Hi All,
I'm traveling down to Costa Rica this October, and was wondering if anyone knew of any working cocoa plantations, farms or coops I could possibly work on for a few weeks.
Thank you for your help,
Sarah
Melanie -
Brian Donaghy is a member here and has worked with Tomric. He can probably tell you what they are if you send him a PM and ask.
I recently started attempting to use CCB for my chocolates. The biggest problem that I have been having withthe CCB is the tempered chocolate not sticking to the mold cavities.The chocolate seems tomelt the CCBand when I go to empty the cavities of the excess chocolate it all falls outwithout sticking to the sides. Can someone please give me some advice?? Thank you.
Wine fridges can only help if the ambiant air is +/- 15' of your desired temp. I can tell you from experience you will freeze up the unit. Not to mention every time you open the door you flush the unit and those units do not have the return capacity to make it nice again. Condensation will also quickly happen and then you'll have water droplets on your product. Experiment, it's the only way to really learn, but I just finished toting out two of our coolers from those days. 
These type of questions come up each season. Search around the forums for a lot of solutions:
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/selling-at-farmers-markets-in
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/farmers-markets-and-other
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/small-chocolate-climate-control-display-for-fair-events
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/schlepping-chocolate-to
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/group/startupcentral/forum/topics/chocolate-in-the-summertime
My advice and you'll find it in one of those threads. Make fakes or sacrifices to the heat for your table, keep multiple coolers on ice (dry ice is too cold), use sealed containers containing product and multiple at that.
Your enemies are heat and moisture. Heat melts/warps, andcondensationfrom constant cooler access will eventually create condensation on your products. If you limit the exposure or access points you can have healthy market life. We've sold at farmers markets, multiple, for the last 5 years in the Carolinas. Now we have the luxury of taking off July and August due to having a shop but we know how it goes.
Much luck to ya!
I seem to remember one guy here saying that he used an insulated cambro like this one with ice in the bottom for his back-stock, and a hotel pan with ice in it to display his individual chocolates.
I'm in the same boat you are. Our first Farmer's Market of the year was yesterday, and it gets REALLY hot (90-105 in the middle of the summer) around here. Fortunately for me, our Market has a large open-air building, so my chocolates were in the shade most of the day. There was a short period that I was a little worried because the sun was directly on my chocolates (shining though a skylight), but I would think that an umbrella would be able to assist in keeping direct sunlight off the packages.
I've been considering picking up something like these reusable ice cubes and wrapping two or three around the package with paper towels to insulate. I think something like that might be sufficient to enable the customers to get their confections home without damage.
Oh, and I'm also considering picking up a small wine fridge and remaking the shelves to fit my needs. They keep the perfect temperature for chocolates, and could even possibly be used as a display fridge if needed...
Just because you were asked, doesn't mean you should do it. If it is too warm for chocolate, it might not be a good market for you. Even if you can keep the chocolates cool enough to sell, your customers still need to get them home safely.
This looks like a piece of belt from a cooling tunnel. I know you can get custom belts made for cooling tunnels with logos/patterns on, but you have to buy a massive roll. I would just imagine Godiva are using some of their excess belt/off cuts to dip product onto in store.
Thanks all for you feedback and replies. I will figure out another way.
Kevin -
As there is no water in chocolate, technically it does not dry. It crystallizes and hardens as it cools. Not a big deal but it is helpful to be technically accurate.
These mats are expensive,but, there may be a couple of ways to make one that's not too stupidly expensive.
What comes immediately to mind is to use a laser etcher on a sheet of thin stainless. There is certainly a laser etching service near you (search online) that can do this. You could also use a 3D printer to make a pattern and pull custom molds using food-grade silicon. In both cases, aCAD file of the logo would be the input and you'd create a step and repeat pattern before actually etching or printing the design.
Another thing to consider is custom transfer sheets. Not infinitely reusable as the mat is, but easy to source.
:: Clay
I believe I've actually seen these being cut up for Godiva years agoit's called embossed belting try Maertens or Ammeraal Beltech.
I think it was close to 1k to have just a die made to do thisfor atunnel belt.
Very good ideas but my wife is looking to do small batch orders, not necesarily for Chocolate dipped fruits and would like to brand her chocolate pieces this way.
I have a suggestion for a less expensive and far more flexible alternative:
After dipping the strawberries, set them on shaved chocolate, or crushed Skor bits, or toasted coconut or something like that. It takes no added effort, will add depth of flavour, allow you to charge more, and clearly differentiate your strawberries from every other boring chocolate dipped strawberry out there (except now that I've written this and everybody else starts doing it! LOL).
I don't want to sound like a party pooper here, but who looks at the bottom of the strawberry anyway? They sure will if it's coated with something!
...anyway, it's just an idea.
Brad
This is a Godiva mat that the strawberries are drying on. Once dried the strawberries will have the Godiva imprint on the bottom. I am looking to get a custom made one of these for my own brand. Does anyone know what this is technically called or where to order custom mats from?
Thanks newb here.
I think the best way to answer this question is to try it. Do you have a friend who has access to a steam wand? I don't know the density of your mix so it's hard to say. What I can say is that i get my best results (better than full fat milk) with what we call here "semi descremada" milk (1.5% fat). I am not sure the wand's heat is designed to texturize dense liquids but give it a try and share your finding with us.
Olivier, do you think a steam wand would work with dense sipping chocolate [that has a Tbsp of something like corn starch or tapioca powder added to thicken it]?
Cheers! A
Thank you muchly, Olivier!
So how do you make your hot version? Just curious. And what is it that is not quite right with the cold version?
We don't do anything from a mix but we every few days create a new 'batch' up so that it's on hand and ready. If you're doing something cold you're going to need to make it from a heat source and then chill it. Shocking it though via quick icing has a number of poor ramifications.
Create your version and just chill it down through stirring and ultimately refridgeration. Unless your ratio of chocolate to cream or alternate milk source is so out of alignment that it create a sludge/fudge then it should stay pourable.
Hi Jason,
That sounds similar to what is done in Latin America ( at least Peru and Mexico). Probably a something the Philippines have inheritaded.
When you cool it down you don't have a separation from the cocoa butter and the water?
Olivier
The web site link to the steamer is a great help. I have tried to find out the solution to this issue for a while.
Thanks
Louise
Didn't matter what suspension medium I used. Cold cocoa butter is waxy and yucky. ("yucky" being a highly technical scientific term of course!)
Have you tried using only frozen milk, no water? I guess the more you can emulsify it the better as well.
I've struggled for quite some time trying to figure out how to make a cold drink without using cocoa powder. The challenge is regardless of how I do it, the cold cocoa butter from the chocolate always imparts a waxy texture that I don't like.
If somebody has an epiphany of how to solve this without using cocoa powder as the flavouring agent, I would love to read about it too.
Cheers
Brad
Hi Louise,
I use different chocolates for my hot chocolates and so the ratio varies. In my case I don't premix so my customer can choose any type of milk (full, skim,...) and then the chocolate they want. I then use a steam wand as you do in the same manner as a barista would. I get a great texture and it's a very quick way to make hot chocolate.
If you have electricity at your market and can invest I'd recommend something like that: http://www.astramfr.com/steamers.html . Without electricity you could use a "Mexican molinillo" but it is a tiring task
I hope it helps.
Olivier
Oliver
I know you were asking about cold chocolate drinks but I am interested to know about your hot chocolate drink.
I make my hot drinking chocolate also with chocolate a ratio of 2.75 milk to 1 chocolate. I boil the milk and add the callets of chocolate.
This is fine when I re heat it using the wand in my cafe on the coffee machine you get a nice fraught top like a cappachino.
I have a chocolate dispenser but i'm not mad on it, the drink is served flat and also the cocoa butter start to float to the top after a time.
The problem is I know intend to serve the hot chocolate at markets and can oly use the chocolate dispenser or a soup pot.
How do your serve your hot chocolate?
Louise
Hi Everyone,
I am offering chocolate drinks and I am struggling with the cold versions so I wanted to know if some of you have some good learnings to share.
For all my drinks I work from chocolate, not from cocoa powder (I want to keep that great cocoa butter). Now, to make a hot chocolate I have found a great way to do it (fast and sublime texture) but the cold chocolate is a bit trickier as chocolate doesn't melt at low temperature 
.
RIght now I am melting my chocolate in a bit of hot milk and then I use milk ice cubes in a blender to bring the drink to a cold enough temperature. However I am not fully satisfied with this process. Any better ideas?
Thanks for your input and ideas.
Olivier
Thanks Eric. I will do this test. I talked to Cocoatown and they can sell me new rollers for $200. I'm thinking of trying to redo the roller tubing and bushings instead. Also, if there is some other way for me to increase downward pressure, the extra shear might make up for the wear in the tubing. In my case refining time is very affected because as soon as the mix starts to get nice and liquified (maybe after 6 hours) the rollers stop moving. I think my next steps will be 1 - trying to hack an increase in pressure from the tension bar using spacers on the top of the central axle. 2- Removing the roller tubing and trying to make new tubes.
I will post the results.
What happens is that the insides of the bushings get worn away as the rollers rotate around the metal shaft that holds the rollers. With extra play in the assembly it no longer applies consistent (or any...) downward pressure along the point where the roller contacts the drum bottom below. With the machine off you can test this by running little strips of paper between the roller & drum at various points along the roller. In my case I found the outer 2/3 or so of each roller doesn't really come into much contact with the drum bottom. Without the benefit of much friction there isn't much to make the roller want to keep turning if something bigger & better decides to push it the other way. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to affect the final liquor smoothness - at least in a way I can detect - or overall refining time.
Yes I have had similar issues. The first 24 hours of refining the liquor or nibs goes fine. When I add sugar and little butter, one side and a once, both stones stopped turning. I also made a few batches of milk chocolate and the milk powder did the same thing. I found that increasing the amount of butter helped.
Thank you for the feedback folks.
I made some rudimentary bushings following the recommendations of my engineering friend again (basically thin plastic angled washers with a small protruding plug). Fitting them was a bit hard because they had to be nice and thin in order to avoid having them pinched by the nut at the end of the axle which would prevent rolling. I got that done and did the install but the machine is basically doing the same thing. Is it possible that there is some sort of wear that has caused the rollers to experience less contact with the drum bottom? My next step was to check whether there were replacement bushings available. Any ideas how to adjust the shear on this machine?
Just an FYI - I use the older Cocoatown as well & last I checked you could no longer get the rollers for it. Apparently the newer model has a narrower drum & the newer rollers won't fit - though I haven't confirmed this physically. Maybe someone else has.
I have a similar problem with my bushings & am intrigued by Brad's idea. I just need to ingratiate myself with a machinist.
If the bushings are just plastic, it seems to me that making new ones can't be that difficult. I would hazard a guess that the hole in the granite is pretty standard, and there is a hole saw (drill bit attachment) with the same size.
The hole saw will cut a "plug" in a thick sheet of plastic with a pre-drilled hole in it already. Cut out the plastic from the granite, push the "plug" in the hole, and then redrill the hole in the center of the plug to whatever size you need.
Super easy and done for less that $20, PLUS you can create a whole bunch of "bushings" at the same time, and replace them as needed, never having to buy a granite wheel and pay scads for taxes and shipping.
Cheers.
No, food grade Teflon is not toxic. How else would there be millions of Teflon-coated nonstick pans out in the market?
Cocoatown will sell you the stones with the original crappy plastic bushings. Up to you to have new bushings made. Be warned, solid Teflon is pricey, and add to that the machining costs, you may be just better off buying the new stones every year or so.
by 'bushings" you mean the nylon fittings inside the roller stones? I was looking at everything with an engineer friend of mine yesterday and we did notice that they were pretty much toast, we ordered new nylon to replace.
Yes the stones are being disassembled and cleaned after each use. Isn't teflon toxic, especially when heated? I can order new bushings at cocoatown?
The bushings wear out. Either get new stones or have the old ones refitted with new, Teflon bushings.
You are disassembling and cleaning the stones after each use right?
Hello,
I have the older model of the small cocoatown melanger and have been through one belt change over a year or so with one batch a week in the last nine months. Recently I've noticed that the roller weels have stopped turning, first one and now both. At first I could put some pressure on the end of the tension arm that goes accross the rotating bowl and the rollers started turning again, but now they just stay put and there's nothing doing.
This only starts after at least 24 hours running. Initial refining goes fine.
Is there some way to increase the tension on the stones?
Has anyone had similar problems and found ways to correct?
I look forward to your comments.
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So, I've got this really cool recipe in a book I got, and I really want to change it a bit to make it my own. The original is a teardrop shaped container made from white chocolate, filled with cranberry Bavarian cream and garnished with a chocolate rum sauce, cranberries and pistachio croquant.
Now, my idea is to use two of the containers (I have 2.5" acetate strips), and shape them into a yin-yang circle. I'd use a milk or dark chocolate for one and white chocolate for the other. With the cranberry Bavarian cream in the white shell, I need to come up with a flavor to fill the milk or dark chocolate half of the Yin-Yang. Putting dollop of whipped cream on top of the dark cream and a circle of the chocolate rum sauce on the cranberry cream will complete the look I'm trying to create here...
So, I'm looking for advice or inspiration as to what I should use to pair with the Cranberry Bavarian Cream. I'm thinking maybe orange in a dark chocolate Bavarian cream? Maybe pomegranate? I'm pretty new to all this, so any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks guys!
~Tom
try ribnblues.co.nz
http://www.ribnblues.co.nz/products.php?scid=108&dpp=25&page_number=2
