Forum Activity for @ChocoFiles

Intentional Chocolate: Fact or Hooey?

Posted in: Opinion

Pure hooey.

Intentional Chocolate: Fact or Hooey?

Posted in: Opinion

I haven't done a quantitative analysis like this since college. So, I don't remember -- is the P value that they measured good? From the language it seems so, as it affirmed their hypothesis that the added intention 'ingredient' made a difference.The interesting thing is that this study is double blind -- the participants are not aware they are eating intentional chocolate. So that tosses out the whole placebo effect argument. The sample size seemed possibly a bit small. Other factors in their life (family / work life, exercise habits, etc) also make a big difference in terms of how one feels. The groups may not have been random enough.Also, I couldn't tell but are they using the same chocolate food ingredients? Or are they pairing the intentional chocolate to a Hershey's bar or something like that. Maybe the intentional chocolate has higher concentrations of chocolate's known psychoactive chemicals.I'm skeptical of the study, but I do believe in the placebo effect as others have mentioned. Stress can be reduced and thus a feeling of being healthier can be increased by allowing yourself to be more receptive to positive thoughts.

Intentional Chocolate: Fact or Hooey?

Posted in: Opinion

This is interesting. I think there might be something to it but like Koa said a lot of it is most likely placebo in my opinion. It has been proven time and time again that if a respected source tells you that a product should do a b and c then you are more likely to believe it and have a b and c happen. In the medical community a drug only has to be 5% more effective than the placebo to be considered "effective". In clinical trials, routinely, the people with the placebo treatment show the expected improvement.I also think that is why nobody's food tastes good as mom's or grandma's. There is more of a connection to that person so our minds tell us it is better. Curious to see other opinions.

Intentional Chocolate: Fact or Hooey?

Posted in: Opinion

I know this is off topic a little, but just to let you know that Kosher food is not blessed by a Rabbi, kosher meat slaughter has a blessing on the act of performing the religious rite, but other foods are not blessed in order to become certified kosher, a rabbi or emissary of the rabbi will check the ingredients to ensure they do not contain prohibited foods. I can verify that the taste and way that kosher chocolate makes me feel (nothing special) -brought me to open my own chocolate factory!As a side note, I try to maintain a positive mental attitude while I process chocolate- but that may be the result of working with chocolate!

Intentional Chocolate: Fact or Hooey?

Posted in: Opinion

I just read a little article in "Inspiration" magazine on Kauai about this intentional chocolate, and it's definitely for the new age types. There was a fad of intentional water a while back, where there is some scientific observations that water does change with prayers/intentions. Just how water structure reflects our consciousness is a mystery. Masaru Emoto of Japan is most noted for his photographs and information on the subject. That being said, you can make the assumptions that all food and liquids, has the ability to be influenced by our intentions. With delicious chocolate, "love" is always a key ingredient. So is the placebo effect, if you think the chocolate was made by an enlightened monk, then it might just taste a little holier then thou. Hence the aspect of Kosher foods, they are blessed by a Rabbi, so it must be better for you. And if you believe they are, then they are. So what would be the difference between a spiritually blessed bar of Heresies, I mean Hershey's milk chocolate with melamine, and a plain old bar of Valrhona?What if the Dalai Lama blessed a Snickers, would it make a consumer happier? And what about Smarties (the Brit version of M+M'S)...does it make us more astute? Chocolate, like all food and medicine, is a blessing...no further action needed.

Intentional Chocolate: Fact or Hooey?

Posted in: Opinion

What is intentional chocolate? It is chocolate that has been exposed to good thoughts in the belief that when you ingest the chocolate you also ingest the good thoughts, which improves your mood even more than plain chocolate can.Fact? Fiction? Well, here's a link to the abstract of a research study in a peer reviewed journal published by a reputable publisher of said journals that says that eating intentional chocolate makes people feel better than eating un intentional chocolate.What do you think?PS. As a side note, one of the authors cited in the study is Jim Walsh, the "mastermind" behind the chocolate scam known as Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate. Just hearing that he's associated makes me skeptical. Just wanted to let you know where my bias on this is. However, that said, I see that both Drs Michael Balik and Roberta Lee (both of whom I know and respect) are contributing editors to the journal. So there may be something to it.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/20/15 04:17:51

Single Origin and Cacao varietals

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Clay, color me impressed. Chateau d'Yquem? $600 a half bottle?! I know where I'm going if I've got a wine question. Oh, and I think I'm actually on the flipside of the chocolate-wine debate -- $200 is a little out of my range for wine, but I didn't think twice about purchasing the Amedei Porcelana bar (in Italy.. when the dollar was weak!) Good idea to drop the 'single' part of the phrase and just go with 'origin.' I think that's where I was getting hung up, too.So as a chocolate consumer, it would be best when comparing chocolate from different chocolatiers to ensure that the origin and year match? And the origin must also match in its specificity (both must be general region, or both must be more specific region, or both must be specific plantation) in order to be fair. Oh and the chocolatiers must also match in their honesty in the representation of their chocolate origin (either both honest or both dishonest) But, more hopefully through more consumer awareness, those dishonest chocolatiers are forced to change their ways or put out of business.

Single Origin and Cacao varietals

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

James:I don't think you're thinking wrong, but the analogy with wine goes only so far as the distinctions between bean varietals is not as well differentiated as grape varietals. Vineyards are, for the most part, monocultures of single grape varietals, so it's easy to differentiate between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (for example).However, because most chocolate for the past 100 years has been undifferentiated blends, and the route from farm to manufacturer is often very convoluted and blending is the norm not the exception, the value of origin chocolate is not as well established. In the wine world, a boutique vintage of 500 cases is a common occurrence, in part because there is no ceiling on the price. An established winemaker in a good year could easily charge hundreds of dollars per bottle (at the winery) for a special limited edition. Half-bottles of a good Chateau d'Yquem can cost $600. On the other hand, if there are only 1000kg (1 tonne) of rare Porcelana beans harvested from a specific farm and the bar ends up costs $21 at retail - then that's too expensive for most people, even those who don't think twice about paying $200 for a bottle of wine.I don't like to use "single-origin" because I think it is confusing. A "single origin" Ghana doesn't make much sense as it's likely a blend of beans from several places in Ghana. I prefer the word "origin" with the idea that the origin can be very broad (e.g., an entire country; Ghana) or very specific (a single plantation; Hacienda Elvesia), or somewhere in between (e.g., a growing region; Sambirano Valley, Madagascar).There are some instances where an origin and a bean type come together. One example is the Porcelana bars from Bonnat. Not only is the bean type given (the Porcelana-type criollo) but the origin of the beans is also given - Apotequil in Peru and Marfil de Blanco in Mexico. There is a third Porcelana bar whose bean origin is given only as Venezuela without mentioning a specific plantation or area within Venezuela.

Single Origin and Cacao varietals

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

If it's not explicitly labeled with the type of cacao used, how often does a single origin (such as Ghana, Madagascar, etc) utilize only one type of cacao? In other words, if I buy single origin cocoa beans or a single origin bar, am I likely to be buying chocolate from several different types of trees?Could one make the analogy, if you were to buy a single origin Ghana, it would be like buying a Napa wine and if you were to buy single origin Ghana forastero, it would be like buying a Napa white wine, but there is no way to buy a Napa Chardonnay type of chocolate, yet? Or am I thinking about this all wrong?
updated by @James Cary: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Being somewhat contaminated with the idea of tasting Hawaiian chocolate I even could get it. The mentioned Waialua Estate, with the Dole logo, extra dark.The taste was great, also the melt, but I am somehow confused by its texture I cant help asking myself why was it like this. Usually, the bite of chocolate remains stabile/hard in your mouth, only the surface melts. However my Hawaiian became something like toffee or chewing gum... flexible when surface melting.In my conscious chocolate consume Ive never tasted texture like this. Well, maybe in sweets, but not in a genuine chocolate. One also cannot blame the shipping there were, for example, also Dagoba squares in the same box, and they had just usual chocolate texture.I guess, something with technology should have gone wrong... And I do agree, a good chocolate requires also a good manufacturer.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I've had he Dole Waialua Estate and the Malie Kai "dark" chocolate, undeniably there is something special happening with cacao from the Waialua Estate! With both chocolates, there is something wonderful, intriguing, interesting, distinctive going on. However, I don't feel Guittard capable of bringing to bear the potential of these beans. It's too bad that Dole and Malie Kai have Guittard as their chocolate maker, I would like to see someone else get their hands on this special stuff... I gave them both about an 8.5, because potential sensed is not realized. The milk chocolate from Malie Kai was just ho hum average milk chocolate, might as well buy a mass market product (Guittard, perhaps? Well, I guess you are, but you would get more for your money with honesty about what type of product it is... irksome)Also irksome is the marketing hype "The Rarest Cacao on Earth" on the Malie Kai label. Oh let's just drop this already! They are so special indeed that they do not need to have any cacao percentage listed on either package or website, some rather odd marketing strategies going on there, it's ridiculous that you would have to research in order to find out these simple facts.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hi Skip,So HVC doesn't own or grow any of their own chocolate anymore? I read on their site that they claim to have made a new distinct variety of cacao (Hawaiian).From what I gather above, HVC was sold and is now Original Hawaiian? Is that where HVC gets some of their "Hawaiian" beans?

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I'm glad to hear that your marketing will be improved so that you can reach a wider market with your excellent chocolate! Waialua Estates is one of the best I've tasted and reviewed (of >310). My review notes are attached. I look forward to tasting it again. Is it available anywhere on the mainland other than at Chocosphere?P.S.- I bought my first Waialua Estates from Melanie at Sweet Paradise in Kailua Nov 2008 when I was visiting from NC. My real name is Lowe.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I think the Waialua Estate will be a big seller eventually, specially once the packaging (- Dole logo) and the bar size change, the chocolate speaks for itself. Farsheed, The Chocolate Guy Hawaii.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

We will be featuring Waialua Estate at our new Sweet Paradise Chocolatier Kings Shops location at Waiakoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island and I will be joint venturing with Ocean Sports on the Kohala Coast to present wine and Hawaiian chocolate tastings on a sunset sail.And Derek, that cake was really awesome!

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Clay, You are right that Waialua Estate Chocolate has not been marketed well, but we are working on that.Our website is under construction at waialuaestate.com with a few photos of the farm and processing. There will be information on both the Cacao and Coffee we grow and a listing of places where you can get bars, confections, desserts and good coffee.We also are getting more active in our public outreach with the "Taste of Waialua" events at the Old Sugar Mill in Waialua, and the Kona Chocolate Festival where we recently presented a flourless chocolate cake with Cocoa Outlet and won first place Peoples Choice Award and 2nd place for professional dessert (after Melannie at Sweet Paradise Chocolate) .So we are making our debut and listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to take our products to market.I will do my best to keep up with discussions and can be reached at info@waialuaestate.com.Aloha,Derek

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

send me an email of who you contacted and I'll give you a few names.I have them at my shop.hawaiichocolate@gmail.com

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Does anyone here know of a source for Hawaiian cacao beans? I have contacted several farms directly, and cannot get a return phone call. I dont need a lot - even 1-5lbs would be enough, as this is for a Dept of Agriculture project and not for production. If anyone can guide me in the right direction, it would be appreciated.Thanks!

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Malie Kai is made from Dole's Waialua Chocolate. They sell the 55% and Milk Chocolate, also flavored bars like Kona Coffe, Lemon Mac nut etc..Dole grows and markets Waialua Estate 70%.( processed by Guittard) . They are packaged in a pack of 5 small bars and (unfortunately) have the Dole Logo on the box.To date it the best chocolate in Hawaii that is marketed, I've tasted some better that are not yet marketed.I sell all the Hawaiian Chocolate in my store, except Vintage who is not really a player here anymore. There are also many small farms producing chocolate they sell locally but do not market outside Hawaii as they don't have the means to make or wrap the bars in a manner that would allow them to be widely distributed. www.sweetparadisechocolate.com

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Aloha Olorin,Back in the mid 80s Jim Walsh left Chicago and settled in Hawaii. He wanted tostart a chocolate business and collected advanced cacao selections from Malaysia and Phillipines. These materails were planted in Keeau, east side of Hawaii island. He sort farmers who would grow and sell their beans to him. One of the farmers was a retired professor Dr. Clarence Hodges who had recently moved to Kona, west side of Hawaii island. I was on his farm when the hydralic ram dug the holes in the a'a lava field. Attached is a photo of him a year or so later. His health deteriorated, he returned to the mainland, died and his farm was purchased by Bob and Pam Cooper. They rehabilitated the orchard and built the 'Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory'. So they are not the original commercial farm but they are as the name implies the first chocolate factory in Hawaii.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

i lived in hawaii for years and always shopped at the dole estate... when i discovered the chocolate there i never bought it anywhere else. i love the local flavour of it..... got my local coffee beans just down the road as well.wonderful chocolate.... if you visit.... dont miss it !

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

When I was attending the Hawaii Cacao 2005 conference organized by Pam Williams of Ecole Chocolat, one of the speakers (and it may even have been Skip) mentioned that they've been trying to grow cacao commercially in Hawaii since the 1850s without much success.However, Skip is right that Hawaiian Vintage preceded Original Hawaiian by more than 2.5 years - as least as measured from the dates they started selling chocolate online (Vintage in Jan '99 and Original in Dec '01). By the same measure, Malie Kai didn't start until Dec 04.You are right that the Waialua Estate is not marketed well. Despite having consumer products, Guittar is not a consumer products company - and it shows in their marketing.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I'm extremely skeptical about the claims that Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate make for the benefits of "intentional" chocolate.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Are you sure about this? I wonder if the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory was one of the first, if not the first in Hawaii?Malie Kai has marketed their bars well so it's easier to find.IMO the Waialua Estate chocolate by Dole is the best Hawaiian I've tasted. But it's not marketed well, so it's hard to find info about it on the web. The Chocolate Bar database has the most info I could find and there are some discussions about it on the seventypercent forums too.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate started the modern Hawaii Chocolate industry. There are 100% Hawaii-grown chocolates sold by Dole from its Waialua, Oahu estate , Malie Kai which also uses Waialua beans, Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, Kona, Hawaii island to mention a few.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Susie Norris sheds gives some information about Hawaiian chocolate in her blog post .

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Any reviews of Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory? I'm currently tasting their Criollo Dark bar.How about Malie Kai? They seem to be a fondeur. Can anyone confirm that?How about Private Reserve? I'm not sure if they make bars or just chocolate sauce. They say their chocolate comes from beans grown on the North Shore of O'ahu.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Has anyone tried Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate ? If so, what do you think?Are they bean to bar?Their website is vague about the beans they actually use. (Not a good sign.) For example, they say here . "As agricultural conditions vary from year to year and season to season, each year's product will contain a different percentage of Hawaiian grown cocoa beans. " What other beans are they using to supplement when the Hawaiian supplies are low? What island of HI are their Hawaiian beans grown on?I'd appreciate more info from those who might know.
updated by @ChocoFiles: 04/21/15 16:15:32

wwoof-ing on a cacao plantation

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Hi,I'm interested in becoming a wwoof (willing workers on organic farms) on a cacao plantation. Preferably in Mexico (but willing to look at opportunities in all of Central America and India as well). Has anybody had any experience and have any recommendations? I much appreciate it!James
updated by @James Cary: 04/09/15 12:20:32

Your Top 10 Favorite Chocolate Experiences of 2008

Posted in: Opinion

As we near the end of the year, it's customary to look back and reflect on what exactly the heck happened and to try to make some sense of it. My local radio station has a Top 1043 songs of all time list that they compile each year from listener votes.Now, this is of course an unscientific sampling that may not result in anything that can be considered statistically valid. But it will be meaningful to everyone here on TheChocolateLife, so please share. The cutoff for adding your list is New Year's Eve.There will be at least one prize for the most interesting list(s) (and it has to be true!, well mostly). I am not sure that the prize(s) will be yet but it will probably have something to do with chocolate. I am going to judge the entries (my own will not be eligible for a prize).Questions? Comments? Lists? This is the place to look back on 2008 and let everyone know about your year of chocolate highlights.:: Clay
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/19/15 17:15:41

History and origin of Chocolate painting and sculpture.

Posted in: History of Chocolate

Hi, I'm really interested on knowing the history and origin of chocolate art, and also why is people still practising it now? Can someone please drop by and answer me? Thank you!
updated by @Carlos: 04/14/15 23:07:42

Multi-Disciplinary Art/Design Curriculum Using Chocolate

Posted in: Opinion

August 8, 2009 Update: I met with President Maeda last May in New York at a RISD alumni gathering. I mentioned this proposal and was told he had no memory of receiving it. I resent it to him. Still no word.

Multi-Disciplinary Art/Design Curriculum Using Chocolate

Posted in: Opinion

Most of you probably do not know that I am a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the nation's most highly respected art and design schools. Over the Columbus Day weekend in mid-October I attended a major reunion and was asked to speak on a panel about "Life After RISD." I guess parents are comforted by the fact that even though their children might not make it in the art field of their major (mine was photography), they can be successful in other areas. Excited by the experience and meeting the new president, I forwarded on the following proposal for a new program at RISD, which I think could be offered in other contexts. So far I have not heard back from them.Would YOU like to take this class? Can all this be done in six weeks or would it be better as a ten-week summer program? Any other thoughts?ABSTRACTThere are surprisingly few departments at RISD where an exploration of chocolate as medium, object, and/or subject is not relevant:Illustration, Graphic Design, Painting, and Printmaking (surface design, advertising design);Illustration, Graphic Design, and Industrial Design (packaging);Industrial Design (moldmaking);Sculpture, Painting, Illustration (as a medium);Photography, Film, Animation, Video (as object and subject);Apparel, Textiles; and Liberal Arts (history, geography, cultural anthropology, foodways, geopolitics, critical writing).Chocolate as Medium, Object, and Subject for Visual Artists is an inter/multi-disciplinary course in which students explore a broad range of 2- and 3-dimensional design challenges where chocolate is used as a medium of creative expression, the object of design challenges, and the subject of observation and serious literary and artistic critique.During the course of this program, students will be engaged in individual and team projects in 2-D surface design, three-dimensional design and construction, apparel design, user interface and user experience design, and written criticism, among other topics.Projects will include the design and production of multi-colored transfers used to decorate chocolate, designing and producing prototypes for chocolate packaging, designing and producing advertising and collateral materials for a fictional chocolate company, the design and production of prototype 3-D molds for chocolate using a number of manufacturing techniques, using chocolate as a painting medium, using chocolate as a sculptural medium, incorporating chocolate in garments, designing machines to process chocolate, designing a web presence for a fictional chocolate company, and examining the modern culture of cacao and chocolate in developed and developing countries.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/13/15 19:07:59

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

This thread really does belong in the HomeBrew Group. I am closing this thread to further comments and cross-posting this thread in that group.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Bette:I offer a variety of beans in 10 pound quantities at quite reasonable prices. I chose this weight because it fits in a USPS Priority Mail flat rate box and because it's a good size to start experimenting with. When you get to the point where you want more beans - no problem. We can offer the same beans listed here in bag quantities (about 100 pounds) and I am working with a ChocolateLife member to secure several tonnes of beans, so we can meet your needs as you grow. We are offering mostly specialty beans with some "value" beans from West Africa and the Dominican Republic.I let Pam Williams know that she can refer to me as a source for beans for her students. Maybe you can check with her about that, too.While it is possible to modify a home coffee roaster in general those machines get too hot and spin too fast. So if you're serious about repeatable results a device like the Behmor - at a minimum - is a must. When your demand grows you can get a professional coffee roaster. They cost a lot more but you can roast a lot more at the same time, too and you will get far more consistent results.There is another thing to consider ... which is where your interest truly lies. Do you want to make chocolate or tinker with machinery? If you want to tinker with machinery then by all means, go ahead. But if you don't and/or aren't mechanically inclined, then don't. Focus on what you want to do and look for ways to accomplish what you want using machines that other people make. The HomeBrew group is the real place to have this discussion and there is already at least one forum thread on equipment.Until then, roasting in the oven works well as Holycacao says and his advice is good. For consistency it make sense to put some sort of ceramic object in the oven. There are liners that you can use, bricks, or the pizza stone. The requirement is to stabilize the temperature of the oven and minimize temperature changes when you open and close the door. Having a lot of ceramic reduces temperature "bounce" to a minimum. I would also recommend not depending on the thermometer in the oven. Buy a separate one with a large dial that you can keep in the oven.Finally, something that Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate said in a talk he gave in New York last year really rung true to me: become an obsessive note taker. Keep track of as many variables as you can think of - including humidity - so that from batch to batch you learn to identify aspects of the environment that affect the chocolate you're making.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks for your reply. I have already visited chocolatealchemy and read his 'take' on roasting beans.I'm considering taking the on-line course for making chocolate through ecole chocolat next spring.I'm trying to find a less expensive source for larger quantities of cocoa beans to roast.It's a fun journey.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

You can roast in your oven, you don't need a coffee roaster, if you have one that will work. The temperatures are lower for roasting cocoa so that's the only place modification may be necessary. You can find lots of info at ChocolateAlchemy.com. I have found that the best way to roast in the oven is to use a baking stone in the oven, preheat for at least 30 minutes @200 c. Then spread the beans in a single layer on a sheet pan-perforated is better (I now use those wire pizza racks/trays). Roasting temperatures and time vary according to bean size and type, desired flavor, and ovens.Before I bought any chocolate making machinery, I would roast and winnow my beans, and then grind them in a coffee grinder with sugar and sometimes vanilla. It was crude chocolate texturally, but delicious nonetheless.As for beans, Clay has many quality varieties on this site, and so does John Nanci at chocolatealchemy.Enjoy, it's a fun path to journey.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I want to try roasting my own cocoa beans at home. I stumbled across a 1947 'Home Ec' booklet put out by General Foods (now Kraft) that gave a brief history of cocoa making in the US and talks about the fact that Baker's Chocolate for baking is just roasted and shelled cocoa beans ground up.I understand that there is quite an art to making chocolate. I have looked at options for roasting cocoa beans and I wonder of a coffee roaster could be modified to do the job right.I have been researching vanilla for awhile and I am a friend of 'The Vanilla Queen', Patricia Rain. I have also imported some vanilla beans from the only commercial vanilla bean farmer in Australia. They are lovely.I am in serch of the best and freshest products to use in my own cooking and I hope to promote such to others.I, too, am looking into how I can buy fermented, but not yet roasted cocoa beans of good quality in bulk amounts at favorable prices.
updated by @Bette: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Hello!!

Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hey everyone!! Nice to be a part of the Chocolate Life!!Just want to share/learn something...How many of you are members of PastryScoop? And if you don't know about them, they do events at FCI in NYC and even have some Chocolate events now and then! And membership is FREE!!! Just go to www.pastryscoop.com
updated by @Deliciosa: 04/17/15 18:51:40

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

How on earth do you make inserts ? You amaze me Annette ! joey

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

hello Clay, thank you for helping. I do want to show you a photo but i will have to make up a chocolate because i ate the other one ! LOL. never leave a piece of chocolate anywhere near me.. it's fatal for the poor little thing ! So, for now, it is a square shape with a raised design of 2 cupids holding hands. The chocolate is black chocolate and the cupids will be painted gold. Being cupids, they will be lovely for Christmas, valentines, boyfriend/girlfriend gift. it is 5" x 5" and 1" thick. I was thinking around $ 4.00 - $ 5.00 depending on the packaging. I will have more designs later.The other products I make are mostly fudge and caramels... you can see them here on my site..wwwfudgetherapy.wetpaint.com my caramels are moulded in pretty shapes and i sell the flower ones in a little bag... 3 in a bag... with a tag and a ribbon bow. The fairies - 1 per bag. The fudge is cut into bars and wrapped and labeled. Hugs, joey

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Another thing to think about, Joey, is what you are saying about the chocolate with the packaging. Do you remember the market studies that I posted? They took the leading brands of a particular category, say coffee, and they researched the packaging, the colors, texture and size of fonts, where they were placed on the shelf and who bought them? There are lots of questions to ask yourself that you can glean from that article. One that I was greatly challenged with was the placement of my product against another. Mine had to be different, unique, speak to the consumer that I was targeting, and do it thru the packaging. If you want, post a picture of what you are doing, and we can do a collaborative consult for you, free here, and everyone can learn. I have found that a lot of "food" people can be awesome cooks and bakers, but, we all need help when it comes to understanding positioning of our products and packaging.