Forum Activity for @Dylan Butterbaugh

Foodsafe epoxy glue for Ultra/Santha machines

Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools

Well, you want to drill through the plastic and if it slightly goes into the stone bottom that would be good. On one of my drums I purposefully went into the stone a bit and put little metal pieces before epoxying. I found this is unnecessary because on the other 4 I fixed, they didn't need this extra precaution.

Like Rene said, make sure the epoxy label says it is suitable for plastic. At my local hardware store most of them were.

Foodsafe epoxy glue for Ultra/Santha machines

Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools

It is in on the bottom of the grinder so there is no contact with the chocolate.

Foodsafe epoxy glue for Ultra/Santha machines

Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools

Hey Felipe,

I have had a similar problem with a many of the machines. Go to the hardware store and buy slow drying 2 part epoxy. It is about 4 bucks. Find your smallest drill bit, flip over the drum, and drill 6 different holes in the overlapping edge of the white plastic center piece. This will allow epoxy seep in and hold more securely. It doesn't take long at all and is a relatively easy fix.

pregrinders

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Hey Adam,

I was having similar issues and did not like the champion juicer. Super messy, heavy, and always getting really hot. I ended up using a grain mill. If you secure it to a table it will quickly refine the nibs to liquor. It will be a peanut butter consistency. It's a bit of a workout, but if you are not doing too many lbs a day it works great. We have a few videos of the grain mill in action if you check out the manoa chocolate website. Hope this helps.

-Dylan

Store Markup on Chocolate Bars

Posted in: Opinion

Daniel,

I am a bean-to-bar chocolate maker, so pricing structure is be a bit different than couverture. Yet many basic principles remain the same. We both have fixed costs that can not be adjusted. Paying yourself and employees less when starting is one way, researching cheaper packaging is another, sourcing beans directly from farmers instead of middle men cut costs as well. I agree a lot with what Clay and Andy say below about making people realize what they are purchasing. You can buy a few of the best chocolate bars in the world for $20. Not many other quality foods and beverages are like this. It is the difference between getting a $7 bottle of wine vs a $70 bottle and often times it is just explaining the difference to people who don't quite understand what we do with chocolate.

Andy,

As far as what I'm up to, i am closing on a lease Monday to begin setting up a bean-to-bar factory. The company is called Manoa Chocolate Hawaii. It will be a very exciting and busy next few months as we set up shop and find our way into boutiques and supermarkets.Thanks to everyone for their shared experiences on this page.

Store Markup on Chocolate Bars

Posted in: Opinion

Ok, sounds like a wise decision that can only be beneficial. I will account for a distributor in my pricing structure in excess of the 100% on top of whole sale. Thanks for your advice.

Store Markup on Chocolate Bars

Posted in: Opinion

Your right, I'm planning to sell bars to stores like Whole Foods and R Fields very soon. I'm in the process of leasing a place to set up a little factory. Thanks for explaining Gross Margin. At this point I will assume a 100% markup on my wholesale price to retail stores to be safe. This explains why so many small scale chocolate makers have to sell bars for $6-$9.

Store Markup on Chocolate Bars

Posted in: Opinion


updated by @Dylan Butterbaugh: 04/10/15 12:08:43

Dark milk chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I am also experimenting with my first dark milk batches. I've added an additional 10% cocoa butter to the batch and it has been going for about 12 hours now in a small cocoa town. The consistency is pretty good already and will probably be finished in the next 8 hours. I have been trying to figure out when the best time to add the whole milk powder would be? Any suggestions?

Chocolate going down the drain

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

What kind of grease trap were you required to install? I was surprised when the city inspector said I didn't need one and that if i were to get one, the minimum size would be 110 gallons. Needless to say, I didn't argue with him further.

Chocolate going down the drain

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Great question. I am trying to figure out the best solution to this as well. I would imagine a degreaser of some sort would definitely help.