Hi sebastian,
Give me a couple of days to get back to you with something that makes sense. I am wondering though if there's someone who'd be willing to start with small batches and eventually grow to a larger scale. I would like the option to test the concept out in market before committing to something large scale.
no, but i know most of the contract mfrs. i'm trying to gauge which of them might be appropriate for you to discuss with - you must have some sense of your volume potential...
What's your initial reaction if i say a ton (2200 lbs)? Let's use this as a litmus test..
Hi Sebastian,
I'm actually in the very early stages and in the process of researching my options. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of details to give you just yet. Are you involved in this yourself? If you're travelling, I'll be happy to give you a call when you get back and we can talk in some detail. I really appreciate your help.
Thanks. Let me know.
also should ask, what type of product (solid bar, filled, filled with what kind of materials, how flexabile are you, etc). Sorry, on the other side of the world this week, jet lags' wreaking havoc.
Can you give a ballpark annual volume estimate?
I am wondering if there are any options to have chocolates manufactured to my specifications, which I can then package and sell? I would like to know if such companies exist - who are willing to do the manufacturing - and how I might find them.
Any input anyone may have will be really helpful.
Thanks much,
G
In addition to the dipping fork or the cork you could also use a piece of sponge (cut to a convenient size and keep for future use)to lightly press down on the transfer sheet.
I agree that if your chocolate is in correct temper you shouldn't really need to do anything else (other than leave the transfer sheet on until the chocolate is crystallized). Redcan be aproblem and I have trouble with some shades of green as well.
Klassy:
In addition to waiting until the chocolate is completely crystallized (how long depends on temperature), I would also recommend using something soft and flat to press the transfer on to the chocolate. Many people I know use wine corks (cork, not synthetic).
:: Clay
You ladies rock! Thank you so much! I guess I was just being impatient because I was excited to see the new designs lol. I will make a new batch today and leave them till tomorrow. And it makes sense that it takes 24 hours to fully set, which explains why my chocolates always taste SO much better after a day or two. I am trying to do all the photos for my website this weekend, so after I get these all ready I will upload a few so you can see how much your advice helps! Ill do a 'before advice' and 'after advice' shot lol.
Thanks!
So here I am again, asking for help from the experts. (I come back because I always get such great advice from everyone!)
So, I think I got the hang of tempering in the Mol d'art melter, and now as usual, I have anotherdilemma. I really would like to use transfer sheets on the top of my truffles and have already got 40 sheets at home to use. I tried them out today, but I had ONE truffle turn out looking good out of 30! The first one I did looked great and the rest didnt take the image. Its just a design, and I got the sheets from chefrubber.com. I had the chocolate at about 89-90 degrees f, but the image only transfers partially. There are a few little parts that look good but overall the truffle looks terrible. I tried a few things. I tried putting the little transfer sheet square on the truffle faster, I tried waiting a second then putting it on, I tried letting them sit longer, and also tried taking them off sooner. I tried pulling it off slowly, and tried quickly too. I tried putting them on then lightly using a blow dryer to heat the sheet (worked a tad bit better, but still looked terrible) and I also tried heating the sheet before putting it on the truffle. That worked a little bit too, but still looked pretty bad.
It is the first time I have used these. Is there something Im doing wrong? If anyone has any advice that would make these things look good and transfer every single line from the sheet to the truffle I would appreciate it a lot. I would LOVE to use these sheets because I really like the flat top truffle look with a colorful design on it. It just looks so awesome!
Thanks so much in advance everyone! Also, have a good weekend!!!
Ryan
I am learning about chocolate. So if I come to your store for sampling, I would definitelylike to hear the different types of chocolate and ganaches involved inyour work. How you make your chocolate great, the stories and inspirations. Make your tasting a fun event. You are not just selling sweets, you sell feeling. Hope this helps.
Hi Mike
I've been to quite a few of these tastings. They normally come form the angle of educating consumers about the difference between quality chocolate and the stuff they normally eat.
Typically they taste good chocolate, starting with say 30% through to 70%+, and perhaps throw in a bit of 99%/100% to show them what 'pure' chocolate tastes like. They also taste poor quality chocolate, to contrast the quality.
Inevitably people like white chocolate so have some of that too.
Good luck
Jonathon
I'm going to be doing a series of Chocolate Tastings in the fall at stores that will be carrying my chocolates. I've never been to a formal tasting like this and I'm looking for some direction. How many of my chocolates should I have available? One of every kind or just a select few. Should I give some sort of demo? Talk about the different types of chocolate and ganaches involved in my work? Maybe a questions and answer type thing.
If you have any ideas on how I can make this an entertaining experience for potential customers as well as the store owners I'd appreciate it.
Thanks, Mike
Yes I do agree, nurture often beats nature the majority of the times. Also breaking the habits of frames can in most cases proved very difficult. Would you say that the varieties that I have if done right I will achieve fine finish product?
'tis true, poor genetic stock will never result in good chocolate. however, simply having good genetic stock does not guarantee you'll get good chocolate. there are many many ways to completely screw it up 8-) good genetic stock + good post harvest practices = a good thing. good genetic stock + poor post harvest practices = disaster. there are many shades of grey between the two.
Ask your farmers to provide you with a number of samples using their standard post harvest practices and evaluate what you get. the best case scenario is you like what you get, and thus don't have to ask them to do anything different. changing behaviors is one of the most difficult things you can ask anyone, not just a farmer, to do.
I have few farmers that are already producing a few of the Varieties. So far they have been selling the bean to a few European buyers as flavoring beans. Seeing that this is my first attempt at growing and processing, I want to focus mostly on developing the highest quality favor beans possible. I was told base on the genetic variety I begin with, this would heavily affect the quality of the final product.
It's a bit like asking which car manufacture is the best - ford or chevy? you're information has a lot of yield information present, which makes me think you're getting your info from breeders - who almost never focus on flavor. breeders serve farmers, and farmers are most interested in yield, often at the expense of flavor. which is the finest? a significant portion of flavor is developed AFTER the beans are harvested - i can make any one of the above beans taste like 15 separate chocolates, even though they'd all be the exact same bean. i'd recommend identifying what characteristics you WANT to have, then source some beans from the geography you're considering, and have them prepared a number of ways postharvest, so you can get a feel for what they're capable of.
It's very difficult for anyone to say that ICS39 planted in, say Ecuador, will give a fruity chocolate. There's just too many variables. If you're going to be planting, remember there may be self incompatibility issues, and you may want to consider planting a variety of clonal materials to ensure a hedge against disease/pest pressures (if you go monoclonal, a single disease event could wipe you out). Remember also, that it will take 2-5 years for you to realize beans from new planting material as well.
Where can I get a full description of each of these Varieties and identify the finest ones.
I have these options for planning and want to make sure I plant the finest of them..
The varieties identified are as follows:
GS 29 (Grenada Selected) This variety originated in Grenada.
POD-Seven (7) pods will produce one pound of cocoa beans. The pod has high rough ridges. The pod is purple when young, long with deep ridges. As the pod matures it turns pink then yellow. The pod is normally full with beans but the beans are not very thick.
GROWTH HABIT- The tree grows very tall and branches a lot. This variety should not be planted alone because it is incompatible. It should be planted with DS1,DS 2, ICS 1, ICS 84 and ICS 95.
ICS 1- This variety originated from Trinidad.
PODS-The beans are smaller than the G S29, purplish when young, yellow when ripe. The skin is smooth, ridges are wider and flatter. It is juicier and sweeter than the GS29 .the pod is round when young and becomes longer when older.
POD-the pods are very rough. Fewer pods are required to produce a pound of cocoa. The pods are yellow when ripe. The pod has a small neck, large body and tapering end. The pod appears creamish when young. When the pod is ripe it has a chalkish/whitish look outside. The older the pods the rougher the skin. The size varies according to the condition o the trees.
GROWTH HABIT- The tree is very vigorous and tall.
PODS- The pods are light purple when young, then they turn light yellow. The ridges are closer and the pod is smoother than ICS 1.
Similar to ICS 39 has similar habits. Ridges are raised and the end is fuller and round.
PODS- same habit with ICS 39.The pod is the biggest in size. The pod is green at the top and bottom and this pod has the most beans.
Your in luck. Below is a small production line that someone need to get rid of.
http://www.actrader.com.au/ProductionLines/ChocolateProduction/ChocolateProductionLine.html
I've seen pretty good butter recovery froma simple but powerful hydralic ram organized like a basket press but at thatkind of volume (600 kg / day avarage)you would need an army of them.
Nib, Liquor, (as refined as possible), I wanted to do butter but have not been able to find a small press that cost effective. I must archive as much degree of processing of the beans so can to archive my business model.
Sebastion:
Before it's possible to answer this question it's important to know exactly what you want to produce and in what quantities:
:: Clay
So in your opinion about how much could I produce per year for that initial investment?
The infrastructure is not a problem unlike here in the states our power on my island is much more stable. I will be doing most wiring and install my-self. I need to know sickly from an equipment standpoint what my cost will look like. One of the things am considering is cutting my processing down some, and reserve the surplus for export as a raw product.
Sebastion:
Sebastian is right: your budget is unrealistic.
You will find it difficult to produce this amount of finished chocolate for this money.
You may be able to purchase equipment used but it will most likely need extensive (and expensive) refurbishing.
One thing you may not have budgeted for: If your location does not have the necessary power (at least 400 amp 3-phase 480) the cost of getting the necessary service installed from your local utility company and your facility wired could easily cost $40,000all by itselfif it were being done in the US . I can't speak for what it might cost on the island you want to build on.
Another thing to consider at this scale (it's less of an issue in smaller batches) is materials storage and handling.
:: Clay
Do you have some information?
Looking for small scale equipment to set up processing plan.
Capacity of about 104 tons per year .
(Roaster, grinder, and Dehulling/winnowing. Was thinking about pressing butter but so far all the machines I have looked at are very costly) Looking for some feedback.
I have had many people asking for bacon & chocolate. What is the life span of bacon dipped in chocolate if kept cool (64 degrees air temp) ( I usually make it just before serving at parties).
Is it possibly that coating the bacon in chocolate helps to preserve it? I use dark chocolate.
Have a job of 100 boxes of truffles and wanted to put "1" truffle with bacon in the box.
hello benoit my name is Roberto from Ecuador , i am a reliable source of cocoa pulp , i can export my product and have excellent quality, i have heard this is used in chocolate industry as an improver.
if you are likely i can give you more details about my frozen cacao pulp industry.
thanks
email: robertopombar@hotmail.com
Benoit,
I assume you are refering to the liquid encapsulated by the cocoa pod. If that is true, you must find someone willing to collest the material during harvest periods and freeze immediately. The liquid contains a substantial amount of sugar and will begin fermentation soon after the pod is opened. here in Brazil, the liquids are collected and frozen later to be incorporated into "cacau juice" which is a popular drink in the cacau regions.
What quantities are you requiring and for what period of time?
best regards
Jim Lucas
Hello
I am trying to find a reliable source of cocoa pulp.
Who can help me?
Benot
