Truffle Guy

You can backspray a mold with melted cocoa butter, just like colored cocoa butter and it does give an incredible shine to the chocolate. Just put it in a similar container as you do your colored cocoa butter. I use both glass and plastic 2 or 4 oz bottles. I think Kerry had a good option, which I'll try, which is to do a thin layer of chocolate in the mold first in the trouble areas, if the smudge is being caused by uneven cooling, this should solve the problem.

I do a piece with morello cherry pate de fruit and then a ganache with amaretto, almonds and apricots in milk chocolate that is nice.

I found a company that will do shelf life testing and also microbiology sampling. It is about $200 per recipe but I think it will be worth it to get a better idea of how accurate the AW values in the books really are. They offer documentation and certification of testing. I'm looking for shelf life when stored at correct temperatures/humidity. My client will have to take responsibility for poor handling. I will be doing all the shipping so I do have some control and most of the shipping will occur in Q4 so temperature will be less of a factor. I've given the typical 3-4 weeks answer on shelf life although it varies widely from piece to piece with some having much longer shelf lives. I will be getting a vacuum mixer later this summer and that should add a few weeks to shelf life as well. I'll let everyone know how my experience turns out.

Thanks, and I do the same thing for my store but I'm working with a large client and will need to provide some documentation and testing results.

I'd like to test the shelf life of my chocolates and wondered if anyone knew a place to get them tested for a reasonable price. I can send either the chocolates or the recipe. Thanks in advance for the help!

Do you have a link anywhere to the 5 lb boxes? i'm always contemplating storage! ← Tomric, they dont have those online, just call them or send them an email they have those in storage. I think the 500 plastic trays were 119.00 and the boxes ( bottom and bases ) were areound 36.00 each. I am gonna take a pic and post it so ypou can see how they are, I have to tell you that was more than what I wanted to spend ( this festival was expensive for me but worth it ) but I was totally happy with those. ← Do you have an item # for those? ← The Boxes are PKG-STKL (base) and PKG-STKC (lid). The trays are T-110C.

David, What is the PSI of your compressor? I have the large one from Chef Rubber and it really does help keep the cocoa butter flowing. I actually just use a hair dryer on the tip of the airbrush to "melt" any hardened cocoa butter. The extra PSI makes a big difference and really gives you the power to move quickly. I painted over 2000 pieces yesterday and it just makes a big difference from using a smaller compressor. A suggestion for drawing lines, if you want them solid, is to use painters tape on the molds leaving a small line. You can also fill a pastry bag with white chocolate and colored cocoa butter and pipe the lines. I'm always looking for more ideas and the "splatter tip" looks interesting, I'd love to see some pictures of the end results. Also, the toothbrush works great for small dots but when I want larger droplets, I use an art brush with long, soft bristles and make sure it is warm by hitting it with a hair dryer then dipping into the cocoa butter and then strike the back of the brush with a heavier brush and it gives a nice "splatter". It will be messy so you want to angle the brush to reduce any backsplash or put inside a cardboard box. Also...a paint sprayer works well for multiple molds of splatters with the same color. Good luck and I'd love to see how the splatter tip works for you.

I do have a passion fruit heart also...(the orange one with purple). Not sure if this image is going to be very clear. We did a 18 and 19 piece heart box as well as some other boxes.

I don't get to spend much time on egullet any more but came across this post and I don't think I've shared much about my experience running the business....probably because I think it runs me most of the time. We didn't start production until last October and it has only really been the last few months (since Christmas) that we are in a semblance of full production. I'm currently in a few Dean & Deluca locations and have some other wholesale accounts. For a new company we were really busy at Christmas getting a couple large corporate orders shipped the same week was quite the challenge (169 20-piece boxes then 170 24-piece boxes in the same week. I have someone working for me now as well as an intern and will be interviewing another intern/employee this week. It has been a challenge in deciding the focus of the business. We want to continue to grow the wholesale/corporate side and have done so with some local restaurants, hotels and specialty stores while also increasing our retail exposure. We ran our first newspaper ad this week and will be a vendor at a large wedding show next weekend. I've been very pleasantly surprised by my retail customers. It still shocks me when someone spends over $500 on gifts for friends/family when the gift is chocolate but we have a handful of these customers already. One lesson I've learned is that you are the product. It really isn't the look or taste that brings people back and makes them give you strong word of mouth. Obviously that is a big component but I've had so many people say it was my enthusiasm and excitement about what I do that brings them back. It also "takes money to make money" as a friend told me. I'm never shy the first time a customer comes in with my time or product. There are many samples and I give them as much time as I can. I "test" new products on my customers all the time which gives me valuable feedback and also builds demand. I'm still very much a student and have a LONG way to go before I feel comfortable calling myself a "chocolatier" in the company of those who have built their reputations. I do believe I will get there as I still love to come in and work every day and constantly look to learn from anyone I can (Thanks Cheri, Jaycel and Chris for your helpj). They are egulleters who have visited and I learned much from them. Below are some pictures of the chocolates (If I can remember how to do this). Lemongrass/Coconut Pumpkin Rose Marzipan Cabernet Peanut Butter Cherry Blossom Key Lime Rosewater Caramel Grapefruit/Tarragon Caramel

I was not required to put in a hood or grease trap in my store and I also use a Selmi. However....after building out the same health inspector said I "might" have to put in a grease trap and the sink placement (which he approved) might need some changes. I don't think there is very good knowledge about our industry and you are at the whim of the individual. In getting my Food licensing the instructor said that you will find that there are no problems and then a new inspector comes and everything changes. It is scary for a small business to have this type of uncertainty as it could sink (literally) a business when a large capital expenditure is required after planning and build out. It is much more expensive to make changes after the fact. I think a lot of what happens really is based on the relationship and if they like you or not. While you obviously cannot (and should not) bribe govt. officials, I'd be sure to be on your best behavior and not defensive. Do Starbucks have to have hoods?

I do almost exclusively molded chocolates...a few hundred to a few thousand per week so I've had all the heartaches of molds. It actually sounds to me that you are waiting too long. If I understand correctly, your shells are still not solid and some are emptying while others are semi-solid (probably the outer shells). If that is the case you are waiting too long. A big impact is the mold you are using...a shallow, small mold will setup very quickly while a deeper mold may take longer. Try waiting just 30 seconds and then empty the shells. You also may get better results if you then stage the cooling (if possible). You could put the shell under an air vent for a few minutes (until it has hardened) then in the refigerator until it comes out of the mold easily. The state of your temper is also key...I use a continous tempering machine with 50+lbs of chocolate so my chocolate is always in temper. If you are pouring the chocolate back into a smaller machine or bowl....it may be bringing your chocolate out of temper. Good luck...once it works for you in your conditions it will all come together for you. I had so many problems with my molding until I figured out the best process in my shop and I've probably had less than 50 shells not release properly out of the 20,000 or so I've done in the last few months. The length of time you let the chocolate sit in the mold before pouring is a function of how warm it is to start, its viscosity, and how cool your shop is. If you have a very thin chocolate (lots of cocoa butter) at 94F with a shop temp of 75F you will have to wait a lot longer than if you have a thick chocolate at 89F and a shop temperature of 62F. You have to adjust the time to your conditions. That said, you can tap the back of the mold or swirl it in a tight circle to encourage more chocolate to exit if you went a bit over. ←

I'm lucky to have 4 CPA's as investor's (or unlucky depending on how you look at it). I would suggest anyone be very careful when it comes to taxes and get your advice from an expert. Sales tax can be very tricky at times but a good CPA can tell you your options and the risks. If having to pay back taxes and penalties would put you out of business....I'd play it safe and be conservative. Just my advice but nothing will end your dream faster than trying to dodge the government. Couldn't you get around this if you put the product in a box or some other sort of packaging? ←

They do give you terms if you are a business and are definetly a wholesaler. They will sell to individuals.

Thanks to Cheriepie, I've had polycarbonate frames made by a company in Philadelphia called Trident Plastics. They make a fiberglass bottom and then polycarbonate rulers. They can make them to any specification and are fairly cheap. They only really work with ganache as the plastic rulers will curl when pouring a hot mix (pate de fruit, caramel etc.) If you are looking for a full frame they could probably make that for you as well. I've no connection to the company but always like to refer those who have done good work for me. I won't post the contact info as I'm not sure it is appropriate but just message me if you want the info....

Hey everyone thanks for the response. It didn't quite make sense to me either as we use so many other dried herbs that are less processed (such as lavender) that actually grow closer to the ground. Was a bit scary to hear this as I'm currently working with a couple tea companies on some product but I think there is probably more risk with normal shelf life issues.

I don't believe it has ever been implied that a "chocolatier" is a manufacturer of chocolate. While one could do both ends of the process, I think most of the successful artisan chocolatiers use a known couverture. They are different skills, one is more a harvesting, manufacturing process on a large scale while the other (chocolatier) requires a broader range of more specified skills. I come from a farming family background and wouldn't consider the ones who planted, harvested and processed the wheat/corn to be the chefs but rather the manufacturers. I think a chocolatier is a person who manipulates a chocolate....any type...into a confection. More power to those who do both and from a marketing standpoint it can be good but there are so many excellent commercially available chocolates I would think there are better ways to differentiate yourself. I view chocolate for the chocolatier as the canvas with which to show their artistry. I'd like to always use the most expensive brands but I also feel I can accomplish my art with more mainstream brands. To me, a chocolatier is the artist who creates a finished product...not the person who creates the chocolate. Don't get me wrong...I'm fascinated and impressed with those who make their own chocolate but I just think its a different process and is more aligned with a manufacturing process.

Recently I have started doing ganaches with teas and have heard that they are susceptible to e coli. Does anyone have any information on the dangers of using tea in a ganache? It would seem the same problem for Lavender and other herbs but thought I'd check with the experts.

I've gone down a similar road and now have my own business. My suggestion would be to not try and sell anything until you have everything in place. It is far more dangerous to make a few dollars selling from your home than as a business. If someone gets sick (or just decides to sue) you are not protected by a corporate entity and could be held personally responsible. I always just gave my chocolates away as gifts to the host or event organizer before I was a business. At most, I would have them purchase the ingredients. It was always with the understanding that it was their choice to offer the chocolates to their guests and hence their liability. Of course had anything happened who knows if that would have worked. Bottom line.....my personal opinion would be it is better to plan a business than try to back into one. You can get liability insurance pretty cheaply if you are not doing any significant business. Use a commercial kitchen, even if you have to rent one. I'm not a lawyer but I could see a case being made that you were negligent by not obeying your local laws and requirements. If you choose to sell to people...try to limit high risk items (such as nuts) that could cause an allergic reaction. I never sold anything before getting legal and I truly feel it worked out best for me. One advantage might be that it will make you focus more on becoming a business and you will reach your end goal sooner. If you sell a few hundred here and there...it might actually delay taking the plunge (assuming that is what you want to do). In any case, good luck!

I went ahead and purchased a Dedy with a 5mm base and a 25mm frame. So now I have an almost new Dedy 7.5mm base and 22.5mm and 37.5mm frames that I really don't need. Is there a place on Egullet to sell/trade equipment or do I need to go to Ebay? Any other suggestions for places to sell chocolate equipment? I can recover some of the expense of the new base/frame by selling the old one.....another lesson learned, I had no idea about the different frame sizes when I ordered my guitar.

When I started my company last summer I was frantically ordering equipment so I could be ready for production by October. I had used a guitar in class but never for my own production and so when I ordered mine, I really didn't understand the different sizes very well. So of course I got the wrong base size for my tastes. I have a 7.5mm Dedy with 4 frames and a cart and I'd really like a 5mm base so I can have a 25mm frame. Does anyone have any suggestions? It is only a few months old so I hate to sell it and lose money. I can keep the 15 and 30 mm frames so I only need to exchange the base and the 7.5mm and 22.5mm frames. I will try to see if I can exchange it with the company from which I purchased it but I'm not very optomistic. Any suggestions?

Make sure your bowl is secure. If the clamps are not tight, it will reset. I have a large machine for my dark chocolate but still use my chocovision for white. I had a similar problem and it was resolved by getting a new baffle.

It sounds like you may have tried to create an emulsion at too high a temperature or added the butter when it was too hot. Are you checking the temp of the ganache when you start mixing/adding the butter? What was the temp when you added the Limocello? It sounds like your ganache just set stiffer than you are used to, perhaps due to a little less liquid. I've also noticed that a ganache sets quicker when you temper the chocolate. You might try to add just a bit more creme next time. What technique did you use to put the ganache together? ← ← ←

I've recently started my Artisan chocolate company and have local wholesale accounts and some national ones. For the first few months I've been paying the shipping and then billing the client. I'm curious how others handle shipping to wholesale clients. Do you normally bill the shipping in addition to the product cost or combine both items into one cost? Thanks for any help. This is for wholesale accounts only....retail will pay the shipping.

Kerry, Thanks. I don't need them right away and I need to be able to also add the logo on the helmet. I'm thinking of doing this with a transfer sheet. I couldn't find any info on Altype on the internet, is there an online catalog? Thanks again. Bill I don't know if polycarbonate is going to happen because they are made in europe and they don't wear a similar helmet (same reason you don't get much polycarbonate halloween molds). But Altype Molds in Hamilton (previously in Grimsby) makes the thermoform molds and there is a place in Buffalo (not Tomric) that does the same. Tomric would be worth a call for sure. I'm not at home so I can't look in my Altype catalogue for you. I'd call Tomric first and ask. How soon do you need them? ←

I've got a request to make a football helmet chocolate and would like to use a football helmet mold with a transfer sheet for the decal. Anyone ever do something similar or have suggestions where I could find such a mold? I'd prefer a polycarbonate mold as I may have to make quite a few. Thanks!