Bean there done that.

Here's a little bit of an explanation of how we breakdown the bean to get this awesome thing we call chocolate:

First we roast the cacao beans.

Then we crush them - separating the husk from the cotyledon.

We winnow the batch, leaving the cocoa nibs.
This is what we use to make chocolate!

Artisan chocolatiers are popping up all over - but not many are doing what we're doing.  We're starting with the raw bean!  We're very excited about this.  Making a quality product, using pure and healthy ingredients is our commitment!   

Sometimes the planets align...

It's not every day that we get to do costumes and chocolates in the same day.

 This happened last weekend!

We finished up a Lagertha costume for one of our customers, and we whipped up a batch of dairy-free milk chocolate to be used during our Ecole Chocolat chocolatier course.

We also had a little field trip out to Tonawanda.  We spoke with a really nice guy about having our own giant granite cutting board made.  He is a local artisan who puts together beautiful granite pieces for cheese boards, serving trays, cutting boards - whatever!  We will be using it for tempering chocolate.  Will post pics when we get the final piece.  ~~~ I know you're excited!!!

Ecole Chocolate Assignment 1

So, we signed up for an online chocolatier course through Ecole Chocolat.

Our first assignment is to study chocolate companies and find 3 we want to emulate.  We tried to focus on chocolatiers who had a commitment to using organic, sustainable ingredients.  We also branched out a bit, looking at some local companies.  

Here's the list of chocolatiers we took a look at and our notes on each:

1. Antoinette's Sweets - visited in person - November 2015
2. Norman Love Confections [love the professional website and top other products and packaging]
3. Nirvana Chocolates (nirvanachocolates.com)
4. Equal Exchange (equalexchange.com)
5. Green & Black's (greenandblacks.com) [awesome!]
6. Endangered Species Chocolate Company (chocolatebar.com) [boring]
7. Alter Eco (www.altereco.com) [pretty cool]
8. Australian (australianhomemade.com) [noobs but love the chocolate designs]
9. The Tea Room (www.tearoomchocolates.com)
10. Organica (www.venturefoods.com) 
11. Blanxart (www.blanxart.com) [impressive simplistic packaging and products]
12. Boojabooja (www.boojabooja.com) [awesome packaging and product]
13. The Chocolate Society (https://www.chocolate.co.uk) [good info, nice simple designs]
14. Dagoba Chocolate (dagobachocolate.com) [top notch product, packaging and website OWNED BY HERSHEY's]
15. Watsons Chocolate (http://www.watsonschocolates.com) [outdated products]
16. Choco Logo (https://www.chocologo.com) [?]
17. Askinosie Chocolate (askinosie.com) [transparent website - bean to bar]
18. Cacao Prieto (www.cacaoprieto.com) [original designs, beautiful truffles, all organic]
19. Lake Champlain Chocolates (http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com) [nice designs]
20. Sjaaks organic (https://sjaaks.com/home) [home like feel]
21. Tcho (http://www.tcho.com) [interesting packaging]

And here is our assignment submission:

Chocolatier #1 Cacao Prieto

cacaoprieto.com

Why did we choose this chocolatier? Their chocolate bars and a few other products, like the chocolate nibs, seem like products we would like to make.  Their bars are single origin, organic and made from the bean.  

What differentiates this chocolatier from the rest?   They use classic Victorian machines to make their chocolate.  We would love to do that ourselves.  They also have their own bean farm in the Dominican and they use organic sugars from the Dominican Republic.  They make their own 100% non-GMO whiskey as well.

Most important product that inspired us:  Coffee & Sea Salt Chocolate Bar

Chocolatier #2 Green & Black's

greenandblacks.com

Why did we choose this chocolatier? The website, the products, and everything about the company seems top notch and quite professional.  We would strive to achieve that standard.

What differentiates this chocolatier from the rest?  All of their products are organic, which was something they pioneered from the beginning.  Their appearance is confident and professional.  This is what stood out most to us.  

Most important product that inspired us:  Spiced Chili Chocolate Bar

Chocolatier #3 Booja-Booja

boojabooja.com

Why did we choose this chocolatier?  We love the welcoming feeling of their website and their story.  They use bright colors for their packaging and their truffles look mouthwatering.  

What differentiates this chocolatier from the rest?  Their products are dairy and soya free.  Their truffles are made from very few organic, raw ingredients.  They also make an "ice cream” from cashews.  

Most important product that inspired us:  All of their truffles!

Understanding the Industry:

What are your general observations about independent chocolatiers and their products?

It is surprising how much variety exists in the world of chocolate, but one thing that seems standard is that chocolatiers really try to appeal to a pleasurable experience for their customers.  We visited some local chocolatiers that didn't resonate with us as companies we would like to emulate, but they do a very good business and are well liked in the community.  It also seems like the industry is leaning toward organic niche chocolatiers being an up and coming trend, so we're excited to start that in our area.  

Having gone through the research, what did you learn about the chocolate industry?

Bean to bar chocolate making is a complicated process that to the everyday consumer isn't apparent.  However, we have learned that there is a market and a certain amount of respect for artisan chocolatiers.  There are businesses that are successful based on their nostalgic products and there are other businesses that are successful because of their modern approach.  We feel that there is room for all kinds of chocolatiers, and we have chosen the three above because this is the direction we want to follow.  We're looking to make our own stamp on the industry with an organic, yet polished product - and of course, addictively tasty!  After going through this research, we want to continue doing research and become valued members of the chocolate-making community.  

Getting Started

The title of this post is a bit misleading.

I feel like we've been "getting started" for ages now.  It hasn't really been too long in the grand scheme of life, but it feels like a whole different lifetime that we hatched this idea of owning and operating our own chocolate empire.  Since we "got started" we have bought a house, had a baby, and I almost filed for a divorce.

So, what have we done to get this off the ground?

Well - first of all, our marriage is better than ever now that my hormones from the pregnancy are somewhat evened out.  Although, even as I type this I confess I'm in a delusional state from taking care of a newborn all night.

Here's a list of some things we have done for our chocolate venture so far:

• Tim put in some serious time researching.  For months this is what my husband looked like to me.   ---------> 
• We bought and tasted chocolates to get an idea of what we liked.
• Purchased some organic cacao beans!  These arrived at our house as I was in the hospital giving birth!  Tim was excitedly telling me about the delivery of our firstborn beans as I was having contractions.  If I had the bag of beans in my hand I would have thrown it at his head.     
• Bought some small batch machinery.  Another blog post will eventually break this down.  I had no idea this would be so complicated!
• Made some calls about permits and zoning (ugggggghhhh)
• In addition to making some small batches with our machinery, we've tried a few other methods, including a lava rock mortar and pestle.  
• Ordered some books about chocolate making off Amazon...  they have yet to be read but at first glance they do provide much more detail than what can be found on the internet. 

• Signed up for a chocolatier certification program through Ecole Chocolat, which means "chocolate school" in French.        www.ecolechocolat.com

All of this happened within the last year and I'm so excited for what will unfold in the next few years!  I hope you subscribe to our blog to watch it happen right along with us.