InfinityCandies

Interesting information. Thanks for sharing! Also, how did you calculate the $1.40 for each chocolate made using the tempering machine?

Ok. I think I was chatting with you before in terms of figuring out retail price. You had mentioned allow room in my price for a good profit margin, with wholesale marking up 10-20% and retail a 50% markup. All I’m trying to figure out without it getting into taxes is understanding what my retail price represents. And if equipment (+molds) is in some minute way, factored into each product, I want to factor that in. I feel like my equation is: fixed costs + variable costs + “some magical unknown number” = retail price. Without knowing what things are comprised in the unknown number, I’m afraid I could be overlooking something that I need to account for. Since this is a home-based shop, my overhead is low, but I want to account for all appropriate costs and expenses. *Is there also some financial rule that you simply double your costs to cover expenses? What does that number represent coverage for? Trying to find the source of this feels endless. If I end up with a higher profit margin, great. I can save some as capital. If a lower margin, then I revisit that equation to see what I’ve not included. Hope that makes sense.

Equipment expense question: I am upgrading my chocolate tempering machine from a $200 one to a $3000 one. Where and how do I spread that investment across my products?? I would like to look at this in terms of months if applicable.

I’m in Cincinnati.

Ok. Other question I have— if doing this out of my home, how do I begin to calculate things such as overhead (what does that exclusively include?—- and how do I put a number on such things?), marketing (divide out that expense quarterly/ annually?) and cost of sales (what does that mean exactly? Does that mean what it costs me to get my goods to that store?) Another business person who sells bars in stores broke it down and explained very well why you don’t just markup your item 25% to hope to cover the overhead after calculating COG’s. His example was a difference of $.32 more by correctly calculating overhead and said it can be the difference that makes or breaks a business that sells to distributors or stores. So maybe if I can can some help in proper calculating, I can finally get a clear picture of my pricing and where and with whom I can sell. 😁😁

Question for someone selling in a local international market. I’ve sold boxes of bonbons to them, and they mark up my price by 10%. What do I use to base the profit I want to make monthly? It seems ludicrous to calculate selling per piece. Should I just base my profit off a standard 25% that I want to make off each box? I know the holidays will produce a bigger number? But if I have a minimum amount that I want to net monthly, what is the most efficient way to go about ensuring that??

Great instructions!!! That all makes sense now. Will try that method.

Yes I was actually looking for a “filling” with this recipe, not a true ganache made with cream. I was under the impression that his use of the term precrystallize is the same as temper. I’m so used to making cream ganaches which just require pouring your cream over hard, tempered chocolate, I realized I need to warm something up in this recipe, but must the gianduja be tempered? Honestly I have a tempering machine. I would throw it in there if need be. I thought I could simply warm it (and the chocolate -not temper the chocolate-) up to, say 93’ F, add the other praline and and cool down to 83-86’ F before filling in my molds. Thoughts?

Have a question I wonder if you can answer. First time user of gianduja. I have a layer in a recipe that I’m stuck at (Wybaum’s). He’s making these as a layer that sets up; I want to make as a pipeable ganache. • 200g praliné • 200g gianduja • 120 g milk chocolate he notes mix the praline together with the precrystallized gianduja and milk chocolate … [ and pour into the frame]. Are the gianduja AND milk chocolate precrystallized (tempered) together? Or just one of them? help.

Question for an answer I can’t seem to find…. When incorporating gianduja into a ganache layer, must you temper the gianduja, (I keep seeing that information) or can you just warm it up from room temperature to incorporate?With so much fat, why would it need tempered (again)? In my situation, I am blending it with milk chocolate and hazelnut paste.

YESSS!!! Exactly what I am referring to. But I have made caramels, and I get it that way, but not with the Cookies N Cream ganache that has white chocolate. I have seen a few fillings that have that translucent, clearer filling. Is it the use of trimoline or glucose in the product? I feel I have seen some orange cream, or strawberry cream ganaches that use white chocolate but they also have that translucent filling. Sorry in previous post-- i didn't mean opaque.

Can anyone help me with this? I'm somewhat new to this site, but so I'm having a hard time locating my answer if it is already out here. I've made bon bons for several years now, after being inspired by Norman Love's shop on Ft. Myers, Florida around 2017. I'm originally self-taught from the book from Andrew Shotts' book "Making Artisan Chocolates," which was fatefully added to the box of the used tempering machine I bought from a lady off eBay 4 years ago. She though she'd just toss it in my way and even added a little note wishing me good luck in whatever I attempted to do. Had some great success with his recipes, and then just changed my candy recipes to following J.P Wybauw and better understanding the proper balance of chocolate, sugars and fats within each recipe along with aW values. I've sampled Norman Love's chocolates several times, examining everything I could think of. MY GREAT BIG QUESTION: how does one attain the slightly opaque/clear ganache he has in several of his bon bons, like his cookies n cream? And Tahitian Caramel, and others???? Everything else I create, is flat chocolate-based, like solid in color. Since I just switched to incorporating more shelf-stabilizing ingredients like, glucose, invert sugar, sorbitol, etc. similarly seen in Wybauw's recipes, I thought I would see some of these clearer, soft-centered ganaches and I am not. I feel like I just discovered there are different types of ganaches for bon bon centers: cream-based, butter-based, others? if you make a fruity center that is not technically a ganache, is it really just a pate de fruit? I have also followed Kate Weiser and lover her fun, eccentric colors and flavors, but cannot seem to duplicate some of her flavors and final appearances of ganaches. I have no formal culinary training-- just A LOT of videos, tutorials and reading, and of course, great insight from here, when I can come across it. ANY help to point me in the right direction would be great. I have had a little candy business that operates seasonally, and just when I was hoping to finalize my recipes for good, I am still not attaining some of the flavor and textures I wish to have. I use Guittard and Callebaut Chox. What am I missing?

Thank you. Will repost in the pastry section! like I said, I’m new 😉

Hello. New here and have found good answers to questions when running into technique issues in my bon bon business. Newest question is… How do commercial candy businesses freeze thousands of bonbons, and pull properly to display for sale in their cases in their shops??? (Example: from walk-in freezers or commercial upright restaurant freezers, then let sit for a day in a walk-in cooler?) Am looking to scale this down to my home operation to make candy making less overwhelming. Also, if using a walk-in freezer, what’s the best means of storage for each flavor of candy that allows me to pull for orders as needed? Thank you all!