I would suggest going to a chocolate store, talking with people who ran it about what you are trying to do and asking permission to interview their customers. If you offer to share your findings they may agree.
Hi guys,
I'm a new member of this community. Great website. I look forward to visiting and contributing to this community. I'm studying a Marketing course at the university and my research topic is on what makes people love chocolate and how the experience of having chocolate could be improved. I am happy to share the final research paper with you all.
I'm looking for a way to speak to about 100 chocolate lovers to learn more about their experiences with chocolate, what they like, what's missing, etc.
I was wondering if anyone here has any suggestions on how I can get in touch with people who love chocolate and are willing to give 15 mins of their time over the phone to me.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Bryan
Hello All. I've just started making decorative leaves and I'd like to get some feedback on my selection. I'm using Lemon Leaves (Salal leaves), and have been told that they're non-toxic. I wash and rinse them before covering with chocolate. When the chocolate dries, I peel away the leaf and have an edible, chocolate leave. Any one else using Lemon leaves for this process? I just want to double check with the group for any safety issues that I may not be aware of? Thanks for the help, John
For something like a bar, use NV every time - especially if it's a plain tasting bar. If it's for enrobing or recipe making, use the Van Leer...
You can immediately tell the difference when opening case of NV - the aroma is fuller and rounder, as is the taste
make chocolate bar. need low viscosity
easy to handle
What do you plan to make with it? Is viscosity a factor?
I am deciding which chocolate to bring in..
Callebaut 823NV milk (more expensive)or Van LeerBel Lactee Milk.
Callebaut 70-30-38NV (more expensive) or Van Leer Bel Noir 73% Dark
Cangeneral public really tell one is better than the other?
No worries Keti and good luck
Gap,
Thanks for your reply. I will try your advice and spray a coat, let it dry and then a 2nd coat. I have not tried making my own colors yet, I purchased them from Chef Rubber. I may have been using too much color. The ones that turned out were beautiful and as you said, you can pretty much see your reflection in them. I read some posts on here about the clear but couldn't find a product named such, so it probably is just cocoa butter. Thanks for your help
It's hard to know from your description - many things could be at play. Your cocoa butter should be approx 32-34C when going into the sprayer. Try not to have too much colour on the moulds at once (it shouldn't be "running" into pools and leaving streaks) - do two coats if you want extra colour.
Hold your moulds about 20-30cm away when spraying. Ensure your work enviroment is in normal chocolate working conditions (approx 18-22C). Let your moulds dry after spraying, then put a thin coat of chocolate on the moulds (you can use your finger), let that dry and then mould the cavaties as you would normally. The chocolate should be correctly tempered so that it doesn't affect the coloured ccb.
Are you making your own colours (ie., ~10g fat soluble colouring to 100g ccb) or using a commercial product?
I've never used additional ccb for "extra" shine on my moulds and I can practically see my reflection in my chocolates. If you're spraying colour, it already has a lot of ccb in it. That said, I have heard of it done and I'm pretty sure its just standard cocoa butter they use.
I guess i should clarify that it is my colored cocoa butter that is chipping. I am trying to put a nice color on my molded chocolate and when the chocolate releases from the mold some of the chocolates have portions of the paint missing/chipped off. I buff my molds thoroughly with cotton balls before i spray them.
I have been having a problem with my Cocoa butter chipping when removing it from my molds. I have tempered it and it has a beautiful shine when it comes out but some of them have portions of the cocoa butter chipped off. I am using a spray gun when applying it to the mold. Is it possible that I am applying too much?
Also, I have read in some forum posts that people have used a clear cocoa butter to give a greater shine but can't find anywhere to purchase including chef rubber. Does this product really exist?
Thanks for your help
Hey Sebastian, thanks for your reply, it seems to be more complicated than we had thought I guess I'll just try to get more information on import and maybe I will start to contact small manufacturers. Thank you so much!
Hi Franzi - you're going to find that most cocoa beans are sold in bulk by large exporters, as they've got the advantage of economics of scale on their side, and understand the various trans-country regulations. You're going to need to first identify your market - i'm assuming you're scale will be quite small, so i'd recommend targeting premium, smaller manufacturers as you're not going to have the volume to do anything but that. Next you'll need to understand the range of flavor profiles you can generate - this answers the 'why should they buy from you' question - if you can deliver a premium product consistently, you've got something valuable. You're going to need to spend some time understanding import/export regulations, as transporting raw agricultural commodities between countries can be a tricky business i'm afraid ("I'm with the government, and here to help - please fill out these 13,456 pages of information. in triplicate. in a language you don't understand. and get back to us"....)
Hello,
I am new to this forum and have a few questions to all the bean-to-bar chocolatiers. I have a friend in Trinidad & Tobago who knows several cocoa farmers and would like to start a little trade business selling the beans to chocolatiers. I live in Germany and would like to help her.
Now I don't really know how to start. Where do chocolatiers usually get their beans from? Should we start a website, and then people find us and order from us? How many kilos or pounds does a chocolatier order on average? Should I import a large amount of beans to Germany, store them here and then send them to our costumers, or do most chocolatiers order directly from the country of origin?
How much do you pay for beans on average? (we want to sell organic beans)
Should I simply send small samples to different chocolate manufacturers?
Any kind of help would be highly appreciated.
Thank you in advance!!
Any suggestions on packaging for Courier of Chocolates in country like India so that quality is maintained.
Can you suggest a company which can supply Refrigerated Display Unit for Chocolates available in India as we require it for our new store. Display should maintain required Temperature and RH.
I do custom candy bars. Please check out http://www.bigfootchocolate.com/.
I can have molds made (any size) to your designs and have the wrappers to match. I do milk and dark chocolate with flavors. Please let me know if you have questions or need samples of my bars. You can contact me at sue@bigfootchocolate.com. Thank you!!
Sue
Hi there,
We create custom candy bars for various businesses and events. Please check out this link http://www.mayanachocolate.com/custom-candy-bars.html . Our work has been featured in Food & Wine Magazine, Epicurious, Candy Industry Magazine, and various other trade magazines. Let me know if I can help. Thanks!
Daniel
Hi all
I am looking for a company to make some private label bars for all our restaurants. We are looking for approx 3oz milk and dark . Does anyone know of a company that can help.
Thx!!
Hello everybody
I'm in the process of getting equipped for some home chocolate production. Regarding melanger, I have to products in mind: The Spectra 11 and Cocoatown ECGC-12SLTA . Both products seem to be very similar. What I like about theECGC-12SLTA ist that one can completely release the tension from the stones for the conching cycle so the cocoa liquor is continuously exposed to air without grinding it further. Any reviews on these products would be appreciated.
A next question would be how do these two melangers compare to the cheaper option Premier,
Regards,
Ismael
hand roll them in chocolate first (like truffles), let them set, then put them on the enrober.
Should work better
In addition to above questions could you post a photo of what you are trying to achieve.
Whole piece and cut in half.
Dear mr Luvin
2 months ago I paid grinder 20l of company SRILAKSHIMI
And they not responding to the mail. I'm a little worried.
How long have you been waiting to make your grinder.
best reg
1. To prevent the motor from overheating- I have 2 cooling fans as opposed to 1 on stock machines. Also, the bottom cabinet/frame where the motor is placed has holes made on the on its sides as well as at the bottom for air circulation to prevent over heating.
2. Tension adjuster
Thanks,
I asked for a quote. What modifications did you do on grinder?
Marinko,
I would suggest you get in touch with Sri Lakshmi Wet Grinders, they're said to be the pioneers of wet grinders ( http://www.srilakshmiwetgrinders.com/commercial-kitchen-equipment.html ). I got a 20 L grinder from them and got it modified exactly as needed for chocolate production. It works great!
Best,
Luvin
Does anyone know if there's a company or a web hoax from fake company. They sent me a quote for the grinder 40lit price $ 1,500. KUMAARINDUSTRIES.CO.IN
http://www.kumaarindustries.co.in/grinder-machine.html
Yes, you can change the temperatures in the Rev 2. Start the melting cycle, and press the up arrow to reach the temp you want (122-131 F. is higher than I have seen for most chocolates--I aim for 113-115). The machine will signal you when the selected temp has been reached. Then you must select Temper 1 or 2. If you are using already tempered chocolate as seed, it is much faster to select Temper 2 (you don't need to lower the temp, then raise it to the working temp). The machine then starts lowering temperature. You can select the temp you want as an end point. I let the machine go to its default temp (which is in the 80s), then use the up arrow to heat the chocolate (dark) up to 90 or 91. All the changes are performed with the up and down arrows.
Hello, I have a Rev2 but I haven't used it yet, I wonder if I can change at will (up and down)the default melting and tempering temperatures for the chocolate. I'm using "El Rey" chocolate and they recomend for their dark chocolate: Melting 83-93 F, Tempering 122-131 F, Cooling 82-84 and Working range 88-90 F
Thanks for your help
Eduardo
The value of your business is calculated on many factors including your balance sheet, amount of assets less depreciation and your liabilities. If most of your equipment is older and fully depreciated then you can't charge much for them. However there can be a difference between tax and book depreciation with tax usually involving some sort of accelerated method. If that is the case then use book depreciation to figure your asset values.
If you have a ready made loyal customer base then there is value in that as well. In addition there is value in future sales.
Your stock and inventory should be valued at your cost not for what they can sell for.
The bottom line is valuing a business is much like trying to find what retail price works in your market for your products. Value your business at what you think is reasonable and if that doesn't work then lower the price until you find a buyer.
Hope some of this is usable information.
Rom
I will be selling my small chocolate business, but I am unsure how to value it. I've read a lot online about selling and valuing businesses, but nothing seems similar enough to what I'm doing to serve as a good guide.
For equipment, packaging and fixtures, do I use the replacement cost? Or what I would be able to make if I had to liquidate? Seems like there should be value in coming into a business with stock and inventory in place.
Anyone been through this and have some pointers? One of my employees wants to buy the business; if that doesn't work, I have at least one other interested buyer. Right now I'm trying to get all my paperwork in order to present to a potential buyer, but obviously I also need a price.
Mickey Miller
Does anyone have any experience with building a melangeur?
