Tag: fall product program

Tour of Ashdon Farms

There is nothing like seeing where our fall product comes from and tasting nuts and candy right off the production line!

On August 8, 2023, service unit managers and council staff members were invited to tour Ashdon Farms, the facility where fall product nuts and candies are made.

Ashdon Farms is located in Waukesha, Wisconsin, about an hour north of the Illinois and Wisconsin border.

When we arrived, we were split into two groups to tour the production factory and the shipping warehouse.

When touring the production factory, we saw all the machines in action, including a machine coating the new Cheddar Caramel Crunch puff pieces with cheddar and caramel flavorings. 

Puff pieces getting their tasty, cheddar-caramel coating!

We also saw how technology plays a massive part in making all trail mixes. With exceptional programming on a computer, the machine knows how much of each item in a trail mix to put in the container.

When touring the shipping warehouse, we saw the endless aisles of products that filled the shelves.

We met with warehouse workers who shared facts about how fast they can put an order together and then load the truck for distribution. Warehouse worker Sandy shared with us how the fall product season is the busiest time of the year for her, causing her to work extra hours, but she takes great pride in correctly compiling all the orders. Thank you, Sandy, for all your work and dedication in putting together all our fall product orders!

The tour of Ashdon Farms was a great opportunity to see where our fall product items come from, and all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into each fall product order. Thank you to Ashdon Farms for having us and for the informative tours.

The Fall Product Program is starting soon! It will run from September 22 to October 18. Besides the many great products that are available, the Fall Product Program is also an excellent opportunity for troops to earn proceeds to fund new adventures. Don’t forget, when your troop sells at least $1,000 worth of fall product items your troop will earn an additional five cents per cookie box sold during cookie season!

For more information on the Fall Product Program, please visit our website here.

Fall Products and Collectible Tins  

Girl Scouts have been selling calendars in the fall since the 1940’s. The calendars that were sold had themes for the different years and came in wall size and pocket size. As more people move away from the use of paper calendars and use calendars on their phones or tablets the need for paper calendars has decreased. To give girls and their troops another way to earn money Girl Scouts started selling candy and nut items and QSP magazines subscriptions. 

Girl Scouts have used two companies to supply the items for their Fall Product Program sales: Ashdon Farms and Trophy Nut, which is in its 30th year working with Girl Scout councils as a GSUSA approved supplier. 

The sale is held in the fall just in time for the holiday season.  Each year, there is a Girl Scout inspired tin and a winter scene/seasonal tin which many people collect, or gift, these tins are filled with candy or nuts.  The tins make great keepsakes.  The Girl Scout tins are perfect to use for setting up Girl Scout displays in libraries and other events, or as a place to keep your Girl Scout Memorabilia. 

Some examples of GS inspired tins are camping tins, such as a GS wicker backpack tin, a GS camera, 

and a GS metal tote bag for going places.   

In 2017, Ashdon Farms offered a replica tin with 1920’s camping scenes on the tin. There were tins shaped like Girl Scout books, a flowerpot from Ashdon Farms labeled “Helping Girls Grow,” and even tins shaped like Girl Scout uniforms of the past.  

For three consecutive years, there were tins that had different versions of the Girl Scout promise, each one from years when the Girl Scout promise was changed. In 2008, Trophy Nut had a tin labeled “Make New Friends.” 

Tins were also issued for special anniversary years in Girl Scouts.  For the new millennium in 2000 the tin was “Girl Scouts: Where Girls Grow Strong.”  In 2005, Trophy Nut had a tin of Juliette Gordon Lowe’s Birthplace, a National Historic Landmark and the headquarters for Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia.  For the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts, Trophy Nut had a green, round tin labeled 1912-2012. 

Collectible Girl Scout tins were also available from some of the Girl Scout Cookie Bakers: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. They were made in anniversary years.  Little Brownie Bakers had a Cookie tin containing an assortment of Girl Scout cookies for the 75th anniversary of Girl Scouts.  In the year 2000, ABC Bakers had a cookie tin for the New Millennium 2000.   

As the fall product season is quickly approaching, keep your eyes out for the Fall Product order forms to see what new tins will be available and place your order.  The candy and nut products make great gifts, and nuts and candies are very delicious. 

The 2020 Fall Product Program is Live!

That’s right: the 2020-21 Fall Product Program for Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana is LIVE from now, Oct. 1 until Oct. 21! Bravely Be You and Trust Your Strengths with us this year!

Our Fall Product Program empowers girls and troops with skills in entrepreneurship, goal setting, and decision making, and provides girls an opportunity to earn rewards, patches, and generate start-up funds to support troop adventures and community projects.

Participation in the Fall Product Program is super easy, and your involvement helps our council remain Girl Scout strong! Not only can the troop earn funds, but girls can also earn cool rewards like our three-toed sloth plushie, the fuzzy sloth journal, a vlogging kit, and so much more!

Girl Scouts, you have a chance to win a 4′ sloth plush when you participate in both our Fall Product Program and our sloth challenge! Details will be revealed soon, so stay tuned!

Learn more about rewards on our website!

What’s On Deck?

This year, family and friends are going to love the products in our lineup from Ashdon Farms! You won’t want to miss the peanut butter trail mix, hot cajun crunch mix, and two new keepsake Girl Scout vintage uniform and holiday tins that are perfect for gift giving! Plus, all of your favorite Nuts & Candy and tons of magazines will be available, too!

Customers can choose to pay for their order online and have it Girl Scout-Delivered with no service charge, or shipped to the location of their choice! Parents can now enter Girl Scout orders online.

Resources for Sellers and More!

Sign-up and begin selling today! The Fall Product Program can be conducted entirely online for your safety.

Your support of the girls, troops, and council through your enthusiastic participation in the Fall Product Program is vital to its success and is greatly appreciated. Thank you! 

More Fall Product Resources

Resources for Fall Product sellers »

Resources for Fall Product volunteers »

View Fall Product rewards »

Consumer Fall Product request form »

Go Nuts with Fall Product

Go Nuts with Fall Product

Craving candies, chocolates and nuts? Want to raise money for your troop’s programs and field trips? Then you’re in luck! There’s still time to participate in Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana’s fall product program.

Like the Girl Scout Cookie Program, our council’s fall product program empowers Girl Scouts to learn five important leadership skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

In addition to classic favorites such as Mint Chocolate Penguins, Peanut Butter Bears and Dulce de Leche Owls, girls and customers can enjoy three new products this year: Snowman Tin of Caramel Treasures, Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts with Peanuts, and Girl Scout Camp Pack Tin of Mint Treasures.

“I love fall product,” said Selena Randecker, a regional volunteer for product program. “What I’ve learned is that every family has a different ability to participate in our programs – whether that is earning badges or our product program. Some have great Fall Product goals while others excelled at [Girl Scout] Cookies. It was all about giving them choices and offering them the ability to contribute to the success of the troop in their own way.”

As the manager for Service Unit 406, Randecker coordinates and hosts an annual fall product kickoff rally for the troops in her service unit.

“You get to set goals right away at the beginning of the year and fall product gives you money to get started as a troop,” she explained. “The fall product items also make great gifts for coworkers, teachers and hostesses.”

Kyra Bennett, a 10-year-old Girl Scout Junior, agreed.

“We love the nuts and candy and my Dad also renews his magazines through Girl Scouts each year. But also because the fall product program allows our troop to start the year out with funds to do all sorts of fun activities and outings,” said Kyra, who was one of the top sellers for fall product last year. “My Girl Scout troop always has a full year of outings and events planned based on reaching our fundraising goals.”

In previous years, Kyra’s troop has used fall product proceeds to pay for uniforms and for programs such as horseback riding, Dozin’ with the Dinos at The Field Museum and glamping at the Wisconsin Dells. They’ve also used fall product funds to purchase fabric to make blankets for people in need and create Build-a-Bears for patients at the children’s hospital.

“This year, our sales goal is to fund another glamping outing in January,” she said. “We also donate our leftover fall product to the food pantry so other families can enjoy the nuts and candy, too.”

You can also support women and men in the military by supporting our Gift of Caring program with the purchase of a product or magazine voucher for just $5. The women and men of the armed forces receive these vouchers and can use them as payment toward their favorite magazines.

All fall product items can be ordered, paid for and directly shipped to a home or business. But hurry, the program ends Oct. 23, 2016! For more information or to participate, click here.