Forum Activity for @antonino allegra

DIY Guitar

Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)

Hi Andy,

i actually did! i found some details online (will try to remember and forward the links).

you will need:

a) being good as "MacGyver'

b) few tools

what i did: i bought some aluminum pipes of 25mmx25mm and cut to size to create a frame.

riveted all together. made holes for the right cut size ( 2.5cm )

Then i bought some high resistant bolts and got the holed by an engineer company ( in Cape Town we have a lot of them that work with marine items).

The wires are not from an electric guitar (too expensive) but is fishing rod for deep see fishing (sharks, tuna etc) that can hold pressure up to 300kg.

the next step would be to get a base cut from a piece of aluminum (like a real one) but i don't feel now to pay $$$ for it.

Now, it looks very "frankestein" BUT it works!

I will try to take some pics tomorrow.

BTW, a frame cost me about Zar 350 (ca $45)

DIY Guitar

Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)

Anyone built their own Guitar? I really don't want to expend resources on one right now and my brain just can't come up with the justification for the cost association, always seems like highway robbery. We're starting to move out of hand rolled though and cutting with a knife is tedious.

In my head I've got PVC pipes in a square with stainless strings tightened by eyelets or thumbscrews spaced however seen fit with a hinge.

So--built your own? Come across some plans for a DIY project? If I could spend a few hours and < a couple hundred I'd feel it was a worthy small project.

updated by @Andy Ciordia: 12/13/24 12:15:15

Color fade

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

You know come to think of it I've never seen our transfer sheets fade. There must be something out there that has a more reliable or longer color hold that isn't toxic.

Color fade

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Yes, because the appeal of this product is visual, I'm reluctant to put themin anything but a clear package.

Color fade

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Your all natural, food concentrates, will fade faster i'm afraid.

Color fade

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

"In these black bags we have 2 colored pretzel sticks.", heheh!

We've noticed colors can fade in the dark as well, might be an oxidization thought to it. Mainly it is our blues that go--sometimes red but it's not consistent. Same things happen with some of our icing colors with cakes.

Love to know a trick or brand that has more resilience. We want to try the food-based-colors as well. Neat to see if beets do the same.

Color fade

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Package them in something that doesn't let the light pass through. What you're seeing is a photo-catalyticdegradation.

Color fade

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

What is the best coloring method to prevent or decrease color fade?

Im currently using oil-based colorings (Chefmaster and some Wilton) with white Callebaut couverture.

Until now, Ive only used small amounts of color for drizzle decorations on truffles. I have noticed a slight amount of color fade (especially with pink), but its not particularly noticeable, since there is so little of it.

Ive started doing solid chocolate lollipops with larger swaths of color. In particular, were doing some baby-themed pops (pink, blue, green, etc. filled in the deepest part of the mold, then completing the pop with dark, milk or white) that I want to sell through local hospital gift shops. Our test pops, however, are showing a significant amount of fade, just after a few days. They are currently packaged in cello bags.

Ive researched some other options like using a powdered colorant or colored cocoa butter. Could the cello bags be accelerating the fade? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Mickey Miller
Mount Vernon Confections
Mount Vernon, Iowa

updated by @Mickey Miller: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Chocolate couverture training

Posted in: Opinion

Good day friends!

I am looking for a personalized hands on chocolate couverture training in Europe withan experienced master chocolatier. I would like to extend my knowledge in making [Ed: working with] chocolate couverture (not bean to bar). I am mainly interested in learning the science behind it all, and how each and every ingredient interacts with the others. Why use this and not that? How the addition of a certain percentage of a certain ingredient affects the chocolate (i.e., flavour, texture, aroma, shelf life...)

Any recommendations other than the renowned Callebaut academy?

Thank you,
Omar

updated by @Omar Forastero: 04/16/15 01:03:53

Pricing

Posted in: Opinion

Just curious....

Have you asked them what THEIR budget is?

THEIR budget, not yoursis your starting point.

Quite often organizations will dangle the carrot of "exposure to new customers" as an incentive to bring your price down and/or almost work for free. I promise you that you will get very little business from an event like this. You need to find out what they can spend on dessert, and then see what you can do to make something for them AT A PROFIT. It's a business summit. They'll understand if you tell them you can't work profitably within their budget.

It's also ok to walk away from business opportunities if they simply don't make sense financially. Remember.... Your business isn't a charity. You have bills to pay just like every other business, and in fact handing opportunities like this to your competitors is a good thing in some ways. Let THEM work for free!

Cheers

Brad

Pricing

Posted in: Opinion

There's another way to do this, which is to research what other (caterers) are charging for similar items. I do this a lot on my projects.

If a survey of caterers and venues reveals that they charge $7/pp for a dessert then you know what the market will bear - you know the maximum you can charge. Taking a much closer look at food costs (Antonino is right - $2-$3 is too wide a range), you can mark your costs up to reflect the other costs (labor, overhead, delivery) to arrive at a final price. I would recommend you consider thinking about gross margin, not markup.

What's the difference? For an item with $3 in total costs, a 50% markup results in a final price of $4.50. On the other hand, a 50% gross margin results in a final price of $6.00. An item with $2.25 in ingredient and labor costs and a gross margin of 45% results in a final price of $4.10 - you'd factor in all your other costs into the final price -- $4.10-$2.25 = $1.85 gross profit/unit before other costs.

The general formula for calculating a final price based on a gross margin percentage is:

Final price = cost price / (1 - margin percentage)

$4.10 = $2.25/(1-.45)

Pricing

Posted in: Opinion

Like Antonio and Andy have mentioned, it is very important to understand your costs. I actually have a catering company and before I prepare a quote, I always ask myself " How much money do I want to make on this project?." Then I go about analyzing my costs to come up with a price for the client. Good luck. This is a tricky thing to figure out, but you will.

Pricing

Posted in: Opinion

Pricing is always derived from your COGS or COGS+L(abor) numbers. It's hard to arbitrarily price something as you're requirements and overhead are different from my own. You also want to be above your margin threshold, for some it's 300% for some foodservice they are lucky to get 80% so YMMV.

Just noticed Antonino's post and he's right on.

Pricing

Posted in: Opinion

H,

pricing is a big science, so many things to calculate: food cost, overheads, profit but also market related prices, high potential profit for once-off or lower price to create a long lasting client/business relationship!

So start to have your food cost (ingredients per portion) right: $2-3 is a very wide range!

THEN do this calculation: food cost (FD) X 65% = minimum selling price. (eg: $2X1.65=$3.30-min.selling price)

or: final price is equivalent to: FD +15% (oveheads)+55% (minimum profit) (considering your food cost being 35%)

Also remember to add to your costing any extra tool/trais, foil, petrol etc necessary to get the job done. ( let say 5-10% )

As well: do you need to hire extra people for the job? Add it on. Do you need to work extra hours for the job? if you will do it on your extra time, add it on: you could have been doing something else but you stuck at work till late night!

Then you will see, if this price isbelow your competitors or market related you can add as much as you feel :a) right; b) fair c) worth the effort d) try to cash up heavily to buy a new tool/ great dinner/a day at the SPA....

my suggestion? it should be worth the effort and the extra time without being to heavy on mark up..

Remember that unless you are happy at the end of hard work, you will feel very very bitter about it and you will not appreciate what you did.

My few rand (south african money..) worth of knowledge...

Hope it helps

Pricing

Posted in: Opinion

Ive been offered my first catering job: to create 150 desserts while keeping with the theme of my very new chocolate business. The dessert is to follow a dinner following a summit on local businesses and mine has been chosen to make dessert. I have decided on giving them a choice of one or the other or both and letting the people choose like a menu. First is a dark chocolate mousse served in a white/milk chocolate cup garnished with chocolate covered orange peel the second is a square of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake(no crust) enrobed in dark chocolate. I have never priced something like this out before but have calculated that I could make each dessert for around 2-3$ I would like to make a reasonable profit on this job but also don't want to over charge. I was thinking 500-550$ for one dessert for everyone or 650-700 for the option of one or the other. Is anyone out there familiar with these kinds of things?
updated by @Rosie: 04/20/15 15:56:31

Makeshift Tempering Machine

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

There is a cheaper and easier route...

Go to a drugstore and get the cheapest heating pad (electric blanket). The more expensive ones have auto-shut off and terry clothe covers which you don't need.

I just flip over a 1/2 sheet pan on the counter, put the heating pad on top, the bowl or hotel pan of cold couverture on top, and walk away overnight. The "medium" setting is usually pretty darn close.

Stirring is a different matter. Chocolate is thixotropic, which means it is best mixed with a shearing action, any other action for longer periods of time usually incorporates bubbles. Most melters and temperers usually use a wheel/disc with a scraper, or a rotating bowl with a scraper.

Makeshift Tempering Machine

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Another problem: What temperature does the hotplate get to? Chances are it gets much hotter than the contents are intended to get, and as a result could burn your chocolate - especially if it's not being moved off of the bottom. Case in point: Even a baine marie will burn your chocolate if you let the water boil and not remove the chocolate from the sides and bottom of the bowl.

My recommendation: If you're going to waste time "rigging up devices" to try and do what's already been invented and proven to work, put in a few more hours at your paying job, save your $$ and buy the right tool for the job - a proper tempering machine. They aren't that expensive.

Brad

Makeshift Tempering Machine

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I also think this stirrer would not work as well as you would need it to and I don't think the other stirrer you linked in your reply would do the job either. In my opinion, you'd be better off saving that money for the future and buying a tempering machine rather then spending money of somethingthat probably won't work and/or would be a big hassle.Also, it doesn't seem like you'd be able to temper that much chocolate at once using this equipment. For the amount you could temper using this magnetic stirrer, you'd be just as well off tempering by hand. You can temper a couple pounds of chocolate in maybe 15-20 minutes. To answer your question about tempering, no - tempering is not just about achieving the correct temperature for crystal formation. It most definitely has to do with agitation as well. I highly recommend you know how to temper correctly by hand prior to becoming reliant on equipment. It is a really helpful skill to have. Also, there is a lot of info in JP Wybauw's books about crystal formation, tempering, etc that is good reading. Good luck.

Makeshift Tempering Machine

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Nat,

Thanks for your reply. I have a few follow-up ideas I'd like to see if you have any thoughts on.

1) The company that makes this hotplate also sells magnetic stirrers up to 5 cm long. That still won't scrape the sides but at least it's bigger than the standard magnetic stirrer that comes with it.

2) I could conceivably rig up some sort of scraping device which would fit the pan and have the stirrer embedded in it. I'm not sure if the magnetic stirrer would be powerful enough to move such a large attachment though.

3) Maybe something like this http://www.ardentegourmetstirrer.com/ would do the trick?

4) This one is a bit more technical but you seem like the kind of person who would know the answer. Here's my understanding of the tempering process:

Type V cocoa butter crystals will form in the 29-34 C range.If you just let chocolate sit at this temperature all of the crystals will eventually be type V but the time required for this to happen is prohibitive for any commercial confectioner.Agitation will reduce this time, as will various temperature fluctuation or seeding techniques.

So if I'm willing to let the chocolate sit on the hotplate overnight will it still be tempered? Or does agitation play some other role in the tempering process? If I just used a small stirrer and it agitated the chocolate for a long time would the gradual movement and convection near the sides of the container be sufficient to temper the entire mass if I let it sit for long enough?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Makeshift Tempering Machine

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

a magnetic stirrer as I know from labs I've worked in will not stir thechocolate very well. You need to make sureyou get all thechocolate off the walls on each stir as most tempering machines do, whereas a magnetic stirrer is a short ~1" bar that will only stir a small area in the bottom center of viscouschocolate.

-Nat

____________________________

Nat Bletter, PhD

Chocolate Flavormeister

Madre Chocolate

http://madrechocolate.com

Makeshift Tempering Machine

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I was thinking of getting one of these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/85-2-Magnetic-Stirrer-Hot-Plate-Digital-Thermostat-300w-Heating-2000-rpm-/350527518368#ht_1652wt_1165

as a makeshift tempering machine.

I plan to put a water bath on the hotplate and put a pot in the water bath.

I would be using it at home to make small batches of chocolate for holidays and such.

Can anyone think of a reason that this wouldn't work? It's a good deal cheaper than a tempering machine and more versatile too. I could just dial in a new temperature and use it for sous-vide or custard or some recipe that would make use of the magnetic stirrer.

updated by @John Doe: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

i am a cocoa farmer from east africa, and i am able to supply any quantity of cocoa bean requested

Contact me soonest if interested lopezmariam3@gmail.com

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Chris, i do have our fermented and sundried criollo cacao beans statesside, my sister has a supply in washington state. please email me at companeroscacao@gmail.com to discuss price and quantity.

-pura vida

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hello Mr. C,

I, too am looking for additional varieties of beans for our Bean2Bar production. Might you have any beans stateside and a steady stream coming into the US that you would be able to supply us with?

Thanks,

Chris

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Dan, i graciously invite you to our farm, if you are in costa rica please feel free to contact us about availability in our guest house or just stop by for some samples of our chocolate or a shot of our chocolate rum! i will be in touch.

pura vida

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Mr. C, Yes I am interested in getting some of your beans. I may be going to costa rica in january but would prefer to get some beans before then. I will check your web site and contact you for pricing and availability.

Ciao, Dan

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Dan,

I own an organic fruit farm on the caribbean coast of costa rica. we are also a volunteer/enviromental project and sell a variety of chocolate products, but we proudly produce a 80% criollo cacao. all our beans are grown on our farm and are fermented and sun dried. i also have cacao beans in washington state, to get them to the usa i usaully have myf amily just check an extra bag on the airlines as air freight and cargo freight requires much more weight to make it economically beneficial, feel free to contact us on our webpage at www.companeroscacao.org

pura vida.

C.Shaw

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Thank you Peter and also Steve.

Steve, I will get in touch with you.

Akbar Kaliwala.

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Dan -Cocoa Samoa Limited (CSL) hasgot 4-day and 7-day fermented sun-dried Trinitario cocoa beans for sale in 10kg and 20kg bags, direct from our growers, all beautifully sorted. Price is $USD12/kg FOB - you pay the postage and insurance on top of this price (allow $USD7-17/kg airfreight around the world - by ship can take 4 weeks plus, but is cheaper). We are currently sending 400kg to 5 new roasters, we now have 2 batches of 70% dark chocolate made in Adelaide and Melbourne (Australia) - this is just our first sample packaging

We also have 2-3 tonne available now should anyone be interested............our cocoa growers can prepare more if it is needed.....we have so many mature pods needing a good home. If interested, contact Tupa'e Steve on stevebrownsamoa@gmail.com and we can try and assist you. We can even send our testimonials from our roasters' initial batches prepared. Samoan Trinitario has always had a fine reputation since the early German cocoa plantation days in the late 1800s. Samoans today still consume a lot (50 tonnes annually) of locally prepared cocoa (Koko Samoa) and it is excellent.

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Dan

You might contact Juan Pablo Buchert in costa Rica juan@chocolate-nahua.com

There is also a cooperative that ships cacao from the Southern Caribbean of CR called APPTA

You can research commodity prices on-line. Prices in-country could fall in the $3.50 to $5 per kg range for pretty good cacao.

Peter

Fermented cacao beans wanted

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

I am new to chocolate life and am looking for information on how to buy/import cacao beans from other countries. I am thinking about getting 100 kilos each, from a variety of countries to make some bean to bar.

Is it easiest/cheapest to buy from an importer, and who would people recommend?

If I went to costa rica, found a great farmer, bought some beans, how would I get them home?

Where can I find a listing of fair prices for cacao so I have something to compare to?

Thanks, Dan

updated by @Dan Bieser: 04/07/25 13:00:14

Fair Trade Dutch processs chocolate

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Anyone know of any brands that produce good quality Fair Trade dutched chocolate?

It's pretty easy these days to find Fair Trade chocolate. But in my experience, many of the companies that focus on Fair Trade also focus on natural chocolate. Maybe I'm a chocolate wimp, but that's just not my thing. Too acidic for me, especially dark chocolate.

Even among brands that aren't Fair Trade and that do use the Dutch process, they're fairly inconsistent about listing it in their ingredients (e.g. cocoa processed with alkali) or elsewhere on the packaging.

Heck, I'd settle for Rainforest Alliance Certified. I just want good, rich, non-acidic, ethical chocolate.

Any ideas?

updated by @Alexander Clark: 04/07/25 13:00:14

Cacao farm tours to Hawaii's Big Island & Oahu and Mexico's Oaxaca & Chiapas

Posted in: Travels & Adventures


updated by @Nat: 04/11/15 10:12:41

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

I would definitely be interested in doing a test batch. Just added you as a friend lets talk

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Howard, have you received the feedback that you wanted. If not then I'd be more than willing to put your cocoa to the test. I am only starting in the chocolate making, but a single origin hand crafted Samoa chocolate bar would be a great thing to produce. Finding out what percentage worked best would be a fascinating challenge.

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Hi Howard I would be very interested in evaluating the somoa cocoa I am a small artisanal chocolare maker in Pennsylvania

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Hi Howard, I'd be very interested in evaluating some of your beans if you still have them available. I'm a small artisan maker in California and would very much like to add learn more about your FF beans.

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Yep, there's no doubt Koko Samoa is an acquired taste (I am a fan) - possibly a bit "smokey" for most people.

However we have been making hot chocolate by melting our finished chocolate (made from Samoan Trinitario cocoa) with milk (roughly 250ml of milk to 50g of 70% cocoa chocolate) and it is pretty fantastic.

Have also tried brewed cocoa with the finings from winnowing - works quite well in an espresso machine (even has a little crema on top) but again a bit of an acquired taste for most people.

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

A potential customer in Tasmania asked whether Samoan cocoa is good in hot chocolate. What, is the pope Catholic? Samoas national beverage is called Koko Samoa and the average Samoan drinks 5 cups a week. That would be 200g or 10kg a year. That puts it in the leagues of Switzerland in terms of per capita consumption. You can see a good recipe at http://www.samoafood.com/2010/10/koko-samoa-samoan-cocoa-recipe.html Now, in my shop I have been focus-grouping it to a variety of customers. Mostly they go yuck that looks like cocoa water. Australians expect a think gooey syrupy milky substance with lots of cream and sugar, maybe some added corn starch to make it even thicker. Or they prefer the ubiquitous powder (even Starbucks uses it) with West African beans and probably Fonterra dried milk. No, mate, this is the really McCoy. It is a bit like when you were a teenager and someone said try this for the first time . . . coffee, and you said how can anyone drink this. Or maybe when you first tasted wine. The way they make it in Samoa is the farmer goes into the plantation and picks some ripe pods of cocoa, takes out the beans, dries them in the sun, and roasts them slightly on a BBQ. Sometimes they ferment it before they dry it, but often not, and I cant taste the difference. Then they pound it by hand with a wooden mortar and pestle. The result is a think cocoa paste still containing morsels. You can buy this paste in the markets everywhere in Samoa and also in the Samoan Food stores e.g. in Auckland and Brisbane. You just shave off a couple tablespoons with a serrated knife, two T to 1 cup water, and you gently boil it for five minutes. My wife the Choc Diva loves it straight, but I usually put a T of raw Queensland sugar. Some people add a bit of coconut milk. Ive experimented with adding Chai Spice.

But Australians turn their noses up at it. Id say about only one quarter like it, and no one prefers it given the choice of gooey.It just goes to show you that chocolate consumption is a very cultural phenomenon.

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Hi everyone: Just an update. I brought ~30kg of Samoa Gold Pacific BioKoko to Melbourne with my proper phyto-sanitary certificates and had to pay only Australian GST. You have to make a declaration of how much it was worth, so I gave my price.

We have had inquiries from Brooklyn to Perth of master and craft chocolatiers who are interested in testing this product.

At this point, I need people who can roast, give me a flavour profile (e.g. is there a note of coconut?, how much cocoa butter is there?) , and "tame" a single-origin bar. If you have an idea where I can have a craft chocolatie, I'd appreciate it.

PS This is the logo we used on the first export bags from Samoa. We designed to be a collector's item. BioKoko refers to the fact that our factory will use a biowaste generator which sequesters carbon. I have a stock of empty bags for $50 each. The Polynesian Vaka will cruise the Pacific on a publicity tour, if anyone is interesting in hosting an event? I know it's an arcane hobby, collecting cacao sacks, but I once had one with "Cocoa from Revolutionary Nicaragua" that I then onsold when I became an entrepreneur.

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Hi Howard, i'd also be interested in adding a Samoan to our other Pacific range. Prefer un-roasted beans or nibs.

Happy to look at roasted or liquor but would need to know the roasting profile used so we can benchmark. Also may have a market for the frozen pulp of the cocoa, which is usually a by-product.

We also use the winnowed shell for cacao tea so please advise pricing on this if available.

will also message you, cheers

Samoan Gold Standard Cocoa now available for testing

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Hi Howard, I just sent you a message on The Chocolate Life.

Thank you