Packaging
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi everyone,
do you all know of any good resources for packaging? Who do you use for your chocolate boxes? Thanks much
updated by @Krista2: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Forum Activity for @Krista2
Colombia Is Known For High Quality Chocolate
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Chocolate in Colombia is equal to any country in the world and much cheaper. If you need specific chocolate products contract manufactured contact COINEX. COINEX soecializes in contract manufacturing fo chocolate as well as many other products.
updated by @Eddie Hernandez: 04/13/15 08:54:32
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thank you Melanie.
Your feedback is very helpful. I will check the website for more details. Would you mind to telling me the cost since you have to pay loyalty?
Thanks.
Emay
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
sorry its www.christianjames.net PAYGO SAAS (software as a service) We've been using it in our retail for 2 years. It has the loyalty program, gift cards, customer management wholesale and retail with photos and gobs of reports like what hrs of the day sold the most and which salesperson etc.
Our only challenge was inventory because things arrive as bulk chocolates but leave as boxed. We have our stock #'s as the boxes. So while we can't track the specific route of an individual flavor or chocolate ( we have around 40) we have a clear grasp on the box configurations that sell. All other items like bars can be tracked easily.
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Andy
I agree that 'registers' are outdated and don't really deliver on functionality. We use a customised software solution and run it on a good looking touch screen PC (with mini keyboard of course), and have integrated Eftpos/Credit card + printers (barcode label printer & receipt printer), which is transitioning to the cloud as we now run multiple sites. The most important factors for me in my system are:
* business intelligence - ability to see as much data as possible to track and analyze products (individual, category, or by attribute, over any period I want)
* simple, intuitive Point of Sale interface for FAST and simple processing of sales (we have put through over 700 sales in a day before). Our barcode system allows fast sanning of retail shelf products and our short number codes for our loose assorted cabinet chocolates are fast and easy to type in (we have over 120 individual flavors etc). All up we have over 600 SKUS on our system, although only 400 or so are active.
* CRM (Customer Relationship Management) we have included a bar coded loyalty card system which gives points on all purchases to customers and allows us to market to customers who buy particular items etc
There are plenty of other nice to have functionality, but if I could only have three, they would be it.
There are most certainly great opportunities in the cloud now, and I am very excited about our upcoming transition as our software moves off our PCs and into the cloud, giving me more control from our head office while still allowing stores a decent level of autonomy for daily things.
I also spent a long time looking, and there were so many bad systems, I feel lucky to have found the one I did. Thanks for your comments, made me realize I had not really elaborated on my system.
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks Andy for sharing your experience.
I will have over hundred of items in store. Good inventorymanagement software & POS system definitely will make things lot of easier for me. I willcheck vendhq & shopkeep's website for more information.
Emay
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I use a system called Paygo. Its a cloud solution and inexpensive.
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
We decided to go the non-traditional route and disliked all registers--too expensive for too little. We went with Vend ( http://www.vendhq.com/ ). All you need is a laptop and you can hook it up to a receipt printer and cash drawer.
You can also look into asimilarsolution ShopKeep.( http://shopkeep.com/ )
There are a lot of web oriented solutions coming. They excel in my opinion, I can check in on all things anywhere. A lot nicer than being tied to something archaic and from a decade or more ago--or a PC solution that locks you into some high fees.
Experiment and go with what feels good to you and your business. I spent 3 months evaluating with greatdisappointmentuntil we came to web solutions.
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi, Stu,
Thank you for your reply, and your encouragement.
I want to arrange things effectively, in order to make management easier. Thinking about how many items I will have, and how to decorate the store in a way it would be more fun and inviting, it is exciting, but can be frustrating as well.
I will do whateverit takes to get my shop ready.
Emay
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Emay,
I started down that path just over two years ago here in New Zealand and it has been a lot of fun! We use a POS system that was customized for us, and is made for New Zealand, so would not work over there. Just make sure you get a good, reliable system that makes it easy to track which flavors you are selling - if you just lump all your loose chocolates into one 'code' you will make forecasting and planning that much harder.
Good luck!!
Which Inventory Software & POS System to Use
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi, Everyone,
Finally I am ready to open a candy & chocolate shop in San Mateo County, California. This is my first retail business, I would really appreciate any of your suggestions about choosing an inventory software and POS system.If you have suppliers that you like to recommend, that would be great.
Some of you might be a very experienced shop owner. I am wondering if you would be willing to share your experiences about how you do things, so I could use some expert advice.
Thank you very much for your feedbacks.
Emay
updated by @Emay Wang: 04/11/25 09:27:36
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi, thanks everyone. No the truffles will be smaller, it is the other centers that will be thank big. What I am talking about is something we call "Fudge Balls" and they will be either 15g or 30g with a target market as children at school tuck shops, they want something huge and sickening sweet! For them we are also using a cheaper kind of coating and we do not attach our name to it to prevent harming our brand. Our truffles are smaller and I am glad to see that about 12g is right, they will be dipped in Valrhona. Thanks again for all your help. This forum is proving to be a life saver.
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
HaHa! So true, Brad! And Magrietha, the amount I quoted you was without any special decorating like adding contrasting colored stripes, etc. It's just the basic with basic decorations like cocoa powder, sea salt, a sprinkle of nuts, etc.
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
If I may comment too....
15g is pretty big for a truffle, and 30g is HUGE - especially if you dip them in chocolate and roll them in a coating of some type. Our truffle centers start as 12g, and by the time we've dipped and rolled them, the average size is around 22g. We've been accused of selling truffles of "gluttonous" proportions, so I can imagine that your 30g center will likely end up like a small baseball....
Brad
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks, Susan. I needed to know that in order to work out the cost of labour. I am very slow by nature and I know I cannot take my speed as a norm and that is why I needed to know what I can reasonable expect from someone. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer me.
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Right now, I can roll about 200+ an hour. That includes coating them twice in a light coat of chocolate. I'm working on speed and have been told that you can do 2-3 in your hand at the same time so, that's next on my agenda to attempt. Let me know how it goes! Good luck!
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Sorry to be impatient, but does anyone have an answer for me here?
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I think I have too many questions, but will you please help me AGAIN. I need to know how many "balls," whether it is truffles or fudge balls, can reasonable expected from one person to roll and dip in 1 hour? I'm finding that it does not take me any longer to roll a bigger ball than a smaller so I think on average a 30g ball should not really take longer than a 15g ball. Is my argument correct here or not?
Thanks
Magriet
updated by @Magrietha Hendrika du Plessis: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Industry standard wholesale discount percentage for chocolate confections?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks, Ruth, for confirming my hunch. It seems to be the standard across industries, but I wanted to check and make sure it applied in the chocolate world.
Industry standard wholesale discount percentage for chocolate confections?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
It is up to the retailer, but my experience has been that most double it.
Industry standard wholesale discount percentage for chocolate confections?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I'm a new chocolatier and have an opportunity to sell my chocolate confections wholesale. Is there an industry standard wholesale discount for chocolate confections?
updated by @Nicole Gnutzman: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Cocoa Town Melanger - Sugar sticking to granite grinders
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
hi there, I am just finding your post and would love to talk with you about your current experience using coconut sugar. I am also using it and have learned the hard way to either dehydrate the sugar first or use dessicant to get the humidity under control. I have experienced exactly what you are talking about with my cocoatown melanger, and wondered if you have upgraded to a better machine? I am looking to buy something in a larger capacity that won't break!
It has been hard to find anyone else using coconut sugar to discuss this with. thanks, Beth
Cocoa Town Melanger - Sugar sticking to granite grinders
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi There,
have you checked the Humidity and the temperature?
sometimes a bit of rain or too low temp may give you problem with sugar. Have you tried to grind the sugar first to turn it into powder?
Ciao
nino
Cocoa Town Melanger - Sugar sticking to granite grinders
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hello!
I Have been using a Cocoa Town Melanger for a few months now, to produce cacao paste and grind coconut sugar with chocolate. I am having issues with the sugar sicking to the stone grinders. Does anyone have any experience & suggestions as to why this is occurring?
The strange fact is that my machine was producing perfect chocolate for about 2 weeks and then the sugar started sticking to the granite grinders. I have not changed any aspect of the way I am processing the chocolate. I have also experimented using different brands of sugar - the same problem occurs.
Here is a set by step as to what my process is like - 1. I add melted cacao paste to grinder 2. Add melted cacao butter 3. Add vanilla bean & salt ( I let this mix together for about an hour before I start to add the sugar) 4. Slowly add the sugar, 1 tablespoon every hour.
I would really appreciate any advice you can give me! Thank you!
~ Jade
updated by @Crucial Jade: 04/11/25 09:27:36
chocolate fountain
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Sorry I just want to ad to this question. If I use a blend of two Valrhona chocolates, the Equatoriale Noire as well as the Equatoriale Lactee that both have 37% fat, will it work in a Sephra fountian? Another possibility is another 50/50 mix of Guanaja and Guanaja lactee. Will it work, they have 42% and 41& fat in them.
chocolate fountain
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I have just asked a question, but forgot about this one. When I read another post (Sephra chocolate) it reminded me. Can I use any chocolate for a chocolate fountain? We want to have the taste of all our other chocolates which are going to be Valrhona. Will it work? The idea is to draw people to our stall with the fountain where they can dip something of their choice in the chocolate. Using it in the fountain it will obviously not be tempered. I hope we have not wasted a lot of effort on this one needlessly!
updated by @Magrietha Hendrika du Plessis: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Tempering for dipping
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Clay, I have a very primitive setup here. I heat the chocolate in an improvised bain marie and temper it by hand with the seed method.
The market is outdoors in the morning and in the evening. No way to control the temperature. If the weather forecast can be trusted the morning temperature should be around 20C and it also looks as if humidity at about 37%. The evening is going to present a problem as the temperature is sure to drop to about 12C.
So, my chocolate is sure to go a little out of temper as the day goes. Hopefully the truffles will be consumed quickly, but I am scared it will not set soon enough.
The other night I tried to temper Valrohna for the first time, previously I have used Callebaut, and I had a serious problem. The chocolate was ice cold yet it would not set, it would have been ideal to serve as it is as a colc chocolate drink, serious! So, advice please.
Tempering for dipping
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Magriet:
You may have answered this in another post, but what method are you currently using to temper your chocolate, and if you are using equipment, what equipment (specifically - company and model) are you using?
Is the market indoors or outdoors and is there any temperature control?'
:: Clay
Tempering for dipping
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi everyone, Please some help! I have solved some of the above already, but I am still worried about the dipping of the chocolate at the market. How do I keep chocolate tempered under such circumstances? To be honest I have trouble keeping it in temper in the kitchen! What am I doing wrong? When I start working with it it is fine, but after a very short while it is out of temper.
Tempering for dipping
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Me again, I have actually a few related questions. OK, first, if I am going to offer clients at a stall freshly dipped truffles rolled in whatever they want. Must that chocolate be perfectly tempered? I think, if not, it will not set fast enough even though we are not worried about shine as it is going to be rolled in something as well, but it still needs to set in a reasonable time. The idea for this is to try and find out what is popular for a future line we want to offer, so it is a little research as well as an effort to get some cash flow!
How do I keep sufficient chocolate hot and tempered (if I can get it in temper to start with as I am not good with it yet!) under the difficult conditions of a stall at a food market? We want to do that market as our target market goes there for entertainment.
Most important! I am so new at tempering I do not know what properly tempered chocolate looks like. I do it religiously according to the temperatures, sometimes it is not so bad and then, like last night, I end up with a fluid mass of chocolate that was only properly set this morning. My family thinks the truffles are divine, and they are difficult to please, but I cannot offer them to customers!
So, I hope you guys understand my questions as I am not very good at explaining myself.
Thanks
Magriet
updated by @Magrietha Hendrika du Plessis: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Insurance
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Most larger insurance companies have an in-house commercial broker. Unless you are actually setting up a manufacturing facility with large automated equipment, don't mislead them with the term "manufacturing". If your sales are under $1,000,000 gross per year, you're a small chocolatier and need liability insurance. That's it. It's a low risk business, and shouldn't cost you any more than around $1200 per year for as much as $5,000,000 liability.
Insurance
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Did anybody go through this process in the state of FL? Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Insurance
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Farmer's Insurance was very responsive to my needs and even has a special package just for chocolatiers.
Insurance
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I just used my regular insurance broker. He shopped it and gave me my options. Actually very reasonable.
Insurance
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
We just went through this and it took several months to get a simple quote out of a company. You're supposed to go to an insurance consolidator or broker who then shops your requirements around to different companies for the best quote. You could try someone like Pyramid Insurance or http://www.mutualunderwriters.com/ .
They'll ask you all kinds of questions about your company like income, employees, equipment, etc. to get you an appropriate quote.
Good luck!
Insurance
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi everyone!
I am new here, but I just wanted to ask those of you with small businesses where to get liability insurance? I did an internet search and so far havent turned up much info on this. Is there an insurance company that specializes in confectionary manufacturing? Thanks so much for any information you can give.
updated by @Krista2: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Colombian Chocolate
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
If you need high quality chocolate or chocolate products Colombia is the place to look. Colombia is emerging as an industrial powerhouse. It's economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
The quality of the chocolate in Colombia rivals any in the world. COINEX is a company in Colombia with offices in the United States. It specializes in sourcing products and contract manufacturing for many different products including chocolate. You can contact COINEX at info@coinex.com.co or telephone at 954-354-9155
Eddie Hernandez
updated by @Eddie Hernandez: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Melted Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks, I appreciate the info. That makes me feel better. Was afraid I lost a lot of product.
Melted Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
If it was bars for eating you bought, they're ruined (but just for immediate eating! They can still be salvaged for working)
If it's for working with, no problem. Just re-melt and temper. Should be good as new.
Melted Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I just received an order through UPS and half of the order was melted. My question is; will refrigeration bring it back to normal, and will the chocolate still be usable.
updated by @Richard Firstner: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Wine Cooler/Cabinet for Chocolate Truffles/Pralines Storage
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Tim -
I don't have any connection with Thermalrite and from a quick glance at their web site all they are selling are the Desmon pizza prep tables so I am not sure there is a fit there.
Irinox is gold standard - very expensive, but they do the job very well. They are expensive like a cooling tunnel is expensive but the footprint is a lot smaller. The Desmon products are less expensive but not all of them have humidity control, which is important in most parts of the country for at least some of the year.
In the end it all comes down to airflow, cooling load, and "recovery time." Airflow is about the ability to remove what's called the latent heat of crystallization, the heat that comes off the chocolate as it cools. You want the chocolate in the mold to cool consistently and evenly to ensure proper crystal formation and to reduce the likelihood of de-molding problems.
Cooling load is a measure of the amount of heat that can be removed. Think of an air conditioner and a room. A small AC unit might be able to cool the room but it might take a long time. Put four or five people in the room (or a window) and it might not be able to keep up. So, you need a cooling unit that is sized to the amount of heat that will be added to the system (in the form of warm chocolate).
Recovery time is important for cooling units with doors on them. As most doors are hinged and swing open, that action extracts a lot of cool air from the unit that is replaced with warmer air from the room. The question is how long does it take for the unit to return to the set temperature?
There are many different ways to approach cooling and it all depends on throughput and space. If you have the room and you need to move a lot of product, cooling tunnels are very good solutions. Lots of people I know build cabinets or even large rooms. You can use household AC units (split systems are good) and the CoolBot [Note: that's an affiliate link] will enable you take the household AC units below 60F, which is normally their lowest temperature.
There are a couple of ChocolateLife customers who are also building "static cooling tunnels" that I came up with the idea for. These are enclosed wire shelves (e.g., Metro shelving) under positive pressure from a cooling unit. The nice thing about these is that they can buy wheels for the units and move them around as needed.
Wine Cooler/Cabinet for Chocolate Truffles/Pralines Storage
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Clay,This thread has been quiet for a while. Do you have contact with Thermalrite, Desmon's current US distributor? Also, what is your latest thinking of Desmon vs Irinox vs other options for crystallization cabinets?Regards,Tim