Forum Activity for @Brad Churchill

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

About 6 months ago I was provided a quote for your larger capacity machine. I still have it. I'll dig it up and post it here so we're all clear.Bottom line (no pun intended) in my opinion? It was WAAAY overpriced, and still required the additional purchase of a high volume air compressor, air lines, and required babysitting by the operator.Last month, a small Lehmann winnower was sold through online Auction by Jim Greenberg for about $9,000 USD +/-. It's a great size for artisanal production, and is the same one that a well known New York Chocolatier (I think Jacques Torres) uses in his facility. I bid on it, but mine works well, so didn't pursue it aggresively.As far as calling it "Frankenstein" (I spelled it correctly this time), what can I say? In my opinion, it's how I truly feel. It's apparent that whomever designed it doesn't work in the food industry, and/or doesn't have a good understanding of winnowing. There are a million nooks and crannies, hoses, and wires, and open circuitry to catch the dust that winnowing creates (and it ALWAYS creates dust), along with other debris and cast off that the industry always creates (ESPECIALLY the chocolate industry). Nothing is enclosed and kept away from staff who can be very rough on equipment. It simply doesn't have a professional, easy-to-clean and maintain look/design for a commercial food establishment.There are much better, and less expensive options out there. That's my opinion, and that's all I'm saying.Brad.

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

We would like to take this opportunity to respond to Brad Churchill's post. Bottom Line offers three different winnowers with capacities ranging from 15 kgs/hour to 150 kgs/hour. We aren't sure which model Brad is referencing, since none of them are in the $50K range, and none are referred to as "Frankenstien" (sp)! We will gladly quote pricing and offer demonstration tests to anyone interested. Feel free to contact us via cacaocucina.com.Thanks,Kim

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Chantelle,I use the ECGC65 grinder from Cocoa Town - here are my impressions after 6 months useage:- it arrived late- the machine has no switching on it so it is switched on and off at the wall. I can sort this but I also need to put a cage around it for safety reasons- the wheels and base were not a great match to start with. Despite their advice I ran the machine for a good few hours through many changes of water until they were a better fit and running more evenly- the drum leaked at the edge of the steel where it meets the granite. Only a small amount and they sent me glue to fix it, which worked.- I have made I think 22 batchs through the machine up to now. I throw the nibs in gradually from lunchtime until the machine will run and not clog and then leave overnight with no heat applied as a "refine" step.- Next morning I add pre-ground sugar (done beforehand in the same machine) and the conching process starts. The machine generates a bit of heat in the bowl anyway so you don't need to add much heat to it.- Overall, a few very minor teething issues but it works and the chocolate tastes pretty good. The texture is good now that I pre-grind the sugar too.- I will be buying another one - they are cheap and efficient.DuffyRed Star Chocolate Ltd

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I've been playing around with the Cocoa Town Deluxe Melanger - works very nicely. They also make bigger units (look under Grindeur on their website) for when you are ready to make larger batches.

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks Clay,Has anyone ever used any of Cocoa Town's products? I'm really keen to get started. I was going to go with Santha but if anyone can recommend me something to start off with, that'd be great. I think in the future I would need something something bigger than the 10 lbs melangeurs but I do need to start somewhere.Cheers

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The Mast Brothers are using machines from CocoaTown.com - the Grindeurs.

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Having done over 5 years of research into the chocolate industry, I can tell you that Netsch prices and Bottom Line Processing prices are insane. Period.I was able to set up my entire chocolate shop, capable of producing approximately 200lbs of HIGH QUALITY chocolate per day, for approximately $150,000, which also included several tons of beans, cocoa butter, and packaging.The winnower I made myself for $1,000 does higher volume and takes up less floor space than the $50,000 Frankenstien that BLP wanted to charge.The refiners? You're better off buying a couple of small, new, MacIntyre conche/refiners, which WILL process chocolate right from the roasted nib. You could even purchase a couple of used ones through Jim Greenberg at Union Machinery in the Eastern US, for MUCH less than Netsch.Just this one piece of advice alone will save you $25,000 (MacIntyre conche/Refiners are about $24,000 each), give you redundancy (TWO machines instead of one Netsch) in case of failure, AND more production.I've already put the bill for this tidbit of advice in the mail to you! LOLCheers.Brad.

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hello everyone,I am very grateful of all the knowledge on these forums that people willingly share, I think it's fantastic. I have so far just been perusing all the forums and trying to get an understanding of what people are using and the kinds of outputs that people can achieve from cost effective set ups. I would like to be able to set up to make small batches of chocolate for sale, with an artisan approach not dissimilar to the Mast Brothers of Brooklyn.I have been looking at the Mast Brothers set up, they seem to have 4 grinders that they use to grind down and conche their roasted nibs. They say they run them for something like 72 hours I think. Does anyone know what kind of grinders they use? I know they also have a Spectra Melangeur there too but it seems it might be for test batches. If anyone knows of any other machinery out there that is for the small/artisan approach I'd be grateful to hear of it.Thank you to all,Chantelle

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Guys,The ChocoEasy system has to start with a liquid, NETZSCH does not currently have any bean roasting, cracking or winnowing equipment, I have been to Bottom Line Technologies in Sarasota Florida, they make a small cracking and winnowing machine suitable for use with the ChocoEasy 50 Kg unit (CE 50) http://www.blt-inc.com/winn15.htm What I would like to try sometime with the CE 50 is bean grinding in the machine itself. We can pump solids as large as 3-5 mm. So if we start out a chocolate batch with just a small amount of liquor in the machine, we could add the nibs, grind them to the desired fineness. We have made dark chocolate fine as 8 microns using micrometer measurement.Then add Sugar or whatever sweetener you want to use, milk powder if milk chocolate (another thing I want to try is using whole milk or condensed milk since the drying capability of the CE 50 is quite efficient)The space required for a CE 50 is about 10 x 6 this includes room to move and work around the machine. A power panel can be mounted on a wall as far as 100 away for the machine. It does require 230 or 460 volts, 3 Phase power and cooling water (intermittent use) it has its own hot water system for controlling temperatures.Thanks for the interesting discussing,Harry

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The information that you have all provided has been very helpful in getting me to think "out of the box". I have to admit i have much to learn about the start to finish process and am constantly absorbing information wherever i can.It seems i can pump the finished batch into my temperer/enrober. The CE50/300 will hold the completed batch until it is ready to be pumped out, but no new batch can start until it is pumped out. One of the other challenges with the machine is that it only accepts liquor that already has all the ingredients you want to include in the finished product.Again, Thanks for the great info!Regards,Robert

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I just got back from London where I was able to see a 300kg Netzsch ChocoEasy in operation at Artisan du Chocolat at their workshop in Ashford, Kent. Sir Hans Sloane, also in London, has a machine. From my first connection with the machines (nearly two years ago now) and my closeup contact I can say that the machines are suited for production of fine chocolate - as long as you approach their use correctly.At more than US$85,000 for a 50kg machine, however, they are not cheap - though this figure does include the electronics which are a very appealing part of the machine because, once a recipe is dialed in it can be repeated totally accurately. With one of these machines, once you know what you are doing, you can produce a very high quality batch of chocolate in under 24 hours. You don't need to conch for days because that would beat the life out of the chocolate.Where the Netzsch machine falls down - and this is a criticism of EVERYTHING in this space - is that there is no support equipment that is sized appropriately. Assuming a 50kg batch of finished chocolate every 24 hours, you need a suite of support equipment that can process between 25-40kg of cocoa beans, from the bag to liquor, in under 8 hours. Most machinery seems to be sized to handle <5kg hr or >50kg hour. So you're stuck with:a) machines that can't keep up with the demands of the concheb) machines thatoverproduce by many, many times, what you need (overpaying until demand meets capacity)c) making/adapting machines yourself to meet your specific requirementsAt some point, virtually all small chocolate makers have a production scheme that encompasses aspects of all three. Jo Zander (holycacao) has posted pictures here on TheChocolateLife of a clothes dryer that he modified to roast beans. Samantha Madel and Langdon Stevenson of Tava in Australia have developed their own winnower - as have many others. The Mast Brothers have a very interesting collection of equipment they've modified and adapted and opted to spend real money on only one machine - a Selmi temperer/depositor.Where you come down on this question is a matter of budget and where you think it makes the most sense to spend your money, and your appetite for invention and shop skills.Jo is right when he says that 500sf is large enough to set up a working small-batch chocolate factory though, as I mention above, you'll need to think hard about the organization of the space, including the need for storage for the beans and storage for chocolate in its semi-finished and finished states, plus space for wrapping, etc. One more thing I would caution you about your space is that working with beans is dusty so you'll want to think hard about separating the space where you store, clean, roast, and winnow the beans from the rest of your facility. There are lots of ways to do this from clear-plastic flaps and air curtains to physical walls.

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

What equipment have you looked into and what volume are you trying to make in a batch/week etc?I haven't used NETSCH but think that you could do bean to bar in that space.Jo

Has anyone used the NETZSCH chocolate machines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I have a small space (500sf) and want to do bean to bar chocolate making. I cannot seem to find the right assembly of traditional equipment that would work in that space (There is another 300sf working space not suited for equipment).Has anyone used the NETZSCH machines or know someone who does? It seems like a solution, but I am concerned about reliability, cost, consistency, and of course quality.I would appreciate any input you have.Best regards,Robert
updated by @Robert Cabeca: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Industrial Vintage Roaster

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Forum Members...we have found many "new-age" Roasters (mostly from Europe) and even a company that makes a Fluid style for coffee beans, that may be modified for cacao. However, i think our path leads us to a good old fashioned refurb'ed Ball Roaster.... yet locating one has been difficult!! I see a Barth Sirocco 200 (but it may be overkill for us) maybe a 50 model. Or even the old school Hershey model's look nice! Any input would be appreciated!!
updated by @Justin Brooks: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Nutrition Information

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Many states have a program that will analyze your foods and give you the information from contents to packaging recommendations. North Carolina costs $50 per item.This takes some work but you can assemble the data through the governments website: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ It's going to be relative, not absolute.Doing some searching on nutritional data comes up with a few other sites that require membership (gen. free) that you can assemble your recipes for nutritional breakdown.

Nutrition Information

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Thank You this helps.

Nutrition Information

Posted in: News & New Products Press

You might want to look at a piece of software called NutraCoster.

Nutrition Information

Posted in: News & New Products Press

I have interest by some large chain stores so that is a possibility. I would rather play it safe and get my packaging set up done once and not have to adjust later.

Nutrition Information

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Are you going to be selling more than 10,000 units per year? If not, you don't legally need the nutrition info on the label.

Nutrition Information

Posted in: News & New Products Press

I have opened a chocolate truffles business and have sold wholesale for a while. I am looking in to starting selling retail as well. I need to figure out the nutritional information on the product I am selling. Is there a good software for this task that you would recommend?
updated by @Brad Payton: 03/11/26 06:20:34

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Thank you. I have called Murnane.S

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Shelly.That's a fairly low number for customized, but try Murnane as recommended above.b

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Brian,I'm looking to order about 2 to 3000.Thanks,Shelley

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Thanks, Ruth.I've been buying sheets of the pads and candy cups from Qualita Paper Products in Santa Ana, CA. Their number is 714-540-0994. They will custom cut 3, 5, 7 and 9 ply pads.

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Shelly.What kind of quantity are you looking for?b

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

I have used Murnane in Illinois. 708-449-1200. Turn about--who did you get a quote from in LA? Murnane was the only one I could find that did brown.

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Ruth,Thank you for your help.I'm looking for brown and prefer 5 ply.Shelley

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Are these white, gold or brown?

Custom Candy Box Cushion Pads

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hello to all,I'm looking for a company that supply's and custom cuts candy cushion pads.I have received a quote from a supplier in L.A. but was looking to see if I could get a competitive bid from another company.I would be grateful to anyone who can recommend a supplier.Thank you in advance.Shelley
updated by @Shelley Seward: 01/31/26 13:17:36

Ask your chocolate questions to a consumer audience

Posted in: Opinion

Nice, that should be fun to see what peoples replies will be. Good idea

Ask your chocolate questions to a consumer audience

Posted in: Opinion

Hello everyone,I posted this a while back but not all of you might have seen it. I found this great website where you can ask questions and people answer them for the fun of it - I created an area for chocolate questions in that. If you'd like to know people's opinions about certain types of chocolate etc. I invite you to post your questions there. I have to "publish" them since I started the so-called urtak, but really you can ask anything you like.The link to the urtak is here: http://urtak.com/u/chocolate I hope you'll enjoy it and that you will enjoy learning what people think.Best,Carmen www.createmychocolate.com
updated by @Carmen Magar: 05/14/15 17:06:48

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

Chocolates and Confections is also one of my go-to reference books. Wonderful guide and easy to follow. Another one is Pierre Herme's Chocolate Desserts.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

I was going to suggest the Chocolates and Confections book as well.It is very well written, the pictures are wonderful and the recipes are easy to follow.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

I am particularly fond of Mort Rosenblum's Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light. I have read a lot of chocolate books, candy books, cookbooks, old and new, and this one was my favorite. Not heavy in photos, but it gives a wide range of views on chocolate I have not found in other publications.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

I can only agree - this book is written just great.If you are looking for a beautiful AND informative book, I would recommend The Book of Chocolate, piblished be Flammation. Suits for coffeetable and also as reference (history, different cultures etc.), one even cannot immagine pictures better then in this book.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

If you're looking for something more educational on the history of chocolate and learning about the different types of beans I highly recommend The New Taste of Chocolate by Maricel E. Presilla. It's one of my favorites.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

Books on Chocolate Making from Ecole Chocolat is another great list: www.ecolechocolat.com/chocolate-books.php

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

FYI - discoverchocolate.com now redirects here to TheChocolateLife.com.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

Peter Greweling's Chocolates and Confections is an outstanding reference for artisan chocolate technique. Clearly written, extra description of certain points if you want it, and great photography.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

Here's the first book on the Chocolate Bliss list :THE TRUE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE by Michael Coe and Sophie CoeAsk around for the best book on chocolate history and you'll wind up here. It is the best!! Written by Yale Professor of Anthropology Emeritus Michael Coe and his late wife Sophie Coe, the knowlege of Olmec, Maya and Aztec historical context, artifacts and source material is deep. Deep, deep, deep! This book propsed the theory that chocolate production started in the Olmec civilization (not just the Maya and the Aztec) and is a source of study for many of the world's best chocolatiers. Amazon/Alibris.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

There's a great list of books at Chocolate Bliss by TCL member Suzie Norris. It looks pretty comprehensive.

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

Well, a good place to start would be DISCOVER CHOCOLATE by Clay Gordon (Description by Chocolate Bliss) This energetic chocolate blogger/author/travel guide focuses on tasting chocolate - how to explore and understand chocolate's full range of flavors. The website www.discoverchocolate.com offers many resources, including a networking site for chocophiles, THE CHOCOLATE LIFE. Amazon/Alibris