Forum Activity for @Carlos Eichenberger

Marketing and Promotion Advice

Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Send some bars to Emily Stone of Chocolate in Context . If your chocolate is top-notch and she likes your product, you will get a mention.However, my best results have been obtained through social networking sites, particularly Facebook. I started a Business Page in February, and through ads purchased on FB ($8/day advertising budget) plus my own connections, have almost 2,000 "fans." This translates into two or more daily sales (actual walk-ins) and many email and Wall inquiries.

Marketing and Promotion Advice

Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hey everyone! We recently founded Chocomize about a half year ago. Our whole idea is that people can go to our website, www.Chocomize.com , and design their ownpersonalized chocolate bars. They can pick from three types of Belgianchocolates, milk, dark, and white, and over 100 different ingredients. Ouringredients range from the usual like nuts and fruits, to the unusual like 23Karat gold flakes, candied rose petals, sea salt, and more. In addition, wedonate a portion of our proceeds to charity and the customer gets to pick whichcharity they want to donate too!

We are trying to reach out to get some advice. We are looking for a good way to increase our exposure. We think our chocolate barsare the best in the world because they are designed by YOU the customer. Cananyone recommend some good blogs that we could send samples to? Any other adviceyou might have for us? Would anyone who owns a candy store be interested incarrying our product? Thanks in advance for all your help.

Nick, Eric, and Fabian

updated by @Chocomize: 04/16/15 09:40:03

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

That's an interesting idea -- I was thinking of using a hair dryer to do the same sort of thing. So the pan must not be very warm -- about body temp or more than that?

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

we heat up a little metal disk (or back of a pan) then take the two molds that we are going to join together, let both sit on the heated disk or pan for 1 or 2 seconds until the sides melt a little bit then we slap them together.

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Wybauw does scoop and scrape gianduja - but also does his little bang and scrape thing with regular fillings. I suppose you could use that technique to get a nice full mold before adding the thin layer of chocolate for adherence - but I'd worry that the filling touching the edges might interfere with the sides sticking together.

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Both really but especially regular ganache

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Do you mean with gianduja or regular ganache?

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Thanks for the tip. I tried to just slap together molds with ganache filling and the bond between the halves was a little tenuous -- they looked great though.I know that giaduja will hold the halves together -- and have a question in that regard;I heard that Wybaut has a method for filling molds that involves pouring or scraping the filling over the mold and then scraping very well. have you done this at all? Does it work or cause problems.Many thanks!

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

If you are filling with gianduja - it will hold the two sides together. If with regular filling - fill more than normal - then a thin layer of chocolate which is as warm as possible between the two - slap together immediately.

how to join two halves of filled molded chocolates

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Hi all. I am working on filled molded chocolates -- made in 2 halves, fillled, then joined together mold to mold -- an example of this would be small filled eggs. does anyone have any experience with this -- perhaps some tips? I'd love to benefit from other peoples' experiences rather than reinventing the wheel. Thanks in advance.

updated by @Susanna Harris: 03/11/26 06:20:34

cacao butter bulk sought

Posted in: News & New Products Press

A little late - but you can contact me - Chris Taylor and I can put you on to a reliable source of cocoa butter from Indonesia, the Phillipines & Ghana.

cacao butter bulk sought

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Thanks clay. glad you liked our products. will send you samples of our beans that just got in. if anyone is interested in cacao derivative products or beans feel free to reach out to us. we are here to service the new generation or small to mid size bean to bar makers and chocoholics.I have been somewhat absent lately from the forum but have just posted a few albums from the harvest and our bean import. will continue to post more.

cacao butter bulk sought

Posted in: News & New Products Press

ChocolateLife member Patrick Pineda imports beans, powder, and butter from Venezuela through his company East Bluff Trading . I would contact him.Good products - I've sampled the nibs and the butter.

cacao butter bulk sought

Posted in: News & New Products Press

thank you brad. good pricing and it's ordered. mimi

cacao butter bulk sought

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Chocolate Alchemy also has pretty decent pricing for cocoa butter.

cacao butter bulk sought

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Qzina Specialty Foods www.QZina.com

cacao butter bulk sought

Posted in: News & New Products Press

can anyone help me source cacao butter for my chocolate production? thank you!
updated by @Mimi Wheeler: 03/11/26 06:20:34

The Agave Controversey is heating up...

Posted in: News & New Products Press

It's funny, I knew intuitively when I first started experimenting with raw chocolate that agave nectar had a strong blood sugar reaction with me. My personal preference not to sweeten with agave was only recently confirmed with the latest buzz about the agave blues.

The Agave Controversey is heating up...

Posted in: News & New Products Press

The reason I posted this information on Agave is because traditionally, Agave has been used as the sweetener of choice in the raw chocolate industry under the idea that agave was healthy for you. New information has recently come to light that this might not really be the case.

The Agave Controversey is heating up...

Posted in: News & New Products Press

We are manufacturing our truffles at the Sacred Chocolate Factory in San Rafael, CA

The Agave Controversey is heating up...

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Nice read. Are you sourcing your Sacred Truffles from Cru Cacao? I noticed the same formulas and names.Sirius.

The Agave Controversey is heating up...

Posted in: News & New Products Press

In answer to the recent agave controversy stirred up by Dr. Mercola and Mike Adams, both of whom are well known health promoters with large followings, my good friend David Wolfe, well known author and nutritionist,wrote an article explaining his current position on the Agave debate. You can read the article as originally published here: http://www.sacredchocolate.com/agave-blues-david-wolfe

Currently, I estimate that 95% of the commercially available Raw Chocolate Bars and Desserts on the market use agave syrupas a sweetener.

Historically, agave has been used as a sweetener with cacao for many years according to chocolate historian, Mark J Sciscenti. ( https://www.kakawachocolates.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=5&chapter=1 )

updated by @Sacred Steve: 03/11/26 06:20:34

where to buy

Posted in: News & New Products Press

While in San Diego about 12 years ago, I visited the major mall and discovered a unique Chacolate shop in the food section which had "fresh made" chocolates. In the window were three table top enrobers, one of which was being worked by an employee at the time.I inquired about them, but they wouldn't tell me whre they came from or who made them. I have never seen anything like it since. They appear (in my memory) to be simialr to the Hilliard's little dipper machines, but they were more self contained and definitely a work of art.I don't know if I could afford at least one, but I would sure be interested in any informationa bout them or something like them. I assume they were laboratory type models. I have often wondered if they are even still there since I have not had the opportunity to get out that way since!Any information would be appreciated.
updated by @George Robertson: 03/11/26 06:20:34

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

just wanted to say there are still lots of antioxidents found in roasted cacao and if you are truly trying to eat chocolate just to get antioxidents you would have to eat alot, and that is not balanced. If you want antioxidents then eat some blueberries and then enjoy your chocolate. I am also not an advocate of processed, full of refined sugar chocolate , but I am not totally sold on this raw food approach. I think if the cacao was roasted and then fresh ground with good sugars and other ingredients (not lecithin), it is full of health and still has tons of benefits.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

two questions, have you ever tried roasted cacao without refined sugar? Are you comparing chocolate bars made with roasted or raw or just the bean itself? Also it seems there is alot of variation in temperature in the definition of raw. Where did you get your degree (temperature)? I myself make and manufacter bars both raw and roasted. I am making my bars from scratch using coconut sugar (which is technically not raw). I find that for me what I love about raw chocolates is the different sweeteners and other ingredients which are not found in mainstream chocolate. I personally find coconut sugar and even roasted cacao powder to be still full of life and nutrients. The only major difference I notice in how I feel is the caffeine. The roasted gives off more of a buzz and can tend to keep you awake, but there is a time for everything. Beth with Belicious Chocolate Alchemy

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

I forget to mention also Clay, that in the raw chocolate world, there has been recently some stir about what is being called "CacaoGate". Basically, a trusted supplier of raw ingredients came out with the truth that the raw cacao powder and raw cacao butter they had been selling for years under the term "RAW" was actually processed at high temperatures in the range of several hundred degrees F. It really caused a lot of confusion and distrust in the community! So, to bring up the "RAWNESS" of a product, especially chocolate and cacao is appropriate at this time in my opinion.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Hi Clay,I am confused. I have made no claim that Sacred Chocolate is more raw than other raw chocolates in the marketplace.I have already defined what I meant by "Truly Raw" as it applies to this discussion thread above. Some chocolate is "Rawer" than other chocolate in the market place. That is for sure. Mostly that depends on weather or not somebody is using cooked cacao powder and/or cooked cacao butter to make chocoalate and how much cooked sweetener, cooked vanilla, etc. is in the final product on a per weight basis. I will eventually post all raw percentages on our website. Have not had the time to do that yet.Our website http://www.SacredChocolate.com lists the detailed specifications of Sacred Chocolate if you drill down to the product detail area.Steve

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Steve:I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days.I think I understand where you may be coming from when you want to differentiate your chocolate made from unfermented raw nibs from chocolate made from fermented raw nibs - "True RAW" versus "raw."However, there is no single agreed-upon definition for what raw is. The max temp quoted differs by as much as nearly 25% as you stated and there is the very legitimate question raised about whether fermentation == cooking when it comes to other foods.Given that there is no strong consensus about these topics - even within the raw community - it is potentially detrimental to start marketing a position of "mine is raw-er than yours." While that may be good for Sacred Chocolate - it disses not only other raw chocolate makers but lots of other companies who produce raw foods. All of them might start claiming that their process makes their food "raw-er" than their competition: "Truly Raw" implies that other foods are not really raw.Again - I understand why you might want to make this claim from a Sacred Chocolate business perspective, but not why you would pursue it if it has the potential to cause confusion - and harm, in my opinion - to the entire raw foods community.Now, I don't want you to answer this for at least 48 hours. Just accept what I have to say and really think about it. I want you to spend as much time thinking about this as I did.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Wow. Lots of passionate discussion, by obviously well educated individuals. While Steve may rather stay out of further discussion, and I certainly am not one to take sides. Technically RAW by definition- is "not cooked", perhaps the question should be: is fermenting=cooking.While it may seem like semantics, and popular slang suggests that fermenting is cooking, truthfully cooking is the preparation of food by the use of heat. Is the purpose of fermenting to cook? More correctly it's the use of bacteria to chemically/enzymatically change the makeup of said product. The heat in this instance is merely a bi product, given this, and as already stated, I "believe" (read: my opinion) you can have raw and fermented at the same time, if properly prepared, if only by not allowing it to "cook".I do believe fermenation can bring much to the party. Why, where would grape juice be without fermentation. There's certainly room for both on our grocery shelves, but walk down one isle then the other, it's obvious that one has a much greater following. But then that becomes a matter of personal taste/choice.I say this only as another thought, perspective, one not as well versed in this context as many, it may not have any value, but I see the point in both discussions. While one could argue all day that it's hot outside, someone else would surely contend that it's cold. At some point it becomes perspective, and my part of the elephant feels like a tree. :o)

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Sirius:Thanks for the kind words.As I mentioned in the broccoli comment and you responded to, there are tradeoffs to be made in fermentation. While Aox levels may be higher without fermentation (and I am prepared to believe that there is a limit above which there is the potential for toxicity - where antioxidants actually exhibit pro-oxidant effects), the fermentation process may generate compounds (other than potentially psychoactive ones) that are even more beneficial. The fixation on one measure of "healthiness" is not beneficial, IMO. More research (and meta-research) needs to be done.To pun on your dialectic/semantic comment, maybe it's better said, "the way things RAWly are.":: Clay

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Brian,With regards to "aromica", which I assume you could also be referring to "arriba", a forum post allready exists exploring the matter of cacao genetic strains in great detail here .While fermenting does decrease antioxidant levels according to Steve, David Wolfe wrote in his book "Superfoods" (which cites many scientific studies and lab tests) that fermentation significantly increases the amount of psychoactive substances in cacao, such as phenylethylamine (from ~%1 to ~%3). I personally enjoy fermented, unroasted, cold-processed (never heated above ~118 F, particularly in the oil pressing) cacao, and that is what I use in my chocolate.Clay and Steve, I want to personally thank you both for your passion, and the work that you do for chocolate! In my studies, I truly believe that cacao is of significant benefit to help our current situation on this planet - ecologically, economically, nutritionally, dare I say spiritually! You are both inspirations. Dialectics, semantic or otherwise, serve to refine our own assumptions of "the-way-things-REALLY-are", and the language we use to communicate them.Sirius Alchemy
updated by @Sirius Chocolate: 09/10/15 04:47:28

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

ok, no problem. sorry for any confusion. i think we have FULLY clarified this point now.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

No, I am not trying to belittle you.I am pointing out inconsistencies in your definitions that may confuse people. They confuse me.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Hi Clay,I already defined what I meant by "True Raw" above. Is there any further confusion here? I am happy to clarify further if necessary.Steve

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Clay, my point exactly. You must always define what you are talking about in order to have it apply in the context in which you are speaking. I actually define it mid-sentence to avoid confusion contextually. It is funny that you are pointing this out. Are you trying to belittle me?Steve

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Steve:Your definition of "raw" in a previous post:Reply by Sacred Steve on November 4, 2009 at 6:43pmFYI...Sacred Chocolate does make a 100% Organic, 100% RAW (Defined as using only UNROASTED CACAO and keeping grinding temperatures below 115 degrees Fahrenheit from start to finish) ...Hearts!SS

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Think of the context of this discussion. We are talking ONLY about your assertions of True Raw and "raw."We are not talking about the cane sugar industry. Don't change the subject and introduce irrelevance.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Clay, this is all a matter of opinion and loose definition. "Raw" means something totally different in the cane sugar industry for example. In many cases raw can mean a lightly processed material such as "raw evaporated cane juice" or it can mean the lightly processed substance we are calling "raw fermented cacao"Steve

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

It's on the home page and has been for months.I do a lot of work maintaining a forum for you and others to participate in. All I am asking you to help me out a little - it's in your best interests.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Steve:Words are important so arguing about semantics is important in many instances.I wasn't objecting to raw in and of itself, I was pointing out that your locution "True Raw" was an expression of a personal opinion, not something that is generally held as being "true" in the raw community in general - at least so far as I know.What you called "True Raw" is what I think most people would agree would be "Fresh."I also disagree with your definition that "raw" categorically means unfermented as it is demonstrably true that it is possible to properly ferment cacao and keep the temp below 118-125F.What you call raw is "unfermented raw cacao" as opposed to "raw fermented cacao."The distinctions are very important.

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

you might consider installing a google search into this site if you don't already have it? It is super useful and free!

Raw Chocolate

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Hi Clay, I don't have the time unfortunately. I forgot where I posted it unfortunately, but if the search function on this site is good, it should turn up the article using keywords like "antioxidant" and "polyphenol"Steve