream for everyone, where we make a custom batch of image candy with your art or text in it, custom designed and made by hand by our candy master Wes Raley. Approximately 8 pounds of custom candy will be packaged in 1/4 pound bags with custom labels. If you can't come to Tallahassee, we will custom make the candy for you and ship it to you. This level also includes a bag of assorted candy from the Victorian Equipment, the t-shirt and button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $20, International add $30 to pledge amount). We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
0 backers Limited (2 of 2 left)
IMMORTALITY ON ICE: No, not cryogenics. We will help you achieve immortality via ice cream. You get to help us design and name a custom flavor of ice cream that we will produce. Your name and flavor will be sold at Lofty Pursuits, in Tallahassee, FL sometime in the spring. If you are local, you will be invited to a flavor release party where you will get to enjoy your flavor and take home four pints of it. If you are not here (but live in the 48 United States) we will overnight ship in dry ice four pints of this flavor for you to enjoy at your own home. We can not ship this outside the 48 states. We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
0 backers Limited (2 of 2 left)
A BAG OF EVERYTHING WE MAKE: A candy party as listed above and a bag of every shape of drop roller candies from the first batch of candy produced on each roller set when they are restored. The drop roller candies will be shipped as the restorations are complete over a two to six month period. This should be a total of 25 different designs (19 new ones, 6 we already have). This will amount to about 15 pounds of candy as well as well as our t-shirt and our button. Includes shipping within the US. (Shipping to Canada please add $30, International add $40 to pledge amount.) We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
WE BRING THE FOUNTAIN TO YOU: We have a portable soda fountain, possibly the only one out there. It is a converted 1950's soda fountain and it works great. We will bring our soda fountain with its taps loaded with 10 gallons of seltzer, 10 gallons of root beer, 12 gallons of ice cream, syrups, toppings, cups spoons, all that is needed to make everything from a root beer float to a New York egg cream to a sundae. We have a limit of a 5 hour driving range with this battle ship. (Heck, it weighs 800 lbs fully loaded), and there are some location needs. (We need solid flat surfaces to move the equipment.) And if an over night stay is required, we need a place to crash, but short of that, you will have the best ice cream party on the go, with us at your doorstep. We will even provide a soda jerk in full uniform to serve the ice cream. Not to leave out the candy, we will bring a few bags of the hard candies so you can see and taste them in person. This can, of course, be combined with the "immortality on ice", in which case we'll bring 3 gallons of your flavor of ice cream for your party. (Limit 5 hour drive from Tallahassee, contact us if you need a little more drive time. Range is limited, and the hotter it is, the shorter a drive we can make without the ice cream melting. Look at the specs on the Lofty Pursuits web site for more information. Exact time of event will have to be arranged with us in advance. Should be used by September 2012 unless otherwise arranged. We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
HAVE US BRING THE CANDY MAKING TO YOU: We have a portable candy making rig that allows us to make some of this candy on the road, at your store, house, trade show booth or at a party or wedding of your choice. If you want it, we can do it. Our portable rig can fit on an airline (Two boxes, one with overweight charges) and we can make some of our image candy, or our Victorian machine candy wherever you want. This thank you only includes the staff, equipment and time. You will have to provide transportation, a place to stay, help in acquiring common ingredients locally (mostly sugar), two 20 amp circuits for us to plug our cooker and heating top into, and a heat proof, preferably stainless, table for us to use. One again, contact us for more information. Exact time of event will have to be arranged with us in advance. Must be used by September 2012 unless something else is worked out in advance. We will also add your name to a public thank you list of sponsors and helpers on our Candy Museum site that will be up this summer.
