www.jkvnl.com is in Holland (but I didn't see they have the mold you are after)
http://www.ipfco.com/index.htm - these guys are in mumbai
http://www.eurochocolates.com/index.php - Belgium
http://www.martellato.com/default.asp?content=2,43,0,0,1,Home,00.html - Italy
http://www.xinxings.com/english/chocolate.htm - China
http://www.cabrellon.it/homepage_eng.html - Italy - I think they may be the one who makes the mold you want.
http://www.prefamac.com/ - Belgium
Hi Magrietha,
like you i have been in your steps 3 years ago when i arrived in Cape Town and started planning my business... on my side i have over 20 years of experience as Pastry Chef and i had to deal with start up/looking for supplier in all the corner of the world.
In South Africa it has been a bit more difficult but it is possible.
We have a lot of small business chocolatiers as clients and, like you, they all had problem finding answers to their problem.
most of those issues where as well finding suppliers and having support when they had problem with the chocolate...
Now they can call me....
Thanks Nino, I will keep that in mind. To be honest I could only find Barco and Chocolate World and they do not stock the molds we need. It is difficult to find the suppliers if you do not know where to look. I go to the internet and simply find nothing.
Everything else I need I have been able to find in the Gauteng area, but with the molds I seem to hit a brick wall. This is my biggest problem, no one seems to have decent brochures with clear photos so I can see what they really have. I am still continuing with my search.
If you can give me the name of a supplier of decent molds I will be very grateful.
Sorry if I sound negative about South Africa, but I am just so tired of battling to find suppliers.
Hi Magrietha,
please do not make it sound impossible in South Africa. We have opened a factory ( www.cocoafair.com ) in Cape Town and previously i had a small "home business " of 25 sqmt made with tools from around the world and some of them i bought it in Cape Town.
i have 2 of the silicon molds that i love for the simplicity of work and consistent results.
what i haven't found in Cape Town or South Africa in general i have imported from Europe or Usa, you will be surprised that sometimes it works out even cheaper than what you get at the "hobby" shops.
Nino
Ok, thanks everyone. So I have two things to think about this week.I will get hold of some soft foam rubber and try the snobinettes.
I will see if I can get the molds for the spheres. You will be surprised at how difficult it is to get decent molds in South Africa. You mostly only get the "hobby" kind. I am sure other chocolatiers know where to get them and if anyone from South Africa can point me in the right direction I will appreciate it. I can find nothing on the net or any stores in the Pretoria and Johannesburg vicinity that stock a decent selection.
As a long term solution I do think the spheres may be easier, but the snobinettes can sure help in the mean while as I need a solution pretty quick.
Yup - I like the foam best with deli wrap around them to make the snobinettes.
I've used Clay's snobinettes technique for years, but wrap the plastic around soft foam rubber fingers, I cut them to size and shape. They collapse easily making it easy to remove. Also, if you want high gloss on the surface, dip the plastic wrapped cork or foam as described, then loosely wrap again with more plastic.
Would you consider making your own cups or spheres with your permitted chocolate? Molds are certainly available to make them.
Trouble with dipping cold centers - they expand as they warm, the chocolate contracts as it cools, and you'll get more pieces with 'caramel worms' than pieces without.
Super easy solution. We make 100's of them every week.
Purchase the Pavoni silicon spherical molds, and pour the warm liquid caramel into them. Put them into the fridge to harden, and then pop them out of the molds while still cold and firm and dip them. The caramel inside will soften at room temperature, but be held in shape by the chocolate shell you've just created.
Some will crack for sure, but just dip them again, and all is good.
Cheers
Brad
You are only "allowed" to use Valrhona?
You can certainly experiment with chilling the caramel but I think you will find it very hard to work with. Looking to make the caramel firmer, while the same flavor, is probably your best bet.
Using molds is not an option? Have you tried making snobinettes? People make those with wine corks covered in plastic wrap. Dip that in tempered chocolate, let harden, then remove the cork and plastic (carefully). You now have a "cup" that you can fill with liquid caramel ... and cap if you want or not. Great thing about this approach is that the "molds" are really cheap.
There is another option to consider, which is pre-made truffle shells. Pipe your caramel into those then cover the hole with chocolate. Let the plug harden, then dip.
There was a very long discussion on this recently, the consensus being that it's a pretty common thing to do and it makes sense to use the technique where it makes sense. There are some very big names that got their start using pre-made shells and filling them. Vosges is one. They may still be doing it, though my guess is that by now they are using a one-shot machine due to the volume they produce.
I have a caramel center that is very soft. It is very tasty so I would love to keep it as it is, but it is impossible to dip. I do not have the means to use truffle shells at the moment.
I was wondering if it will be possible to dip them by hand when they are very cold and hard. I know the shell will probably crack, but I was wondering if I do that and it turns out more manageable for a second dip if I will not be able to keep it as is.Will the fact that the first dip screws up the temper of the chocolate result in problems with the second dip?
If it is not possible I will have to change the recipe.
I remember talking to Cook early on and all their DIY gear they were making. It's one reason I was so endeared to them being a tech-rat myself. While they may not bean-to-bar in one factory, as I understand it they still have control from the start to the finish across a number of locations/regions.
Saw the video Clay. I also noticed a huge moulding machine in the link I posted. In any case, I would never rely on my Iphone to mouldridiculous amount of chocolate, Without having the human eye/tonguechecking the end product.Price aside,i think it would be useful to operate SOME machineries i.e: temperatures on tanks, cameras, lights, tempering machine...Leave therest to us humans.
Now that Bradunfolded the wraps on the cost of such project,I find it ridiculous to invest in such a thing. My god! 7 figures?! I'd rather hire exotic scandinavian models to operate my factory.Hahaha!
Thanksguys!
Omar
Sorry for the confusion. My software does NOT control the equipment. Yes Clay, it is strictly POS / Management / Decision Support software.
While it is feasible to invest in the equipment to process batch-style chocolate, from an artisinal standpoint it doesn't make economic sense (at least in my opinion). The central control panel, custom software, hoppers, tanks, loaders, piping, pumps, servo motors, refiners.... Wow... BIG $$$ Thebreak even pointon a system like that would likely top the 25 year mark compared to a hired and properly trained staff member. I bet a system like that could easily break into the 7 figure mark -verypricey considering you could hire a pretty dedicated worker bee for $60k per year, and still pocket$60k per year on the 12% interest you could get for leavingthe 7 figures sitting in a decent annuity investment.
That kind of system enters the realm of competing with the Cargills &Callebauts, of the world I would say....
Cheers.
Brad
Omar:
Did you see the writeup/video on the app on the Apple site? Like many aspects of the Tcho story, I think there's a little misdirection going on here.
Timothy talks about automating the lab - which is all small-scale machinery. That I've seen.
To the best of my knowledge, the only machinery in the actual factory that is controlled remotely by iPhone is the depositor. As they don't roast/winnow on the Pier any intimation that they're controlling the entire process, bean to bar, on Pier 17 is misleading at best.
Brad -
A bit of confusion, perhaps. You wrote this software to run your business (i.e., a customized ERP program that does inventory, POS, etc.). Does it also control the machinery? That's the question I think Mark is responding to below and the interest of Omar, the OP.
From previous comments you've made about the value of investing in high-tech equipment on the manufacturing side (e.g., digital probes in roasters), my guess is that your application is strictly a management application, not a process control application.
Hummm.... I don't know about all this.
While this may have helped you Brad, what happens if/when the machines start acting on their own? I.E. breakdowns, wrong, incorrect or fluctuation problems. Not to mention, uh, cough, who's doing and checking the roasting/winnowing/baging/grinding (pouring the beans into the machines, taking them out, pouring the nibs into the melangeur, adding all the other ingredients, conching, tempering, etc...) Really? The roast is dependent upon constant checking...
Shawn had many problems with his tempering machine and it took a while to get it. But you know, these problems happen all the time.
We are talking about machines here...
Tcho seems to be run by nice guys but, really? Apps? Come on, give me a break. Chocolate making is an art as well as science, dependent upon many factors that take A REAL LIVE PERSON during all aspects.
I'd be interested in hearing how this actually works out.
For 3 years now, Choklat has been run exclusively using a web application written in HTML/Javascript/ASP and SQL Server. The benefit of this is that I can be travelling anywhere in the world (or playing in the mountains), and can be in complete control of my business.
It is ultimate freedom, but at a price. As a software engineer turned chocolatier, I wrote the software myself, so there were no out of pocket expenses. If I were to bill my time for the system, it would have been close to $100,000 based on my standard bill rate multiplied by the number of hours it took me to design, write, and test the software.
Hope this answers some questions.
Brad.
I am not sureto what extent we can rely on an application like this and I do not know if its cost is worth it, however,I think the point is more control over your machines. When you have lots of machine to operate, it's useful to have alook at themin one organised screen.For example, instead of walking around checkingthe temperature of eachtank, you can instead be in one place. How much time will this save you?The principle is similar to installing cameras in your factory. You can evenmake sure everything is under control while having dinner at home with friends. Instead of hiring someone,I'd rather save my money. How many times did anyone of us forget the lights of his kitchen on?
What I find fascinating about this is that they invested a boatload of money on projects like this one that were not on the critical path of actually making chocolate. Despite what they may say, they are not making chocolate - bean-to-bar in the factory.
So, while it may be cool, what's the point?
TCHO chocolate controls their factory by using an application on Iphone. I find this super cool. What do you guys think? I wonder how much money didTCHO pay to get this app designed for them. Check out the video.
Cheers
http://gizmodo.com/5775123/a-look-at-tcho-the-iphone+controlled-chocolate-factory
Jim,
Congratulations on your "Certificate of Excellence" and very nice job on your website. I like the use of donkeys. I never see donkeys in Nigeria, just motorcycles.
May I suggest you annotate your slide show? It would help it come to life.
Best,
Tom
Clay,
Good to hear from you. In 2012 Brazil will host a Salon du Chocolat in Salvador rather than the regional show in Ilheus. The details escape me at this moment but I'll send information later. It would be a pleasure to have you visit our farms and bring friends.
Jim
Jim:
When is the next cacao festival in Ilheus? June 2012? Let's see if we can organize a group of TCL members to join the celebration ... and visit the Fazenda Venturosa.
:: Clay
Wehavelaunched a new web site and includes a series of photos that accurately reflect the daily life in a cocoa farm. The facility and personnel are well qualified to produce world class Superior cocoa beans. In 2010 our farm, Fazenda Venturosa, was honored to receive a "Certificate of Excellence" at Salon du Chocolat in Paris. We have been invited to participate in the 2011 event and it will be our pleasure to visit with you at the Brazilian Exibit. It should be a great opportunity to get to know Brazil's cocoa beans and the producers. Look for Lola Lucas, she will be happy to host one and all.
Hi Karim,
I took one of ecole chocolat's online courses. They do have a business oriented course. Here's the link. The school operates from Vancouver so you will get all info regarding laws and limitations...
where are you planning to start your franchise?
http://www.ecolechocolat.com/chocolate-business-plan.php
Omar
