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Sourcing chocolate

tammylc

By tammylc
in Pastry & Baking

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tammylc

tammylc

Posted
Posted

In a bunch of threads over the last few days, I've come across references to chocolate wholesalers that I'd never heard of before. I don't think there's any single thread where we've all listed our favorite sources, and I know it's a resource I would have found really useful for when I was getting started. So I figured I'd start one.

Assouline and Ting - wholesale, no minimum order. Great prices on E. Guittard, also has Valrhona. http://www.icaviar.com/Store/Scripts/prodL...?idCategory=387

Noble Ingredients - Michel Cluizel's USA operation. http://uk.cluizel.com/chocolatier/Retailers/48.html

Chocosphere - Big advantage here is huge variety, in both brands and package sizes. But prices are not as good as the others. http://chocosphere.com/

Where do you source your chocolate?

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

John DePaula

John DePaula

Posted
Posted (edited)

Chocolate Source is one that I can recommend.

Gourmail though I've never purchased from them.

Edited by John DePaula (log)

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

Ajl92

Ajl92

Posted
Posted

I can recommend Assouline from personal experience. I have ordered some of the E Guittard line from them on multiple ocassions and it has been very good, especially for the price.

readingrilke

readingrilke

Posted
Posted

Hello,

I would agree with www.qzina.com

Also, Swiss Chalet, which distributes Felchlin, the good swiss chocolate brand. Chocosphere has a wholesale pricing list, so if you are in business, let them know that you are before you buy, but they have a $250 minimum order for wholesale pricing.

Now, it has to be stated that the more than you buy, i.e. the larger your order is, the better pricing you will get, period. If you don't, then you need to go somewhere else. I am starting my own company and hope that by next year I will be able to order by pallet. That is nearly a ton of chocolate, but the pricing it sometimes 40% less than what other people sell for wholesale.

Good luck to everyone!

readingrilke

readingrilke

Posted
Posted

Also, look at Paris Gourmet. They have alot of distributors throughout the states, such as Rader Foods in Miami, which offers great pricing on shipping.

tammylc

tammylc

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Hello,

I would agree with www.qzina.com

Also,  Swiss Chalet, which distributes Felchlin, the good swiss chocolate brand. Chocosphere has a wholesale pricing list, so if you are in business, let them know that you are before you buy, but they have a $250 minimum order for wholesale pricing.

Now, it has to be stated that the more than you buy, i.e. the larger your order is, the better pricing you will get, period. If you don't, then you need to go somewhere else. I am starting my own company and hope that by next year I will be able to order by pallet. That is nearly a ton of chocolate, but the pricing it sometimes 40% less than what other people sell for wholesale.

Good luck to everyone!

Thanks for the tip on Chocosphere! i have to order a bunch of tasting squares, and should be able to make that minimum.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

I've been using the above mentioned Chocolate Source and have been very happy with them but the quantities I'm going through now have me looking at Qzina as an option (the main savings is on the shipping but everything helps). I ordered a few things from Qzina recently and was happy with the service but I've never had any complaints about the service at Chocolate Source either.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

annachan

annachan

Posted
Posted

I go to my local place, Marque Foods, to get my chocolate. It has a decent selection of chocolate at good prices. It's close enough for me to go pick up what I need. Will be going next week to pick up the holiday supplies.

ejw50

ejw50

Posted
Posted

If anybody lives in Boston area, Marty's liquors in Newton has Callebaut for $3.50 a pound. Valrhona for $10 (I think, it was a good price anyway).

  • 2 months later...
merlicky

merlicky

Posted
Posted

Maybe someone can help me with this...I'm looking for a place to get some Scharffen Berger Milk 41% but I can't find a good price anywhere.

I've had a lot of requests for a milk chocolate around my vanilla truffle so I've gone out and tasted many different milks. The Scharffen Berger seems to have the right flavor combination for what I'm trying to do. The problem is that I cannot find it in anything but the 3 oz bars and the 9.7 oz bars and typically at around $13.50-$19.00 per lb.

If anyone knows where I can get this for a better price, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

www.cravekzoo.com
merlicky

merlicky

Posted
Posted

In the grand scheme of things I’d say that I would use a small amount, a pound or two would probably be more than enough for now. I’d be willing to buy more because there are other places I could use this chocolate, but probably not more than the 6-11 lb bulk packages I’ve seen with other chocolates.

When I cover these vanilla truffles with dark chocolate, I use the Scharffen Berger 70%. I don’t get a great price on these either, as I buy them retail (6 oz boxes) for $12.64/lb. But, that retail price for the dark is better than anything I’ve been able to find for their milk.

www.cravekzoo.com
lebowits

lebowits

Posted
Posted

I have been buying my bulk chocolate, cocoa butter, glucose syrup, colored cocoa butters, etc. from Albert Uster Imports (AUI Online Store). They have a variety of bulk chocolates available (now in 8 lb. bags) which in my view taste quite well in comparison to others at a reasonable price.

Steve Lebowitz

Doer of All Things

Steven Howard Confections

Slicing a warm slab of bacon is a lot like giving a ferret a shave. No matter how careful you are, somebody's going to get hurt - Alton Brown, "Good Eats"

sote23

sote23

Posted
Posted

I've bought from Qzina, Marque foods, gourmail, in the past. I also recommend

village imports www.madeinfrance.net , they carry callebaut, valrhona, cacao berry, cacao noel.

If you order from Gourmail, keep in mind they take about 2 weeks for the order to

arrive ( for me in CA anyway), so if you need quickly I would avoid them.

Luis

www.luismorochocolate.com
  • 2 weeks later...
Pam R

Pam R

Posted
Posted

Due to some technical difficulties, the following post by Chris Hennes appears as a quote. All of the content in the post is his.

I put together a table of the suppliers I've considered, as well as representative pricing (prices pulled on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008). I've only considered places where the order can be placed online and delivered to a home address, since those are the only places I have pricing info for. I considered adding other places and just putting in X's for the chocolates they carry (actually, maybe this whole table should just be done like that since prices are constantly changing?) All listed prices are in USD and obviously, the list doesn't actually reflect what's in stock, just what they list on the website. I've also inevitably mis-typed some prices and chocolate names, so if it looks too good to be true, it probably is... <br> <br>

I have only personally ordered from Chocosphere since their selection is nothing short of incredible, though as you can see the pricing is a bit higher than other sources that carry the same product. Finally, I only included chocolates that I have heard of, so no doubt your personal favorite is probably not on the list... my apologies. I'd love to make this more comprehensive, but my latest data run is complete, so I have to go back to work... oh, well.<br><br>

(I couldn't find anything in the eGullet regulations that would prohibit this type of post, but since I also could not find any examples of "prior art" I apologize if this does not belong here. I just hoped it would help others try to find a good supplier.)<br><br>

<table border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style='border-collapse:

collapse;table-layout:fixed'>

<tr height=13>

  <td height=13 class=xl27 ></td>

  <td class=xl28 >Site</td>

  <td class=xl30 ><a href="http://www.chocosphere.com" target="_parent">chocosphere.com</a></td>

  <td class=xl30 ><a href="http://www.icaviar.com" target="_parent">icaviar.com</a></td>

  <td class=xl30 ><a href="http://www.chocolatesource.com" target="_parent">chocolatesource.com</a></td>

  <td class=xl30 ><a href="http://www.gourmail.com" target="_parent">gourmail.com</a></td> </tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td height=13 class=xl27 ></td>

  <td class=xl28>Company</td>

  <td class=xl28>Chocosphere</td>

  <td class=xl28>Assouline and Ting</td>

  <td class=xl28>Chocolate Source</td>

  <td class=xl28>Gourmail</td>

</tr>

<tr height=13>

  <td rowspan=7 class=xl29>E. Guittard (5kg)</td>

  <td class=xl28>Creme Fancais (31%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>73</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

</tr>

<tr height=13>

  <td class=xl28>Soleil d'Or n(38%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>63</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>39</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

</tr>

<tr height=13>

  <td class=xl28>Orinoco (41%)</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

</tr>

<tr height=13>

  <td class=xl28>La Nuit Noire (55%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>62</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

</tr>

<tr height=13>

  <td class=xl28>L'Etoile du Premiere (58%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>57</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>42</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

</tr>

<tr height=13>

  <td class=xl28>Lever du Soleil (61%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>73</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>45</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Coucher du Soleil (72%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>73</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>50</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td rowspan=6 class=xl29>Callebaut (5kg)</td>

  <td class=xl28>Extra bittersweet bloc (71%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>70</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>62</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Thick bittersweet bloc (60%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>68</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Semi-sweet bloc (54%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>68</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>57</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Milk bloc (31.5%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>68</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>57</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>White bloc</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>65</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>53</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Cocoa butter (4kg tub)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>80</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td rowspan=14 class=xl29>Valrhona (3kg)</td>

  <td class=xl28>Equatoriale (55%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>68</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>66</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>50</td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Caraque (56%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>73</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>50</td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Le Noir Gastronomie (61%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>74</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>52</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Manjari (64%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>80</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>66</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>73</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Tainori (64%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>83</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Caraibe (66%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>80</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>59</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>73</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Alpaco (66%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>83</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Guanaja (70%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>80</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>65</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>72</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Araguani (72%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>83</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>65</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>76</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Abinao (85%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>80</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Tanariva Milk (33%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>77</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>56</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Equatoriale Milk (35%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>70</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Jivara Milk (40%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>77</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>60</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>73</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Ivoire White (41%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>90</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>67</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>86</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td rowspan=10 class=xl29>Michel Cluizel (5kg)</td>

  <td class=xl28>Chocolate Ivoire</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>145</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Grand Lait (45%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>145</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Haciende Mangaro Milk (50%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>175</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>137</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Amer (60%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>135</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Hacienda Mangaro Dark (65%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>175</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>137</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Hacienda Concepcion (66%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>175</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>137</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Caienda Los Ancondes (67%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>175</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>137</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Vila Gracinda (67%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>175</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Noir (72%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>139</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Grand Amer (85%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>145</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td rowspan=9 class=xl29>El Rey (5kg)</td>

  <td class=xl28>Icoa White (34%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Irapa Milk (41%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Cariaco Dark (61%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Macura Dark (70%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Caoba Milk (41%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Bucare Dark (59%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Mijao Dark (61%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Gran Saman Dark (70%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>90</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Apamate Dark (74%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>95</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td rowspan=2 class=xl29>Scharffen Berger (3Kg)</td>

  <td class=xl28>Semisweet (62%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>70</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>60</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

<tr height=13>

 

  <td class=xl28>Bittersweet (70%)</td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>80</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

  <td class=xl28 align=right>60</td>

  <td class=xl28> </td>

 

</tr>

</table>

Pam Reiss aka "Pam R"

Author: Soup - A Kosher Collection - Passover - A Kosher Collection - Pam's Cookie Collection - Blog - Demos - Pam's Kitchen FB 

paulraphael

paulraphael

Posted
Posted
I put together a table of the suppliers I've considered ...

Amazing, Pam, thanks. I just checked icaviar, and can barely believe they have cluizel chocolate for $10/lb.

Not that I have a good excuse for buying a 5kg block of anything, but I'm looking for one.

Notes from the underbelly

Chris Hennes

Chris Hennes

Posted
Posted
Not that I have a good excuse for buying a 5kg block of anything, but I'm looking for one.

You'd be surprised - I chose the 5kg size because it is reasonable and relatively cost-effective for the home confectioner in need of lots of practice (i.e., me!) :biggrin: .

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

pagosselin

pagosselin

Posted
Posted

Steve, Which chocolate do you use from Albert Uster? I have been wanting to try their chocolates but I hate to buy a 22 lb bag of something that I haven't tasted before. I have been using Callebaut but not completely satisfied with the dark (semi sweet). I am getting it from American Gourmet Foods in Washington DC.

Pat

paulraphael

paulraphael

Posted
Posted
You'd be surprised - I chose the 5kg size because it is reasonable and relatively cost-effective for the home confectioner in need of lots of practice (i.e., me!)  :biggrin: .

Not trying to hijack the thread, but I'd need some better storage than I have now before investing in a 5kg block. Someone in another thread suggested freezing it. Is this legit?

Notes from the underbelly

Chris Hennes

Chris Hennes

Posted
Posted
Not trying to hijack the thread, but I'd need some better storage than I have now before investing in a 5kg block. Someone in another thread suggested freezing it. Is this legit?

I think you are overestimating how much chocolate 5kg is: the box is maybe 4"x12"x16" or so (just a rough estimate) for the disks (rather than the blocks -- the block are probably half that). It's like two bags of flour or so. Also, chocolate keeps pretty well on its own, and if you use about a pound per recipe, you will go through it pretty quickly. I have three boxes (dark, milk and white) and just keep them in a closet in my tiny apartment.

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

Chris Hennes

Chris Hennes

Posted
Posted
Qzina from last week:

Valrhona Jivara lactee discs 3kg: 48.70

Cocoa Barry Tanzanie discs 11#: 72.05

CB Guayaquil 64% 44#: 213.05

Is there a price list somewhere that I'm missing, or do you just have to call them? I think they carry almost everything on my list, but I'd feel bad trying to get pricing info for all of it without actually intending to purchase (yet)... Also, regarding the Albert Uster chocolate: I'm not familiar with Des Alpes, which appears to be the only brand they carry, so that's why they're not on the list. How many people here are using this stuff?

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

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