Forum Activity for @Clay

Darlene:

First off, chocolate doesn't have any water in it, so you're not letting it dry, you're letting it cool down so that the proper crystals form in the cocoa butter. If you're working in a room that's 68F you don't necessarily need to go a lot cooler. I would start out thinking about the Rev 1 - and for that I need to know if the marbling effect you refer to is new, or is something that's always been an issue.

How long do you wait to start pouring after the Rev 1 beeps at you and tells you it's ready?

Darlene:

When you say you are working with ... what are you making? Most chocolate products can benefit from being but in a cool (not cold) place after pouring to ensure proper crystallization, however most refrigerators are set way too cold.

Ideally, your working environment is between 60-68F. Crystallization can be done effectively at about 55F, but it's important to have sufficient air flow to remove the latent heat of crystallization. Most refrigerators are set at about 39F and don't have nearly enough air flow.

From the press release:

The best tasting chocolates in the world are poised for extinction. As growers continue to remove or replace fine flavor cacao trees with less flavorful, high-yield, disease-resistant cacao hybrids and clones, a world of ordinary flavor dominates the chocolate universe. Connecting genetics to flavor offers an important new way to protect and preserve the finest flavors for future generations. Alas, no genetic initiative has ever focused on flavor first. Until now.

Enter the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative , a partnership between the Fine Chocolate Industry Association ( FCIA ) and the USDAs Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to create the first-ever genotype map with a focus on flavor cacao trees.

The HCP welcomes any beans to be submitted and evaluated for their flavor, but not every bean will be identified as heirloom. First of all, it has got to taste good, says Dan Pearson, chief executive officer of Maran Chocolate and FCIA board member, who helped develop the HCP. Can taste be objective like genetics? No. But genetics alone say nothing about flavor. Strong genetic origin may have the potential to yield the best flavor, but genetic identification itself simply reveals what a bean is, not whether it is really yummy. Thats about classification. Thats the second step. If it doesnt taste good, we are not going to proceed with the genetics.

In other words, flavor comes first, which is why the FCIA chose the word heirloom and its basic Websters definitiona cultivar of a vegetable or fruit that is open-pollinated and is not grown widely for commercial purposes [and] often exhibits a distinctive characteristic such as superior flavor or unusual colorationto frame the HCP.

To read the entire press release click the following link:the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative .

Darial:

Welcome to TheChocolateLife!

If you're not already a member, you might want to join the group "Startup Central" which focuses on issues related to starting and growing chocolate businesses.

:: Clay

You can use other fats - they are called CBEs (cocoa butter equivalents) or CBRs (cocoa butter replacements) and cocoa powder to make what's called "compound" "chocolate" (or coating). Legally in most countries (US, Europe, etc.) you can't call it chocolate because you're not using cocoa butter, you're using other fats.

Sooner or later almost every confectioner starts thinking about making caramels. For many, caramels - especially salted caramels - are a cornerstone of their business.

I've seen them made lots of different ways, including on a regular stove top, but one thing I always come back to is that it's important to be able to regulate heat and apply it consistently. My home stove is not very good for this, and I've been contemplating getting an induction cooktop for this purpose. They are efficient and put out a steady, reliable heat. The only downside, I thought, was that induction cookers require special pots.

I learned that this was not the case recently talking to a friend who uses an induction cooker who told me that he has troubles with the cookers maintaining the heat he wants for long periods of time. Apparently, there is a cutoff circuit in some of the devices to keep them from overheating. To be fair, he's got a 120V 1000W machine, and he might not have a problem if he had one with more power, but that's not in his budget at the moment.

I was in my local gourmet shop over the weekend and I started talking to one of the owners, Ben, about the commercial crepe makers they were using. They have cast iron cooking surfaces (they retain heat real well) and, depending on the model, can go up to 450F-570F and keep it there all day long (in fact, the real knock against these machines is how long they take to cool down before they can be handled safely).

It seems to me that these would be a great alternative to induction cookers for people looking to make caramel as they accept any king of pot, get hot, and maintain a specific heat real well. There are versions that are much less expensive that are also made for commercial applications but I don't know if the price difference is a case of being penny wise and pound foolish.

One thing I learned from talking with Ben is that he uses his crepe makers for a lot of different cooking applications, including frying eggs to put in crepes. As long as what you're cooking isn't too runny or render out much fat, you can cook it directly on the surface of the crepe maker. This makes them, I think, a pretty versatile addition to a lot of confectionery kitchens, and in my current project I am recommending that one of the two induction cooktops be replaced with one of these crepe makers - and save a couple of hundred bucks at the same time.

Of course, if I was serious about making caramels and needed to make them all day every day, I'd plonk down whatever cash was necessary for a dedicated machine. The one that people keep talking to me about wanting to own is the Savage FireMixer . It may not be as retro-chic as making caramel in a copper kettle over an open gas fire, but when it comes to all-around convenience (including not having to install venting and fire suppression) this is the one that keeps calling to me.

Ramon -

This is a very interesting question and one I work on quite a lot when I put together my "Sophisticated Pairings" events. I did one last weekend and here are some of the ingredients and highlights:

I used four chocolates - Felchlin Criolait (33% milk made with beans from the Lake Maracaibo region of Venezuela) and three Rancho San Jacinto (Ecuador) -- 55, 65, and 100%. I made a fondue-like melted chocolate from the Criolait and the 100% with half-and-half that I used because it's just easier to work with and I cut the sweetness of the milk chocolate with the 100%.

There were going to be three wines to drink but the shop did not deliver one of them, so we had only two: a Washington State Gewrztraminer (Chateau St Michelle, both 2009 and 2010) and a California Pinot Noir (2010 Mark West). The wine that did not make it was a Prosecco - which is my all-around favorite wine for pairing with chocolates of all kinds. I prefer it over most Champagnes because it tends to have a softer bubble structure (meshes with the chocolate), and also tends to be less acidic and alcoholic-tasting than most champagnes. Proseccos are also generally much less expensive.

I likeGewrztraminers that are on the dry side (they do exist) and that have a mild effervescence. This particularGewrz comes as a surprise to people who reflexively ask for Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio - both of which I find more problematic for general pairing. I also tend to stay away from acidic whites and in general find it easier to pair whites with dark chocolates. The Pinot is also one I use a lot because it's an "easy drinking" wine. It doesn't demand any particular attention by having too much of any particular varietal character. Thus, it goes with many things. Reds with lots of varietal nuance (and/or that need plenty of time open before really being drinkable) don't lend themselves well to impromptu pairing, I have found. They require a lot more thought to make "work".

The event format was a la minute: I have lots of different ingredients and I prepare small bites to order in addition to combinations that I create based on experience and knowledge of the ingredients I've selected.

One of those combinations is a variation on a Japanese hand roll (temaki) using bresaola (very lean air-cured beef) as the wrapper instead of rice and seaweed. Inside are arugula, herbed goat cheese, and a dollop of the melted chocolate.

Another combination was a rosemary cheese cracker on top of which was a thin shmear of the melted chocolate, cheese aged in cognac (from Sartori), dried apricot poached in simple syrup, curry-flavored salt, and a candied pecan.

As you can tell, I like complex layering of flavors and textures. And people love being challenged by them - in this event format they are open to new ideas for flavor combination and I engage them to push them past the edge of their comfort zone and keep an open mind.

I had one other cheese for the day (for a total of three), a four-year aged Gouda, so I had plenty of variety there. In addition I had:

a good aged balsamic vinegar
a very good olive oil
smoked pink salt
fleur de sel (from a small harvester in Oregon)
poached figs (simple syrup, same as the apricots)
marcona almonds (in oil, with rosemary - phenomenal with the fig)
an Italian herbed sea salt with sage, rosemary, black pepper, and garlic
cherry wood smoked soy sauce
Granny Smith apple (matchsticks)
sun dried tomato (chiffonade)

One of the memorable combinations I made up for a vegetarian guest was to put a dash of balsamic vinegar into a Chinese-style soup spoon and on top of that layer the apple matchsticks, sun dried tomato chiffonade, olive oil, and the smoked soy sauce with a dusting of 100% chocolate flakes.

Personally, I have found that bresaola works and prosciutto does not. In part, that's because of the high fat content in the prosciutto, which results in an unpleasant texture when paired with the chocolate. The bresaola is extremely lean which is the reason it works better (in my experience) in pairing.

Furthermore, I have found that it's more important to have a good taste memory than it is to be a supertaster. Having a good taste memory enables me to "taste" flavor combinations in my head before I put them together for a guest, and it's that skill that turns out to be most valuable when working on pairings.

Jim:

This is great advice and one of the things I think people overlook. Not only does the room need to be the right temperature but the airflow into the pan also needs to be considered to set the chocolate properly, keeping in mind that the chocolate does not actually need to be in temper for use in panning.

:: Clay

Colin:

www.storeitcold.com . And they offer free (slow) shipping to Australia!

I've known about these since early 2007 when I saw one working at Cotton Tree Lodge in Belize. The project I am working on now is the first time I get to use one in practice, I am taking a room down to 55F (13C) for crystallization and storage.

I am insulating the (new construction) room I am using with double layers of mylar/bubble/mylar building insulation with 100mm dead air space in between (standard stud walls).

Jeremy:

Did you use a CoolBot to be able to get the temperature of the room below the lowest set point of the air conditioner? I am using one on a project in New York right now. There are hugely cost effective.

:: Clay

I am always interested in small, inexpensive multi-tasking tools for the home and professional confectionery kitchen. This is one I ran across the other day that I added to my shopping wish list.

For those of you with a Chocovision Rev 1 or 2 or ACMC, you know that the melting cycle of the tempering process can be quite lengthy. It's useful to pre-melt the chocolate before adding it to the bowl, but paying attention to process and getting it at the right temp at the right time can be time consuming.

That's where this little device - the Brd & Taylor Proofer - comes in handy.

Originally designed for proofing bread, it provides a small, portable, self-contained, temperature-controlled environment . Place a bowl of chocolate into the cavity (I read that a 5qt KitchenAid bowl fits handily), set the temp for 108-112F, and walk away.

It also works as a bread proofer (there's a water reservoir for humidity - when you're working with chocolate you obviously want it dry), plus you can use it as a yogurt maker. If you've got bottles of colored cocoa butter you want to keep melted at a precise temperature (that you can set) then this device will serve that purpose, too.

I can think of lots of places where I want to regulate temperature precisely (anywhere between 70 and 120F!) in an inexpensive portable device I can keep close at hand. For many people I can see this quickly becoming a kitchen staple.

As you say, the option is inexpensive enough to try and discard if it doesn't work. I remember that the volume of chocolate can be regulated from very thin to relatively thick. Depending on what your needs it could take less than a minute per pan. That has to be faster (and less damaging) in volume than what you're doing now.

The FBM Prima comes with a reversible pump/auger as a standard feature. The reversible pump requires 3-phase power to operate. If you have single-phase power, the pump/auger only operates in the one direction. There is the option to make the pump/auger removable. This is not necessarily something you'd do every changeover, but it is a good part of maintenance.

Colin:

I got the photo of the pieces you sent and I am waiting to hear back about whether or not they will fit. Some of the blueberries look like they might be a tad small. That said, an enrobing line is going to offer superior throughput over the modified panning you use when you consider that it's a two-step process (coat with tempered chocolate, then pan).

A quick Google search on "chocolate spray gun" returned this result from a US web site for Kerekes (bakedeco.com) for a device from Campbell Hausfeld for US$365. I've seen these in use in Europe so I am confident you can find them in 50Hz current suitable for Oz.

Colin:

It seems like the problem is to cover the fragile product with enough chocolate so that it survives the panning process. I don't know that it's possible to put the product on a conventional enrobing belt as the product seems like it would be so small it would fall through the belt.

I wonder if spraying chocolate will work?

You can spread the product to be covered on a sheet pan (shake), and then spray and coat. When the chocolate is set (moments), you can use a spatula to loosen the items from the tray and turn them over. Repeat the spraying/turning process until coated enough to withstand panning.

Colin:

I represent FBM machines to ChocolateLife members , and the Prima is the smallest machine FBM makes that accepts an enrobing line. You don't mention what your budget is so I don't know if it will stretch that far.

In my reply to your other post related to this question, I wondered if the product would fall through the belt. One way to address that issue would be to send samples to FBM for them to look at. They'd be able to tell you in an instant if the machine could handle it. Are you interested in doing that? If so, contact me privately and I can help set this up for you.

:: Clay

Edward:

As long as you don't cut them, I would think that something like a large Silpat could be made to work - no molding required. Just slip it under the edges of the pans.

As for custom mold supplies and information, here are two great resources: Chicago School of Mold Making and Chef Rubber .

Before things go on much further, I want to ask people to take a step back.

The original poster (OP, Sam) asked for input from users of various continuous tempering machines about their experiences. Antonino has done a good job of responding on topic to the question. Sam did not ask for people to offer to sell him used machines and specifically asked that manufacturers or reps get involved in the conversation.

In reading the conversation, it seems clear to me that there are definite misunderstandings about what's being said and some things are being taken too literally - things that are clearly jokes to someone whose first language is English (i.e., the shower reference with respect to what sales people will say to make a sale) are not obvious to someone whose first language is not.

Sam - Antonino makes many legitimate points as someone who works with a specific brand of continuous tempering machine on a daily basis. Preventive maintenance is something that many people overlook. Spending a few minutes once a month checking electrical connections, cleaning things off, covering the electronics board to protect them from dust or chocolate, and checking fluid levels is a real good thing to do on any piece of machinery - especially one you depend on. You do it for your car to extend its life and to reduce the possibility of problems. Doing the same thing for a tempering machine is just a good sense, not an indication that there is something "wrong" with a particular brand of machine. Some cars recommend oil changes every 5000km, others every 8000km, others every 15000km. Some people change the oil every 5000km no matter what the manufacturer says.

Antonino was not entirely clear when he says they all use the same technology. The continuous tempering machines in this class all use basically the sameapproach to crystallization; using temperature and shear force to induce the desired crystal formation. The differences in the machines is in the details about how they implement the approaches as well as fit and finish of materials and construction.

One company may prefer to take a more mechanical approach (as Antonino says it would be easier for him in South Africa to find a replacement temperature probe than it would for him to try to replace a circuit board so he tends to like FBM's machines). But that says a lot about his attitude towards equipment in general. Some people are more natural tinkerers and want to know how something works and know that they can fix things. They feel better and more in control. Some people will never open the hood of their car or change their oil (or add windscreen wiper fluid) - they just don't even want to know how. They will always call in an expert repair tech no matter how trivial the problem is. One is not necessarily better than the other - they are both different approaches.

There is also the case of local pre-sales support and after purchase support. Antonino expressed his experiences with getting that support from South Africa. Those experiences will be different in Italy, Belgium, the US, and elsewhere.

The one thing I will say about this subject is that I am fielding a lot of calls and e-mails from craft chocolate makers who own Selmis who are having problems with them. Specifically, the issue is with chocolate makers who do not add cocoa butter or lecithin to their chocolates. Their experience is that the pump mechanisms in the Semis (Colors and Pluses, can't talk about Tops) are underpowered and they are having problems getting consistent doses out of the measured depositors. I don't know if this is a problem with other makers' machines but it is certainly something I am looking into.

One more comment. While it's nice to have good industrial design, beauty is only skin deep. You need to look inside at the parts that will be doing the actual work. What is the horsepower of the pumps and motors, for example? Ideally, you want something that is over-engineered and that is operating at less than rated capacity rather than something that is always operating at design limits. And that applies to all machinery, not just tempering machines.

In a word, yes.

The definition of truffle is not ingredient dependent on that level. It's the form of the finished piece.

The word truffle, as it applies to a chocolate confection, traditionally refers to confections that look like the truffles (fungus) dug from the ground - irregularly shaped and very often covered with cocoa powder. Traditional truffle centers are made by hand-rolling usually fairly dense ganaches (high chocolate to liquid ratio) and not worrying at all about whether they are perfectly regularly shaped. Traditional truffles are sometimes referred to astruffe nature or natural truffle because of that resemblance.

Depending on how long the truffle needed to last (and the maker's thoughts about texture), a truffle may be covered (mechanically enrobed or hand dipped) with chocolate. Further embellishment may come in the form of additions or alternatives to the cocoa powder coating - green tea powder is common in Japan, shredded coconut, and nuts in one form or another are also common; any these may be used with or without the chocolate covering.

The hand formed truffle is contrasted with two other production methods:

A) Slabbed (usually ganache, but may be layered with pate de fruit, caramel, or other element) pieces that are then enrobed and may be further decorated. A slabbed ganache that is covered in a powder or left uncovered is sometimes called a pav (maybe referring to the gem cut, or to a paving stone).

B) Shell-molded pieces.

The important technical difference between slabbed and shell-molded pieces is that in a slabbed piece the center forms the support for the chocolate shell; in a shell-molded piece, the shell forms the container for the center, which tends to be softer than that of a slabbed piece.

I use the word bonbon (from the French, colloquially "good good") to refer to slabbed and shell molded pieces. I don't use the word praline (which I believe is Belgian in origin - as contrasted withpralin, which refers to caramelized nuts and is French) because it is already so overloaded with meanings. I use truffle to refer to a truffe nature.

Bonbon, praline, and truffle have all been conflated over time and are generally used interchangeably though technically, at least in my mind, they refer to different final forms based on the method of production.

PS. I useFrench (aka southern European), Belgian (aka northern European), American, and Nouvelle American (or nouveau French) to refer to different generalized approaches to flavor in ganaches and centers, not to physical styles of work.

Mark -

I am going to be attending the Salon this year and I can tell you from the contacts I had with the organizers that there is a specific focus on attracting international visitors to meet with producers in order to stimulate exports. The reason I am going is to talk about sourcing for a project I am working on.

There is, obviously, a consumer side, but there is also a conference program with some technical talks.

I haven't been in previous years, so I can't comment on whether or not USAID/Technoserve involvement is more or less than it has been - but like many things it's about making contacts before you go in order to be able to leverage the time you have there. We are working with the US-based liaison to do just that - make sure our needs are made known before we go down and to start the discussions before we leave the US.

<grin>

A link to the recall notice is up on the FunFresh web site - buried at the bottom of pages.

Sebastian is right, companies that are promoting raw chocolate products are going to have to institute strict controls to ensure their products are safe. This includes documented GMPs, sanitization steps, as well as post-manufacturing testing.

Roma:

This sounds like just the sort of thing Chef Rubber might be able to do.

One option that is open to me on the Ning platform is toputsome"premium" content and features behind a pay wall. I am not saying I am going to do this, just that I can - and I want community input on this as well as other ideas for providing new services and features to members.

1) What kind(s) of content would you be willing to pay for?

2) How much would you be willing to pay for it?

I started TheChocolateLife back in January 2008 as an on-line community to share my passion for chocolate. That passion was ignited back in 1994, led to my starting chocophile.com back in May 2001 and to getting a book published in 2007, and to enabling me to travel to many interesting places and make a lot of very good friends.

But it almost didn't happen that way. Very early on, one of my first members (Casey Meshbesher of the now-shuttered The Chocolate Note), posted a review that did not meet "my guidelines." Casey pushed back saying that if I was going to try to control what people had to say - and how they said it - I would not be very successful in growing the community.

Very good advice, indeed, and I think that some of the success of the community - which is fast approaching 6000 members - is that I try to encourage a generally very positive and forward-thinking attitude in my writing and in members' discussions. Many members are surprised to find out that I spend more time behind the scenes corresponding with members than I do creating my own original content and contributing to others' discussions.

All of this came to a head over the past few days as a new member pushed back on some recent discussions I started. After taking the discussion off-line, it became apparent to me that I was at the kind of crossroads I was at back in early 2008 when Casey whacked me upside the head (metaphorically speaking).

As the community is now thousands (and not tens as it was back then), it makes sense for me to stand back and take stock of what my goals and mission are for the community. At the same time, it makes even more sense for me to ask you what you want to see in TheChocolateLife over the next four years.

So - tell me: What am I doing that you like (and don't like) and what would you like to see more of (and less of) on TheChocolateLife. I am constrained, somewhat, by the software platform, in what I can do and keep the site free for all to enjoy, but I will do what I can to learn from the spirit and intent of what you have to say - positive and not so positive - in order to help make the community work for ChocolateLife members around the world.

Dateline May 10, 2012 (New York City)

Swiss chocolatier Lindt is celebrates the opening of its flagship Lindt Chocolate boutique in the landmark Rolex building on Fifth Avenue in New York on May 10th.

The 1,245-square foot store is now open for business and features the entire array of Lindt chocolate offerings, as well as Lindt Chocolate Advisors to educate and guide customers through the full Lindt chocolate experience. The new store represents Lindts second Fifth Avenue location, one of the companys nearly 50 retail locations, and signalss a period of growth and expansion for the companys direct to consumer business.

To celebrate the grand opening, Lindt will be offering chocolate lovers a free EXCELLENCE bar with each purchase at the new flagship store on May 10.

Address:
665 Fifth Avenue at 53rd Street
At the Rolex Building

In the US (and internationally), you would apply for Trademark protection. That's the meaning of the or following a name or image. The means that the application is in but is still in the process of being approved. The means that the trademark has been registered. I believe that this nomenclature is the same around the world, what differs is the process of application in each country. Also, you can trademark a word or phrase (as long as it's non-descriptive; i.e., you couldn't trademark "corn flakes" but "frosted flakes" is okay) and/or an image (Coca-Cola has trademarked the name "coca-cola" the image of the words, and the shape of their wasp-waisted bottle).

There might be one trademark registration for the entire EU, but otherwise it's a country-by-country process, IIRC. And yes, it is expensive. In the US, you can only trademark something that is either in actual interstate commerce or is about to go into distribution.

Catherine -

At this level, IMO, you'd be better off buying two machines rather than one with a speed control. On a larger machine the speed control is a handy option.

One of the main differences between the Santha and CocoaTown designs at this size are in the way tension is applied. In the CocoaTown there is a hinged top that is spring loaded to provide the tension. On the Santha you tighten a nut that puts tension on the spring, which makes it adjustable tension. (This is both good and not-as-good). You can adjust the tension (good), but it's difficult to get exactly the same tension each time (which is not-as-good because it makes it difficult to put exactly the same pressure on the stones each time, leading to less-consistent results).

Hey everyone, I created a new group over the weekend - JOBS - just for job postings. Situations Wanted and Situations Available. You do have to join the group (it's free and takes just a second) to post and to set up notifications.

After Lowe took a look at my back of the envelope math, I decided to do some more concrete modeling of the costs involved and created a spreadsheet on Google Docs for everyone to look at .

The spreadsheet takes a slightly more sophisticated look at more of the costs associated with producing a chocolate bar, not just the price of the cocoa.

The goal was not to "prove" that I was "right" (okay, I did want to make sure I was not completely off) but to provide a basic template for a pricing tool that anyone who is making chocolate (or wants to make chocolate) can use to help figure out how various different costs affect the final (retail) sale price of a bar. I have also included a three-tier distribution scheme in the pricing (broker, distributor, retailer). Obviously not everyone is going to have these three tiers (especially in the beginning), but having the costs built into the model is extremely important, IMO.

Everyone who is interested should be able to download this spreadsheet and play with it and modify it as they need to.

It's not perfect, and I know it so I am not asking people to critique it. It's still naive in the sense that it does not properly account for all costs, but at least it should give people an idea of relative contributions of various factors. Members are free to download, modify, and tinker to meet their needs.

Chris:

Unfortunately, the chocolate industry is not immune from manufacturers claims that don't match reality; the example of Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate immediately comes to mind. Thus, there is ALWAYS a place for questioning and criticism. As the creator and moderator of TheChocolateLife - and the creator of chocophile.com - this is something that I've been doing for well over a decade. Those who have followed my work know that I come from a place of deep respect for, and interest in growing, the craft and artisan chocolate community and markets.

Those who've followed my writings here and elsewhere know that I am skeptical of the value of the minuscule "investments" being made in sustainable cocoa production by major manufacturers.

It's important to remember that 99% of the people who see the video have no understanding of the market for cocoa - and that includes many people who consider themselves to be chocolate connoisseurs - and what the price paid for cocoa really means.

If the 10x was paid to the growers, then that's interesting to know, especially if the price paid reflected a premium for quality. However, if the price paid did not go to the grower, but went to middlemen, brokers, and/or shippers, then the statement is disingenuous and misleading in many ways - most important of which is that most people outside the chocolate industry automatically assume that growers always benefit from higher prices.

While I may have been off-target in wondering about the profitability of making a chocolate bar whose primary ingredient cost 10x market price, it is an interesting exercise to lead people through, especially for those who make, or are looking to make, chocolate from the bean. Brad's analysis is a cogent one, but I think fails to take into account the cost of doing business in New York City (much higher than Calgary).

In the end, I think that virtually all chocolate is underpriced in the sense that very few chocolate makers are paying a price for beans that represents the true cost of self-sustaining production. Chocolate lovers are in for a rude awakening over the next decade as demand increases and the supply cannot keep up, in part because of a serious lack of investment in farms in major producing areas over the past two decades. Thus, it's more important than ever to question the prices being paid for beans and to understand how much of the money being paid actually makes it back to the grower.

Brad -

Here on TheChocolateLife we discuss many things that are not necessarily interesting to members of the general public.

You are right when you say that claims like the Mast Brothers will have little to no affect on the chocolate industry as a whole, but it has, and will continue to have, a huge effect on the craft chocolate community here in the US, as well as on foreign companies who do business here in the US. Any deliberate misrepresentation is an issue.

Using Fairtrade and organic as greenwashing techniques is insidious, and ultimately, misunderstanding about the value that fair trade and sustainable initiative actually deliver affect people's lives in more direct and harmful ways.

I have brought (and will continue to bring) to the community's attention issues that I think are relevant to the community because I believe - just by the act of becoming a member - people have signaled an interest in these larger issues.

I have to disagree that what a micro-chocolatier says or does hardly creates a ripple. Take a look at the press the Mast Brothers gets. Pay attention to the channels they are in. People listen, pay attention, and measure others' performance by what they say. While the effects may not be seen in the supermarket or on Nestle's or Mars' bottom line - it does affect other craft chocolate makers and the people who really do care about the evolution and growth of the market.

There are a number of very interesting points here - which was the purpose of making the post in the first place, to encourage discussion on what I find to be a very interesting and surprisingly (to those not familiar with cocoa pricing) controversial. To make people THINK about how fine chocolate is being marketed.

It's important to keep in mind that most of the people who watch the video are not sophisticated and don't know what paying 10x market price means in dollar terms - and will neither question the assertion or think about what it means. They will naively assume that the farmers are getting all (or at least the major part) of the difference and that the Mast Brothers are making great strides in supporting the farmers wherever they buy their cocoa beans - when in actual fact they may not be. This makes it more difficult for other chocolate makers who (now) may be called upon to "justify" the "low" prices they pay for their beans.

I will argue that the assertion (paying 10x market price) without any supporting context is harmful to everyone - consumers, chocolate makers, and farmers.

Over on Twitter the following points were brought up by Colin Gasko:

1) Just mentioning a price, out of context, raises expectations in a potentially very unproductive way. [ Farmers are competitive and when they hear that someone is getting a higher price than they are, they want to get the higher price. When the higher price is "justified" as a result of an external certification that requires extra work, the difference can be explained in a way that the farmer can understand. If they're willing to make the investment, then they can earn the higher price as well. ]

2) The increased price has to be tied to something tangible - preferably an increase in quality and consistency. [ Paying for nothing accomplishes very little, and, counterintuitively, may do more harm than good. ]

Context is important. Without context it's impossible to assess the meaning and value of the assertion. It should be easy to provide the context - what about it, Mike and Rick?

I rarely take a public position when it comes to chocolate companies, but a recent statement in a BusinessInsider.com video  brought me up short. Before I go on, I do have to say that what Rick and Mike - and everyone involved - have done is phenomenal. They were in the right place at the right time with the right product with the right ethos, capturing the cultural zeitgeist perfectly - guiding and riding it expertly.

But I have never been a huge fan of the chocolate they make, or more properly, their skills as chocolate makers. I don't mind vintaging in wine where the differences in a particular bottle occur from year to year. My issue with the Mast Brothers stems from the fact that I never know what I am going to get from batch to batch of what is ostensibly the same chocolate. If I find a decent bar and go back several weeks later to get another of the same, it will be different. Sometimes very different. And sometimes difficult to recognize as being the same chocolate. Yeah, I know, small batch variability and all that. When the Mast Brothers are on, they turn out good chocolate - but too often I am left wondering what all the fuss is about. I've even had bars with rancid nuts, purchased fresh from the factory store.

Going back to the video: At just after 3:00 minutes in, Rick claims that they've paid up to 10x the average price for commodity beans (and 3x-5x market price more generally).

Last Friday's spot closing price was $2352.94 per MT (metric ton, 1000kg), down from over $2800/MT in November, 2011. If what Rick is saying is true, then at some point in the last six months they paid between $23,000 and $28,000/MT for beans. 18 months ago, 10x market would have been nearly $40,000/MT.

Really? I'd like to see the paperwork supporting those claims.

If it's true, and the farmer actually received 10x market for their beans , then that's good news and I will be the first out the gate to let people know about it.

But - if it's not true - what are the implications and potential ramifications for the craft chocolate industry? Not just for the Mast Brothers, but for every craft chocolate maker who is trying hard to improve the lives and livelihoods of the cacao farmers they source from.

Your Thoughts?

*****

Do some math. Is it possible to pay $25,000/MT for beans and make a 2.5 oz (71gr) bar of chocolate that can be sold (profitably) for $7?

At $25,000/MT raw, whole beans in multiton quantities costabout $11.35 per pound. By implication in the video, that money is paid to the farmer and therefore would not include customs, insurance, freight, and other costs, so the calculation understates the actual landed price of the beans and therefore the following cost basis is low.

Assume an 80% yield on those beans (i.e., every 100 lbs of beans yields 80 lbs of usable nib after roasting and winnowing - this is generous) raises the price per pound of nib to about $14.15. Assuming a 70% cocoa content chocolate, that means that the cost of just the cocoa nib component of a pound of chocolate is north of $9.90 - also assuming zero loss in the process of making the finished product.

Though not in Miami/Orlando/Keys, one person whose work constantly impresses is Norman Love. His workshop is in Ft Myers and there is an outpost in Tampa.

Pete:

The footprint may be a bit large, but one advantage of doing something like this is that it's totally portable. When you're not using it ... just pick it up and slide it out of the way. It's not permanently taking up work/counter space.

:: Clay

Andy:

Here is one I saw in Bolivia when I was there in November 2010. It uses guitar tuning pegs (and guitar strings)! Tiny holes are drilled through the base, as you can see in the photo, and the guitar strings are threaded through. Of course, you'll need to replace the wood with a material that's food safe, but it works well. It's pretty cool, actually. Push through in one direction, rotate the entire device 90 degrees and push through in the other direction.

What I like about this compared with other approaches is that it doesn't require the precision of machining the slots in the base to accommodate the strings, and there is no hinge. It does require more elbow grease than a hinged guitar, but it's a comparatively simple device to build.

There's another way to do this, which is to research what other (caterers) are charging for similar items. I do this a lot on my projects.

If a survey of caterers and venues reveals that they charge $7/pp for a dessert then you know what the market will bear - you know the maximum you can charge. Taking a much closer look at food costs (Antonino is right - $2-$3 is too wide a range), you can mark your costs up to reflect the other costs (labor, overhead, delivery) to arrive at a final price. I would recommend you consider thinking about gross margin, not markup.

What's the difference? For an item with $3 in total costs, a 50% markup results in a final price of $4.50. On the other hand, a 50% gross margin results in a final price of $6.00. An item with $2.25 in ingredient and labor costs and a gross margin of 45% results in a final price of $4.10 - you'd factor in all your other costs into the final price -- $4.10-$2.25 = $1.85 gross profit/unit before other costs.

The general formula for calculating a final price based on a gross margin percentage is:

Final price = cost price / (1 - margin percentage)

$4.10 = $2.25/(1-.45)

ChocolateLife member Frank Haberman contacted me recently and he says he offers foils in a variety of sizes and colors through his on-line store Candy Foil Warehouse . Not sure about the custom sizes, though. He has a companion store that sell all sorts of materials for packaging that might also be helpful, Bags for Gifts .

We were talking about some sort of special discount or incentive program for ChocolateLife members, so why don't you contact Frank and see what he can do for you?

Thomas - there are a number of producers of evaporated organic cane juice in crystals. Paraguay and Brazil are big producers (and Brazil is cheaper). Wholesome Sweeteners can get it to you by the ton (nothing smaller) but you can call them and find a local distributor who can sell it to you by the 40-50lb bag. I last bought through Ace Naturals in Queens, though they don't deliver to where you are in N Jersey. Shouldn't be too hard to find through natural food distributor or bakery supply company.

Jim -

Just responding to the "Call me anytime to chat" in your reply. There's a lot of stuff that starts out as public conversations that gets taken private so only one person benefits. Responding publicly means that more people can benefit while making TheChocolateLife more generally useful as a resource.