Forum Activity for @Ilya Snowdon

I will find out now for you

The cocoa is mainly grown in the family village land. 

all members of the family have there own patch of land to build a house, while the family village Land will often extend right back into the mountain were they will have what they call a plantation. I cool it a food Forrest. it will often be mixed cropping with coconuts towering into the sky and cocoa tress growing under the canape along with Bananas. And endless other types of food.

You would get the best experience if you arranged to stay in one of the family Villages.

Are the Goat and Sheep milk powders Organic?

If you find it hard to get the Goats And Sheeps milk powders in the US.

There is another smaller dairy cop.  in New Zealand producing them.

It will absolutely work.  There are a range of ingredients that are used specifically to help control Aw.  The question often comes down to a philosophical one of do you want it in your ingredients list or not.  Does it work?  Absolutely.

I have been reading Jean Pierre Wybauw's 3rd book on extending shel life. I notice that many of his recipes in that book feature Glycerol as an ingredient. Does anyone have an opinion on this ingredient? Has anyone used it in a confection before? Thanks!

Daniel

Thanks iLya, I am looking to source locally (in the US) - I don't want to get in trouble with the kiwis!   

I'm afraid I may not be the best person to answer that. I'm not a freelance graphic designer. I sort of stumbled into this position when I moved from CT and left my photography business behind. I went into this gourmet chocolate company looking for work - any work. They saw my resume and decided to take all their photography and marketing in-house. So I work solely with them.

However, as a former small business owner, I understand budget is probably your biggest concern. (If it's not, you could easily just hire a photographer and graphic designer to create the materials you need.) One of the ways I worked with my small budget to market my business was by bartering. And you're in a great industry to barter since most people love chocolate! 

Think about how much the artwork is worth to you. That's hard to do. But think about the potential for growth your business has by being presented well.

I keep wanting to lay out numbers for you but I just don't know what graphic designers are charging right now. Just consider the fact that when you barter, you're bartering the value of your product, not the cost. To clarify, if you charge $10 (value) for a box of chocolates which only cost you $5 (cost), you're effectively getting the graphic design services at half price because you're bartering what they charge for their services with what you charge for your product. 

Not everyone will barter. But lots will. It can't hurt to ask. 

If you can't find anyone to barter, ask about payment options. I personally feel that the images of your chocolate and the design of your marketing pieces is second in priority just after the quality of the chocolate itself. If you have amazing chocolate and horrible images of it, it won't sell. If you have crappy chocolate and great images of it, it'll sell. 

Feel free to give me some more specific details about your situation and I'll see if I can give you any more guidance. For example, what kind of budget have you set aside for marketing? (What percent of your gross?) Who have you found that you would love to have photograph your chocolate? What do they charge? What do you get in return? How about graphic designers? Who have you found and what are they asking?

If you can't source it locally.

You will be able to purchase New Zealand Milk powder. (exported Globally) 

Fonterra has a range of organic milk powders.

Some of us kiwis would prefer you didn't support our dairy industry, but we will forgive you for buying organic milk.

Or you could source it from one of the smaller companies.

Tell us how a Chocolate maker would go about crating a new Product range. and getting the Artwork and branding done with a designer like your self.

Its always a stumbling block for my self. and I'm sure it would be helpfull for others.

I'v got one it works greate

If it was from the roasting stage,

You would likely have resolved it on subsequent batches.

As your roast profiles are likely to vary slightly each time if your just trying things out.

how long do you take to make a batch.

I take 3 days. the first two days the chocolate refines in the melanger. then the third day is left for conching this is where the final flavour develops and unwanted bitterness evaporates.

You can actually smell and taste the flavour changers and bitterness coming of the melanger. 

Thanks Mark, I'd love those recipes, I'm thinking york peppermint pattie and a coconut filling heavy on the shredded coconut.  I apparently can't figure out how to send you a private message, so if you like you can contact me at danikiser@gmail.com, that would be awesome.

There are several forms, mostly fondant cremes.  They can be made in a wide range of textures, and can be made in a form allowing further processing, like enrobing, but then soften.  Feel free to contact me for some basic recipes, targeting your textural objectives.

Hi, I'd like to create a couple filled bars and am searching for shelf stable recipes.  I'm thinking along the lines of a coconut cream or mint cream.  Thanks!

Agree Nicole and specially if it's a Dedy - It lasts forever! 

We can help if you are still looking. Info @ garzasgoodies .com is our email. Message me a time, contact name, and location/phone number to call and we will be in touch to see how we can best serve you and your clientele.  Hope your having a great day!  

Heather Garza
Garza's Goodies Chocolates Confections
816-569-0278

Only used once!

Evenly distributes chocolate through multible depositing ports into cavities of most moulds. Mould guiding system and mould scraper included.

Comes with three plates:

3x7

3x8

5x8

Check out this link for more info http://tomric.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=3275

Asking price $4.500 or best offer

Here's Rodney Alleguede (www.rodneyalleguede.com) at the FCIA event in NYC manning the 'cocktail table booth' for the introduction of the EZtemper. Lots of interest generated - and one lucky individual - Elaine Boxer of @voilaChocolat took one home!

Heavy metal soluability in water is very well understood.  A few examples below.  Remember heavy metals aren't your only concern.  Note that heat is largely an ineffective treatment for aflatoxins as aflatoxins tend to recombine in acidic environments (such as with the acid in your stomach, for example)

http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/hmetals.html

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/5/chemistry

I'd like to add something to this conversation in regards to making Tea. Now it has been said its composed of heavy metals, but when brewing tea, you're dissolving solids, etc into your solution - have there been studies done for how many (if any) metals make their way into a tea?

We as a business are interested in using the husks and are going to submit samples for a 3rd party analysis to see on average what the husks are composed on  when done well update you all with our findings  

Thank you Thomas (I will check with John)

Agree Sebastian.

My opinion only.  Where i do see a benefit is the units with the vacuum capability tend to have MUCH better mixing capability, which results in a more physically stable emulsion.  If you're not having textural or separation issues, i'd say the more advanced unit wouldn't hurt, but it may not necessarily help either...

Hi Sebastian,

That makes a lot of sense. From what I can summarize, it seems as though a vacuum would not hurt at all, but the several thousand dollars to have it might not be worth it. Thanks for your insightful comment!

Daniel

That's great Christina - Costa Rica is one of my favorite places on Earth.  I'm absolutely in love with it. I considered buying properety there at one point, however the squatters laws made that problematic for me in that i'd need to visit my property every 3 (or was it 6?) months to ensure no one had moved in.  If they did, and i didn't remove them, they could claim the property as their own.

You may wish to connect with CATIE ( http://www.catie.ac.cr/) if you've not already as a local research connection.  The watchout with clay is that it often doesn't contain much cadmium, but it can be very high in lead.

Cheers

Daniel - i've never done the study, so no data - but i don't believe a RC would result in longer microbial shelf life as a result of not incorporating ambient air.  I know others believe otherwise.

Why do i think thusly?  Your chocolate already has a micro load on it (meaning your chocolate, while likely food safe, is not sterile - it has more micro organisms on/in it than you think) - so they're already there.  You can't load your RC in a vacuum, meaning that ambient micro organisma are going to be in your RC when you start it in addition to what went in with your ingredients.  When you pull a vacuum, it's not going to pull those organisms out, and while the ganache may be mixed under a vacuum, when you open the unit you break the vacuum, and ambient air will rush back into the lower pressure areas of the ganace to equalize pressure.

My opinion only, no data to support it 8)

Everything is OK. i will definitely buy another one. I plan to instal speed control (about 500$)

If you are going to be at the FCIA this weekend - drop by the booth (cocktail table), say hey to Rodney and Jess - get them to talk to you about the EZtemper and put your business card in the draw for a free unit.  

https://www.facebook.com/FineChocolateIndustryAssociation?fref=nf

Hi guys, can you give me an update on how your machines are holding up?  Thanks!

To add to Sebastian's point: we were always taught that you should use the RC when making a ganache that has a tendancy to split - the RC will make it less likely to split. Otherwise we just used a stick (immersion) blender.

Thank you Ruth and Sebastian,

I really appreciate your input. Do you think having a vacuum on a robot coupe is worth the investment? Does it improve shelf life significantly or could a long shelf life bon bon (3 month or so) be created with having a well balanced ganache alone. The vacuum on a stephan or robot coupe seems great, but they add a several thousand dollars to the cost of the machine. Thanks again!

Daniel

 Hola Sebastian from the coastal slopes of Caribbean Costa Rica. Thank you for your information. No, I currently not conducted my own scientific analysis of my soil over the past 20 plus years of farming cacao. Yes, I am in the process of conducting this analysis in soil, as well as genetic heritage of my trees. The prior owner of our farm, Mr. Rolegio Smith from Punta Uva, owned and worked the farm for 70 plus years before I bought it from him. And before that his family, The notable Downer family worked the larger farm (including what is now mine) for a 85 plus years before that. These peoole never lived on the land; they only lived out on the beach area, and worked the "farm" from dawn until afternoon. There were no roads, at all here until the 1980's as the Province of Limon was a restricted province to keep the Black people and Jungle at bay. It wasn't until 1950's that Black people could even leave the Province and go to the capital.
Before that (1700's) it was all Indigeneous land which the artifacts in the soil reveal as well. But really really, where we are here is "new land" so to speak, recently arisen from the sea. It is not uncommon to see coral deposits nearby and I have even seen this 1Km inland, on the top of a high hill with 400 year old Almond Trees growing out of them! So, all in all we can conclude that the land near at the home of Talamanca Organica is recently risen from the sea (within the last 1000 of years or so), quite far from the alluvial flow of the volcanic region of Costa Rica. Heck, we don't even have any native rock here....it is all clay rock. You have to travel way out to the River Sixaola or the River Chirripo to get any rock, hence why gravel costs a fortune here.
So, yes, I can understand where alluvial flow soils typical of Central and South America would contain Cadium, and other heavy metals. And yes, I see the practice here in the province of locals drying cacao on the roadside. WE, here at Talamanca Organica sun dry our cacao in our farm, and then our cacao is stored daily on clean organic cotton linen, untl it is complete dry; and then in airtight containers. Just yesturday I was sunnin up a ferment from Nov 2014, and I have to tell you that it is as beateous as ever, with amazing aroma and a lovely fruity taste, and only sundried.
If you are ever in my neck of the woods, and you would like to tour my sustainable, organic, regenerative cacao farm, I invite you. And if you have your handy soil testing kit, I would love to offer my soil for your review. You will see that the Superior taste in our beans in multi-fold. First off, it's organic, second, it's grown in harmony with the forest (and that is taste worthy), and it is fermented with prestige and sundried exclusively with our expertise. 
Thanks you very much for sharing your experience, and i hope one day you try our beans. 
And yes, I agree with you, people can ingest poison in they so choose. I do not. And I hold that principle in my agricultural practices. I am fascinated, though with the European love of the cacao shell, and the high demand amongst the European tourist. Yep, few Americans are even interested in it at all.... and it was an Isreali who discovered smoking it....I never thought of it before that. Pura vida, Christina.

The theory behind the RC, so the story goes (at least that i've often heard suggested as it's major benefit) is that since it's a more sealed environment, it helps to increase shelf life by keeping microbes out.  While it may be true that because it has a lid less ambient microbes settle in the product, it doesn't really make a difference due to the amount of microbes already present.  So i'd say no advantage there.  To Ruth's point, the RC is a very powerful high efficiency blender.  A stick blender is fine, nothing wrong with it (it's what i have), but a RC will be better from the perspective of it will create a finer emulsion than the stick blender is capable of producing, which could result in an improved texture and reduced tendancy to separate.

I love my R-C. It does not add air. Builds a beautiful emulsion. It would take a pretty powerful stick blender to do what the R-C does.

Hi there,

I am wondering which tool you prefer for emulsifying ganache. Do you prefer working with an immersion blender or a robot coupe (food processor)? Does a robot coupe create too much air when emulsifying? I know some chocolatiers use a vaccuum feature on their robot coupe or stephan mixer. Is that really necessary? Thanks for your feedback. I look forward to hearing about your experience!

Daniel

Okay haha. Some of these box companies have horrible images of their products. 

You said custom...they can do custom. Whatever design you choose. Don't look at their online stuff. 

I haven't seen that company before. They look to be about the quality of some of our boxes that we have now. But we're looking for something more like this level of quality: http://www.recchiuti.com/100.html?area=01 (Click on the picture of the outside of the box.)

Most of the custom box companies we've found are overseas so the shipping doubles the already expensive boxes. We love BSD but, again, the shipping doubles the cost of the box.

Cheers

Thank you

I've used the Twirlo machine with Capol glaze (Capol 254) and lacquer (Capol 425). The glaze makes it shiny, the lacquer "locks it in" and seals it. I was working in 14C conditions though in the kitchen . . . so very different to yours. 

See if you can find your local Capol representative - they do a lot of different products to suit a lot of different conditions. They might have something better suited for where you live.

I live in Asia, where its like 29/32 degrees most of the time

I want to chcocolate cover coffee beans (I aleady sell coffee here, so the beans are no problem) I'm doing this in bulk and have the twirlo coating machine

The problem I DO have is the heat, with the cocolate melting when I transport from the unit to the shops, and with the melting when customers pick them up............ so I'm guessing a confectioners glaze should be applied?
I'm trying to locate that glaze here,

Can anyone give any tips/hints, advice so as I dont have to make the mistakes BEFORE hand

Thank you