Shrink Wrapping & Shelf Life
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Larry,
Do you know about this class offered by Ecole Chocolat?
http://www.ecolechocolat.com/chocolate-quality.php
I'm planning to take it!
Hope this helps,
Jeff
Forum Activity for @Jeff Slaughter
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
How Did You Choose Your Market Location
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Thanks Wendy...sounds so interesting. Hopefully I'll make it to your shop someday and be able to see all that you're doing! Sounds exciting!
How Did You Choose Your Market Location
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Thanks for your information Michelle-Jo. I'm interested to know what you learned that discouraged you from opening a chocolate cafe. What type of store did you finally open? Do you have a website? I'm trying to learn all I can! Good luck down under!Jeff
How Did You Choose Your Market Location
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Wendy,Thanks so much for your response. Do you have a retail shop or do you do wholesale? I've thought about adding gelato to my in-store product mix in the warm months to offset the drop in chocolate sales. What do you think about that?Jeff
How Did You Choose Your Market Location
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Wendy,Thanks so much for your response. Do you have a retail shop or do you do wholesale? I've thought about adding gelato to my in-store product mix in the warm months to offset the drop in chocolate sales. What do you think about that?Jeff
How Did You Choose Your Market Location
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Hi All,
As someone who is just beginning to learn about chocolate and dreaming about
having my own business in a few years, I'm starting to think about where we'd like to
live and run the business.
I'm wondering if some of 'The Chocolate Life' members mightshare their story on how they decided where to locate their businesses.
Did you 'bloom whereyou were planted'? Did you choose where you wanted to live and move there? Or did youresearch markets and determine a location that looked appealing for your business?
Thought it would be interestingto get some perspective from CL members.
Thanks,
Jeff
updated by @Jeff Slaughter: 05/21/15 17:24:58
Belgium Chocolate Tour ideas
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Dear Chocolate Life Members,
I recently posted some comments to questions by a member about her upcoming trip to France and Belgium.
Having lived in Europe for more than 10 years, I've learned a bit about Belgium and France and even have a website about Brussels (see site address at end). Clay thought some of you might be interested in my comments, so I'm posting them in this section. I'm sure many of you have some things to add about your favorite chocolate experience in Europe.
Here we go....
Post #1:
Hi!
Great to hear from you.
If you are flexible on when you can travel, flights are least expensive pre-summer and post-summer. If you can stay near the Grand Place - say in the Ibis Hotel - you'll be close to much of the action and chocolate.
For a Grand Place Chocolate Tour here's what I recommend:
1. Tasting at Neuhaus (in the Grand Place)
2. Tasting at Godiva (in the Grand Place)
3. Tasting and a quick demonstration watch at Chocopolis (near Ibis)
4. Tasting and demo at Planete Chocolat (behind the Grand Place - see my website, Belgium Chocolate section)
5. Cafe Tasse tasting - also great place for coffee, hot chocolate and charm - see my site for directions. Five minute walk from Grand Place.
6. Tasting at Galler Chocolate in the Grand Place (nice packaging too)
7. You should be able to do all of that in a few hours. Then I'd go to the Sablon Square and visit Wittamer Chocolate - a small upscale boutique that only has one shop.
8. Across from Wittamer is Pierre Marcolini - also upscale. (See my 'Shopping page' under 'Attractions'.)
9. I don't recommend the chocolate museum in the Grand Place - to me it's a disappointment. You can read my story on it and decide for yourself. If you are able to go to Bruges and visit 'Choco Story' Museum - that's better.
When I say 'tasting' above, you'll have to choose a few chocolates to buy. The only one who will give you a free chocolate (one!) is Chocopolis. At least that's my experience.
There's also a Leonidas in the Grand Place, but I think the other chocolate shops are better.
You might also want to take a walking tour with Brussels Walks. They have a chocolate tour you can look into (also on my site.)
Let me know if I can answer any more questions!
Jeff
----------------------
Post #2:
Hi again!
Most people who come to Belgium visit Brussels, Brugges and Antwerp. Not sure how deep you want to go in Belgium, but as you probably know, Belgium is known for chocolate and has some 300 independent chocolatiers. If your focus is chocolate, I'd say a day in Brussels and a daytrip to Bruges (by train) would be enough. Bruges is a very beautiful city, built on canals, and very charming. Plus the Choco-Story museum is there as well as some independent chocolatiers (one was featured in a Rick Steves guidebook.)
If you are only going to Paris and Brussels and not renting a car, I'd say fly in and out of Paris and then take a train from Paris Nord to Brussels Midi. From there, you can connect to Brussels Central which is just a three-minute walk to the Grand Place. You can stay in a Grand Place hotel (like the Ibis), do the Grand Place and Sablon chocolate tours, and then take a train to Bruges for a day.
To get to Barry Callebaut in Wieze, Belgium, I think you might need to rent a car. You can do that from the Brussels airport, which you can access easily by taking a train from Brussels Central directly to the airport.
Let me know if you have any more questions. Happy to help.
Jeff
www.brussels-belgium-travel-guide.com
updated by @Jeff Slaughter: 04/10/15 05:50:43
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Casey,
Thanks for adding your thoughts. I live in Belgium and having the flexibility of working on the course without having to worry about time differences, etc. is a real plus. I'm also looking at taking a chocolate course or two here offered by Callebaut. I just figured I should know as much as possible before I start at Callebaut. There courses are just a few days and I'd love to know enough already to ask intelligent questions.
Great idea about the E-Myth book - I've been meaning to read that book anyway.
Bon courage with your business too!
Jeff
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Thanks Omar. Very cool about Pam's award!
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Susan,
Thanks so much for writing. As I said to Suzanna it's great to get different people's perspectives on the courses offered by Ecole Chocolat. Seems to me its a good place to start and then branch out from there.
Good luck with your business!
Jeff
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Suzanna,
Thanks for sharing your perspective. It's always good to have different points of view about things like this. I hope you found a course that you like better.
Thanks for writing!
Jeff
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Thanks Dirke....I appreciate your responses!
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Hi Everyone,
Can someone tell me where I can find information on the business of chocolate?
I'm looking to learn:
1. How to choose a regional market (I want to market chocolate online but also in a city/region
with enough populationto sustain a local artisanal chocolate business).
2. How much chocolate one needs to produce and sell for every 25K net incomedesired (I'm
sure there are variables such as overhead, etc. - looking for a rough estimate).
I read that someone suggested Ecolechocolat.com for learning about the business of chocolate
and I'm hoping to take one of their classes soon. Just wondering if you guys had ideas you
could share or could direct me to books on the topic.
Thanks so much,
Jeff
updated by @Jeff Slaughter: 04/16/15 03:43:48
Chocolatiers = Re-melters?
Posted in: Opinion
Alan,I agree with you...I wasn't thinking about the fact that well-made chocolate can stand on its own and indeed doesn't need another level. I was primarily referring to the business of couverture chocolate, which I think is what the original post was referring to (maybe not?) Callebaut does produce its own line of chocolate bars for cooking, eating, etc. But its couverture chocolate goes out and is converted to bars, pralines, and other delightful delicacies.
Chocolatiers = Re-melters?
Posted in: Opinion
My two-cents on the topic: I've interviewed several top chocolatiers in Belgium for my website and none of them made their own chocolate from the bean. in Belgium, there are two companies which provide the bulk of couverture chocolate: Belcolade and Callebaut. The cocoa beans go there, they process into liquid, drops, etc. and ship it out to some of the best chocolatiers in the world who then take the chocolate and make their own magic with it. I haven't talked to any of them who didn't tell me where they get their chocolate from. In fact, at one producers, I saw bags lying around with the source company's logo on it. I think it's a given in Belgium that some produce chocolate from the bean while others take it to the next level.