I had a fairly smooth day of bonbon-ing today, 12 molds (CW2295, 32 cavity dome) start to finish (but not fully packaged/put away). I took notes on the timing, just in case it helps. I planned ahead and put my colors in a melter overnight, otherwise I'd microwave them while polishing molds
polishing molds: 30 minutes
airbrushing molds, meanwhile melting ganaches in the microwave: 1 hour
tempering chocolate, casting shells: 45 min
tempering & piping fillings: 1 hour
making one more layer on the hazelnut, re-tempering what's in the melter, and lunch break: 45 min
capping all molds: 45 min
packaging & etc: 2 hours plus
So 5 hours of production, probably 4 hours of packaging for 384 pieces. I did lose a few, say at the end of the day I have 40 bonbons per hour made and in the box. If labor costs $20/hr, that's 50 cents a piece in labor. I'll make a little at wholesale, do better at retail, and would do even better if I can produce more in less time Or I could charge more, I did raise prices recently but am still far from the most expensive in town. Retail is around $2.50 a piece.