Forum Activity for @Thomas Forbes

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

From what I have learned, a tarea of cacao land where my wife is born produces 1-3 quintales (100 pounds) per year with most producing 1. 30,000 pounds (300 quintales) of dry cacao beans will get you $1,650,000 pesos or about US$43,000. Sanchez, unfermented was getting RD$5,500 per quintal in July and may be a little higher today due to rise of cacao on the international market. After you pay for your labor, transportation (vehicle and mule) and the capacity to dry, my guess is you end up with about US$25,000. These are raw numbers and feel free to pick at them. I am sure additional costs are not included. So net profit. You sure will not live high on the hog managing 300 tareas. Most farmers have less and some have more. All have other forms of income or ways to provide for the family.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

You are right. Let me correct my numbers. I looked up the new Dominican minimum wage and they vary and the rural worker 10 hours a day is listed around 200 pesos a day. I know that the average worker gets 2000 pesos a week for a 5 day week. A Dominican will not work for $200 pesos a day and is the reason why Haitians are taking over much of the manual labor force. Thank you correcting me.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

Thomas,

i was addressing the worker...worker, not farm owner.

I don't ubderstand your math. If the worker receives US$5.25 per day, it seems difficult to arrive at

US$210 per month. 210/5.25=40 days per month? Do day labors work every day...7 days per week?

normal work weeks are 5.5 days that would earn US$ 28.87 per week or US$115.00 per month.

Workers in Brazil work 44hr weeks, holidays and Sundays are 2X normal salary and night service is 1.5

times normal salary.

Is the US$25000 gross or net profit?

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

Cacao plantations are generally considered sustainable environmentally speaking if chemicals are not used? The areas in the DR will cacao are very forested and allow for complimentary crops to be grown for personal consumption. Plantanos, bananas yucca, and other root vegetables, citrus mango and zapote to name a few are found scattered all over the place with and around the cacao.

From a cultural perspective. I find the cacao regions to generally be better off economically, are organized, have good schools and access to health care. Those that own a decent amount of land travel to the US when they want and are often leaders in their communities. They tend to take care of each other and everyone does their part. I would argue that cacao areas that I am associated with in the Dominican Republic are sustainable. The income provided to these areas by cacao production is their base.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

The minimum wage in the Dominican Republic is listed at RD$4,900. That is inaccurate information. In May of 2011 it was raised and the campo worker minimum wage is about RD$200/day, about US$5.25. That comes out to about RD$8000 a month or about US$210. They way it works in the area I work is that people are available as day labors for the busy times. Each cacao producer generally have their trusted employees who work full-time on aspects of running a farm and harvesting other products. These trusted employees almost become part of the family and are often related in some manner. My guess is that a 300 tarea cacao farm (60 acres) will bring about US25,000 a year in profits with a land value of US$70,000-100,000. It is a lot of work and then you need to have fermentation and dryers if you do not sell it wet.

So who are we talking about getting the fair price for their labor and investment, the farmer/worker or the worker/employee?

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

i agree with jim,

sustainable should be for the workers, sustainable should be as well for the land/nature.

we notice that more and more people knows about fair trade and also understand that fair trade doesn't always mean "sustainable".

I think that the world of chocolate is ready for a new change: too many organization requiring money for a "stamp", too many different ones.

If anyone comes up with a fair priced -sustainable for the worker and for the land- "stamp" it would be very good. but only one, not one for germany, one for Usa one for Asia ect... just one, world wide that is sustainable for the farmers.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

Clay, I am reluctant to use the term sustainability when referring to cacau. I am more prone to apply the word to cacao workers. Far too long we have wrung our hands and searched for way to obtain cocoa beans that meet some imaginary standard. It is not the trees that suffer from abusive producers and governments, ITS THE WORKER!!!! Take a look at the salaries for selected cocoa producing countries. Does this look sustainable to you?

The Harkin-Engel Protocol made a watered down attempt to protect children that were working in cocoa plantations, but, I hear very little mention of the thousands of adult workers who are working for pennies a day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country

Benin 30,000 CFA francs (46) per month

Bolivia 647 Bolivian bolivianos (66) per month

Brazil R$ 545.00 about US$ 348.39 per month, paid 13 times a year one monthpaid vacation plus 8.5% retirement deposit

Burkina Faso 30,684 CFA francs (47) a month in the formal sector; does notapply to subsistence agriculture 182,000

Chile Chilean pesos (258) per month for workers aged 1865 ;

Columbia 535,000 Colombian pesos (207) a month (2011);

Costa Rica 131,907 Costa Rican colones (186) a month

Ivory Coast it varies by occupation, with the lowest set to 36,607 CFA franc (56)

Dominican Republic 4,900 Dominican pesos (91)

Ghana Ghanaian cedis (1.95) a dayGuatemala Guatemalan quetzales (4.78) per day for agricultural work

Indonesia 1,410,000 rupiah (116) per month in Papua; as low as 675,000rupiah per month in West Java

Madagascar 70,025 Malagasy ariary (25) per month for nonagriculturalworkers; 71,000 ariary per month for agricultural workers[9]

Mexico 54.47 pesos (3.49) in Zone C (all other states)

Nigeria 18,000 naira (81) per month, nationally (with a 13 month year as the lawmandates an extra month's pay for the Christmas holiday)

Peru 550 Peruvian nuevos soles (139) per month[52]

Sao Tome 650,000 So Tom and Prncipe dobras (27) per month for civil servants

Is this Fair Trade? Is this good for natural habitat? Is this good for the rain forest? Is this organic? It;s time we look past the glitzy organizations with certified backgrounds and insist that the actual producers are treated in a SUSTAINABLE manner.

Jim Lucas

Jim Lucas

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

Good question. Being back in my hometown in Gascony, watching the October sun set on the yellow-leafed vines that were harvested last month, and that were already planted around here by the Romans 2000 years ago, I guess the obvious notion of sustainable cocoa ought to be: a cultivation of cocoa that could be sustained for many centuries, while nurturing the local community, its people and its culture.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

While UTZ may be less well known (to some) than FLO, RA, and others, the question is really about your feelings about the definition of sustainable.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

We see a lot of UTZ cacao in Vietnam (in fact most of our current chocolate line comes from UTZ cacao), but because the certification is either unknown or associated to huge industrial actors (Mars, Cargill...) we haven't bothered indicating that our chocolate is 'UTZ certified'; having said that, if the certification is done reasonably, which I haven't checked in detail, to exclude obviously non environmentally-friendly or exploitative practices, I say why not, because what we see on the ground is UTZ farmers getting a premium without the well-known (on this forum at least) drawbacks of the costly, cumbersome Fair Trade or Organic certification process, which are just beyond the reach of any individual Vietnamese farmer.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

After spending a little time on the UTZ website, it is unclear how they are different or the same from fair trade and or organic. From the little I know about what goes on the DR, it appears as if the farmer cooperatives have went the fair trade route and the larger producers may use the UTZ track, Roig for instance in the DR. Rizek and Munne seem to be happy with the organic label. These large producers and processors of cacao have set up quality operations. You see a number of the Roig associated farms with sign in the campos near Castillo. The farmer cooperatives work primarily with the smaller farmers in much the same manner, while trying to get to the same level of control and quality.

What does "Sustainable" mean to you, when it comes to cocoa?

Posted in: Opinion

Mars just announced that many of its products in the Netherlands will be UTZ certified starting February 2012.

Accompanying the announcement was the following "definition" for sustainability.

Sustainable cocoa means that it is produced using humanitarian agriculture techniques that are environmentally friendly and offer cocoa farmers a better price.

Please share your thoughts on this definition.

updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/11/15 17:52:15

Nestlé’s new Maison Cailler brand

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

They aren't doing anything new, and in my opinion they are still missing the boat.

Choklat's been making personally selected truffles fresh per ordernow for over 3 years and has been very successful at it. Maison offers a few varieties, where as the 468 combinations that can be ordered through our website still dwarfs their offering.

The only difference right now is that we don't deliver outside of our immediate geographic area, whereas they do.

As far as I'm concerned Nestle' is playing catch up, and only serves to validate my business model of giving people what they want, as opposed to whatwe "think" they want, or what flavour happens to appeal to us as chocolatiers on any given day.

That's just my opinion.

Cheers

Brad

Nestlé’s new Maison Cailler brand

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

So far with our shop we meet 2 types of people. Those who buy chocolate in a grocery store, and those who seek out something better, maybe more personal. However that personal is usual not something that's going back and forth electronically but something where you can talk with another person and have real input or knowledge exchange.

To some slice of demographic that currently likes buying ferrero rocher, or other marketed global products this might speak to them with a sense of faux personalization. Like a Sky mall product.

Usually I don't see many of these people, so I'm not really sure if this will gain traction for those looking for a real product. It might be something you'd get as a present but after a few rounds it would fall into disuse.

They might be a real business with a marketing budget that dwarfs anything I can imagine and a production facility that probably looks like something out of a sci-fi novel. Proofs in the product and all that though.

The nice things about endeavors like these is you can find some gems in the rough and if they pan out for that scale there might be some trickle down thoughts that can be integrated into your own business. Always fun to watch and learn.

Nestlé’s new Maison Cailler brand

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Extract from an e-news article published 2008:

"Nestl today announced the establishment of the Chocolate Centre of Excellence, the company's first R&D facility entirely dedicated to the development of premium and luxury chocolate. . .
The establishment of the new Chocolate Centre of Excellence is a further sign that Nestl sees luxury and premium products as one of its key strategic areas with above-average growth and profit potential over the coming years. . . It also explains Nestl's partnership with Belgian luxury chocolatier Pierre Marcolini who will provide inspiration to the team in Broc for some of the company's future chocolate ranges."

Link to e-news article!

Maison Cailler chocolate factory is located in Broc, Switzerland:
Link to Maison Cailler & Chocolate Factory article!

Nestlé’s new Maison Cailler brand

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

I quickly checked the web-site (perhaps it's not the correct one), but the Maison Caillier site (ch) looks quite old fashioned to me, with the Swiss Alps etc. To be honest, I don't see how they are going to play a leading role in the way people consume chocolate. In the coffee industry companies like Stumptown, Intelligentcia Coffee really "Rock", very different from the old swiss chocolate school. So, to be honest, I don't understand what they actually want, company marketing is not in line with the company believes.........and that is not going to be very convincing, a camera in Ecuador won't make much of a difference.

Best regards

Rodney

Nestlé’s new Maison Cailler brand

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Brian, you seriously want me to believe that you are not interested one iota in knowing the chocolate personality of Lady GaGa? Or Justin Bieber?

Snap.

Nestlé’s new Maison Cailler brand

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

seems like the people that want nestle chocolate can get it just about anywhere. and people who want fine chocolate with distinctive flavors can get that in more and more places. i don't know if the 2 cross over like this. but if the chocolate is truly great it will probably sell.the facebook stuff is kind of creepy. maybe i'm just a prematurely grumpy old guy but its enough with the facebook and trying to assimilate my list of friends into my every minute decision. i'm over it, i will not be logging the chocolate personalities of anyone.

Nestlé’s new Maison Cailler brand

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

According to the press release :

Nestl has created a new luxury brand that delivers fresh chocolates, tailor-made for individual tastes.

Actually, that's not the case.If you take a closer read through the release, it's a two-step process.

1. You get a tasting box, rate the selections, and return the ratings.
2. You get a custom selection of chocolates, not actual chocolate recipes tailor-made

That said, it's part of a much broader initiative that has the potential (if it's successful, if consumers care, do people associate Nestl with a luxury brand (Hershey couldn't do it with Scharffen Berger, et al) to influence chocolate marketing globally.

Your thoughts on the program, its chances for success, and how it might have an impact on the chocolate business generally - and your business in particular?

Some more from the release:

Maison Cailler is a response to the changing times we live in, Mr Lacroix explains.

People are looking for more personalised products and services, and they are increasingly purchasing these online."

We will be able to fine tune the Maison Cailler offering according to consumer feedback, he continues.

Although the five main chocolate personalities will never change, soon we will be able to identify nuances. The goal really is to be as personal as possible.

People can register to set up a personal account on the Maison Cailler website; importing their Facebook contacts and logging the chocolate personalities of their friends.

They will also be able to post questions to the Maison Cailler team.

The Maison Cailler website, which works on all digital devices, will stream live footage from webcams in the chocolatiers kitchens; from the Molson; and from the fields where the cows who provide the factorys milk graze.

There will even be live footage from a cocoa farm in Ecuador.

We are showing consumers that we are a real business, with real people, who work here every day making chocolate for them to enjoy, adds Mr Lacroix.

updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

ACMC chocolate temperer motor replacement (You know, the white table-top one).

Posted in: Opinion

Don't know if this will work, came across this DIY temperer on youtube

How to build a large capacity home chocolate tempering machine

ACMC chocolate temperer motor replacement (You know, the white table-top one).

Posted in: Opinion

I have looked for a better replacement and found a similar gear motor through Acklands Grainger. However, the shaft length is different, and I had to weld an extension to the end to make it fit the ACMC. Unfortunately the only decent option is to order new motors from ACMC.

ACMC chocolate temperer motor replacement (You know, the white table-top one).

Posted in: Opinion

Do you know if this (DMD4LL07) is still an active part number? I just tried to locate one and cannot find it. I just had my second motor go out. Such a bummer, and I'd like to have something more stable if I'm gonna spend the money to fix it. Just ordered another plastic gear motor in the meantime.

Thanks!

-Brandon

ACMC chocolate temperer motor replacement (You know, the white table-top one).

Posted in: Opinion

i appreciate it! I ordered an exact replacement and had it up and running in about 15 minutes. It was a quick fix. I want to look into the motor Brad mentioned though, because I can only expect another 3 yrs out of this new motor and I like to think that a 700 dollar machine should run longer than that. I may just try to build one from scratch.

Thanks a lot and expect more questions from me...

ACMC chocolate temperer motor replacement (You know, the white table-top one).

Posted in: Opinion

Dayton makes a motor that works (Acklands Grainger sells them), and uses metal gears. Model DMD4LL07. The problem with the ACMC motors is that the gear boxes are plastic, and they ALL strip. (I have 6 of those machines and all of them have had the motors replaced).

The holes for the screws even fit with the Dayton motor..

It's 3rpm slower than the ACMC motors, but that doesn't seem to make a difference.

HOWEVER....

You will need to weld on a small extension to the shaft coming from the gear box and shape it to fit the collar that turns the bowl. I did that as a test with one of my machines, and the motor hasn't failed since.

Hope that helps.

Brad

ACMC chocolate temperer motor replacement (You know, the white table-top one).

Posted in: Opinion

When I had an ACMC, the temp control went out. I called the company and they had me send it back to them. They charged $100 and sent me a totally new melter. If they are still in business, you might call them first.

ACMC chocolate temperer motor replacement (You know, the white table-top one).

Posted in: Opinion

Okay, so in our shop, we have a couple of large Hilliards tempering pots and one ACMC pot used only for tempering white chocolate. Its motor has recently burned out. I need to replace it and would like to know if anyone has a recommendation for either a better motor or a specs to ask for when calling a company for a replacement.

I'd like to say, before this discussion gets into a "you need a better temperer," I know this and plan to do so, but can't shelve this temperer just yet.

Thanks for any info you can share in replacing this motor.

updated by @Brandon Buckner: 04/10/15 05:56:42

Any Philadelphia Members out there?

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

The dates are March 4-11. You can read about it here http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html Any help appreciated its a long show!

Any Philadelphia Members out there?

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Melanie - Got the exact dates in March? I would love to put this in my calendar to come down and showcase all the new Hawaiian chocolate you're going to be bringing.

Any Philadelphia Members out there?

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

My company, Sweet Paradise Chocolatier will be exhibiting at the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show in March. The theme this year is Hawaii and 40 companies from Hawaii will represent our state in that pavilion. 10 or more will be flower companies but the rest represent our music, culture and food. I will be bringing lots of Hawaiian chocolate produced by myself as well as other companies.

I need to connect with some other chocolate lovers in Philadelphia that could possibly help work in our booth and help me with a few logistics.

updated by @Melanie Boudar: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Pernigotti Cocoa

Posted in: Opinion

Can anyone offer some reviews on Pernigotti Cocoa Powder? I am looking to purchase some to make a cocoa mix to include in gift baskets. Valrhona has great reviews, but it is also up to $6 more per lb. Pernigotti has good reviews on Amazon, but I'd like to hear from chocolatiers. Thanks in advance.
updated by @Marquette Demarais: 04/20/15 03:00:33

Does Any Chocolatiers Want to Support Occupy Wall Street?

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

If you're interested in supporting the Occupy Wall Street protesters and want to supply them with your chocolate, send them to me! I will receive packages of chocolate donations and bring them to the park in Lower Manhattan for people to eat!I will even take pictures and document your chocolate's impact.

If you're interested, send me a message and we'll get it sent and eaten by those people out there.

We are the 99%, too!

updated by @Conrad Miller: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Savour Chocolate School in Melbourne

Posted in: Opinion

Hanna, I am pleased to hear your feedback! If I do come over, I will have to come and catch up! It is been a while since you left NZ now!

Savour Chocolate School in Melbourne

Posted in: Opinion

The best school, I have ever done!

Savour Chocolate School in Melbourne

Posted in: Opinion

Yes, I take courses there at least twice a year. I can thoroughly recommend them. They also have guest chefs that are typically French MOF's there a couple of times a year.

Savour Chocolate School in Melbourne

Posted in: Opinion

Yep, I've done a lot of courses there. The staff are great and very knowledgeable. I have been doing courses there consistently since 2006 - it's good enough for me to keep going back. Also depends what you want to get out of it. The course notes are basically recipes and methods which is great because it stops you having to write as you go. If you're attentive and detailed, you will get a lot of other tips and tricks as you work through the recipes which are worth writing down as you go. I've generally re-written my materials after the course to incorporate these notes. The instructors are also happy to share if you ask further questions during classes.

Class format is generally introduction and go through the recipes for the day. Then weigh out ingredients (recipes are split between tables, so you work in a group). Depending on the course, the general rule of thumb is each recipe is made big enough for the whole class. When your table's recipe is due to be made, you actually make it yourself in front of the whole group. This is great for hands on experience. It also helps watching the occasional mistakes being fixed on the fly (by the instructor) or watching how things can go wrong.

I started off just doing the chocolate courses but enjoyed the school and staff and their enthusiasm for all pastry that I have just kept goingback forall things pastry. And most importantly, I use the skills I have learnt on a regular basis in things I do at home as well.

Edited to add: you should also choose courses suited to your skill level. I had done a little chocolate work by myself at home before doing Chocolates Level 1 which helped me ask some questions about things I knew could go wrong. If you're already working around chocolate and have a good handle on tempering/moulding etc, you may want to speak with them about which level you should start at.

Savour Chocolate School in Melbourne

Posted in: Opinion

I am contemplating a visit to Savour in January to do 17 days of training.

Has anyone been to this school? If so, did you find the experience worthwhile? Knowing what you know now, would you have approached the courses in a different way? And lastly, how did you find the course material that you took away afterward?

Thanks!

Stu

updated by @Stu Jordan: 04/10/15 14:42:24

One Bar, Two Bar, Red Bar.....

Posted in: Opinion

I'm definitely in the artificially coloured "white" chocolate sucks camp. There is quite a lot of subconscious psychology associate with food procurement choices.Stick a blue bar with a white bar and see which one you sell. I'm betting > 4 white sales per blue. BUT a blue bar will be bought by some one, and are they influential?

One Bar, Two Bar, Red Bar.....

Posted in: Opinion

Lana,

Would you please share from where are you getting vegetable food coloring transfer sheets.

I print my own transfer sheets and would much prefer using natural dyes (inks) than the chemically processed ones I use now. Thanks

One Bar, Two Bar, Red Bar.....

Posted in: Opinion

Scott;

Your post prompted me to call my contact at the CFIA, and ask her. In Canada, the definition of white chocolate is silent on color, but defines specific ingredients that can be included. Coloring is not one of them, and therefore not allowed.

I can however preclude the term "chocolate" with pretty much whatever I like, as long as the recipe falls within the definition of white chocolate. I could call it Blue Chocolate if I like.

Having said that, she also brought up the question of color in the first place, given that we're artisinal, and people are looking for more "natural" products these days. It looks cool and the feedback right now is about 50/50, but the non-color fans have a pretty compelling argument that blue chocolate doesn't look natural.

This has been a good exercise. Keep your opinions coming!

Cheers.

Brad

One Bar, Two Bar, Red Bar.....

Posted in: Opinion

In the US, the standard of identity for "white chocolate" requires that it "be free of coloring material" (21 CFR 163.124(a)). Might be worth checking, if you haven't already done so, whether similar regulatory constraints are in place in Canada before deciding on what to call the product, how to label it, etc.

On the merits, I'd have no interest in buying a colored chocolate bar, unless the coloring was incidental to the inclusion of a natural ingredient chosen for flavor (e.g., achiote).

One Bar, Two Bar, Red Bar.....

Posted in: Opinion

I never thought of that. Thanks!

One Bar, Two Bar, Red Bar.....

Posted in: Opinion

I do remember reading some literature once which suggested colour can change a persons "taste". Basically they coloured a neutral flavour yellow and (from memory) something like 1/4 of the sample said they tasted a lemon flavour. It might be worth doing some checking on how flavour can be impacted by colour - you wouldn't want the wrong impact!!