I think I do.. but I am worried about making a bad decision..
but more and more I think that to stop selling truffles by unit is the way to go.. I will only offer them in mixed boxes, and I am looking at doing some wine pairings with a local wine shop and create custom truffles that will be sold in pre packaged boxes of 2 and 4.
basically I wanted to see if anyone else went this route.. and do not offer truffles traditionally in a case..
I was looking for comments and opinions and comments.. not cocoa beans LOL
Hi, About 6 weeks ago I opened up a chocolate kiosk within a very popular candy store, now what I taught would be smooth sailing has proven to be a real challenge.. I am restricted to 160sq/ft production and retail space.
I am offering a bit of everything.. molded products, truffles, dipped products and a whole lot of chocolate bars
Now I am debating what to do with my truffles.. I think my price point is a bit too high but I am also debating how I will continue to sell them.. right now I have a selection of 21 truffles in a non refrigerated display case that sits on my counter.. I don't sell that many, people coming in are not looking to buy chocolates in the first place so i sell only a few here and there, they are more attracted to my fancy and off the wall chocolate bar flavors.. I am wondering if I would not just be better off to eliminate the case and pack the truffles in mixed chocolate boxes and stop selling by unit.. and gain back some counter space for faster selling items.
Anyone else has dropped selling truffles by the unit and just went pre packaged ? If I had a ton of space i would continue but right now the amount I am selling anyways doesn't feel like it is making good use of that counter.. comments ? ideas ?
I like the idea of frappucinos.. even if there is a starbucks a block away.. cheap and easy item to offer, thanks !
Hi,
I have a very small base but I moved cities so i can't really count on them, i have to build from the ground up. I was hoping the foot traffic of the candy store would give me a boost, now obviously it helps but still.. i do have limited space to work with and yes, i can use the window.
I am looking into getting a 4ft display case for truffles but will need to be crafty to fit it in there, but god are those units expensive..
the rest of the store has nothing in chocolate, apart from the regular store chocolate bars ( kit kats, etc )
Now they propose an interesting option, if I barcode everything the will make my sales, minus a kickback, for periods I have no one on site.
So right now I am trying to think about some marketing ideas to draw traffic in, i have a sidewalk sign promoting my custom chocolate bars, but its not enough I think..
by the way the initial photo is before I moved in, here is a photo of what the space looks like with my stock. 
hi,
I got a great opportunity, an opportunity that one just can't refuse.. I was offered space within a very well established candy store on a very busy street, were talking about a store with an average of 110 paying transactions per day and probably 3 times more individuals coming in the store.
So I rent out about 150sq ft, I do not have much display space, I have attached a photo of the space. I do not have a refrigerated display case so i am limited as far as truffles.
I moved in saturday, built up the inventory including chocolate bars, pops, 9 truffle selections, truffle pops, various dipped candies, fudges, various barks, etc
Now sales are not great so far, I know I cannot expected miracles but with the foot traffic I was expecting more, maybe I do not have the proper inventory, this is why I am posting, to seek some ideas on what I can put up for sale.
I never had a store before, the rent is great and I love the place, but sales have to go up and I feel I am missing something. One thisng I do offer is custom chocolate bars, people can bring whatever they bought in the store to me and I craft a custom, people love it but by itself it cannot support the whole operation.
I am looking for product ideas.. any suggestions even on the setup ?
any input would be greatly appreciated !
thank you
example attached
Hi,
I have been looking recently to purchase custom printed rolls ( I assume it is delivered in rolls ) wrapping paper for small chocolate bars, I am guessing the same rolls used in wrapping machines, I have attached a sample photo of what I want to have as a finished product.
Now I am not looking at producing huge runs but I want to have a well finished product, the whole process will be done manually and the products would be heat sealed manually.
Can someone point me towards a company, preferably in north america, that can produce such wrappers ?
thank you
interesting.. I use compound chocolate quite a bit for a particular product line I sell, I buy merckens but would not mind getting into making my own, i've been looking for a recipe for a long time but i was unable to find anything, i would love to find more info and some recipes to start exploring, anyone can point me in the right direction ?
Hi
We produce thousands of chocolate lollipop's a year and now with a new agreement I will probably double the amount I produce in a year, which is good news, but I have a problem..
All my lollipop's are packaged in a clear polypro bag and tied down with curling ribbon, they look great and I feel it adds to the the "handmade" part of my business. the problem I have is the cost of labor of doing this, which I estimate being in the 20 cent per item, not including the ribbon.
I have a bag sealing machine.. this machine is great and I use it when i'm stuck, I do not really like the look of the finished product.
I am looking into bows with a twist tie, but again the cost is still pretty high unless I get them out of china, which scares me a bit.. I would like to know how some of you are packaging their pop's, or if someone has a possible solution or lead or manufacturer they know of that can help me bring my cost down, while still keeping a nice look on the finished product.
thank you !
Hi
i do not usually deal in cream centered chocolates but I want to do a special series of products for a an upcoming show in February.
The problem I am having is that I cannot make these with ordinary ganache, I cannot afford to make these chocolates a few days before and since I do not have a retail location i'm stuck with unsold products.
What I would like are ideas for centers that could last for a while, like 2 months. I was thinking about caramel but I would like to have at least 6 choices.
any ideas ???
thanks !
Hi
I own a small business, I only cater to retail stores and with the holidays and a recent trade show I signed up some new clients, which is always good news, but with 2013 just around the corner I want to start the new year better prepared.
I want to establish some sort of system for my production, I have been around on the net and didn't really find anything remotely close to what I would like to have, so I am wondering what you guys do.
I currently carry about 20 different products, all available in white,milk and dark, creating over 60 different sku's, and I will have another 20 very soon. I would like some sort of software where I can enter my orders, inventory, etc right now I work with a bunch of papers, with no real order, it's messy and I sometimes end up with not enough of this and too much of that.
What do you guys use to keep things efficient in the production area ? to make sure you are fulfilling your orders on time and correctly ? any input would be appreciated.
thanks !
Hi
I had visited Nashville Wraps and did not find what I want, I just emailed Modpac, thanks for the tip !
Stephane
Hi
I am looking for a supplier for bar packaging.. I found chocolat-chocolat in montreal but they do not have what I need.. ideally I would like to find a pillow box with a window that would allow me to insert a 100g bar with some toppings on it, all that I found allowed no room, the fit was too tight.
any ideas ? I would not want to go all the way to china, i do not need too many right now.
thank you !
Stephane
