Forum Activity for @Paul Picton

Cocoatown Stone Re-grinding

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

I have no further information. I am continuing to use the stones as they are - 15,000 hours since new. 

Cocoatown Stone Re-grinding

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

I have not found an answer nor any community best practices. I will raise the question at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in two weeks.

F/S - Dedy Confectionery Cutter, 5mm with 3 frames

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

An almost new Dedy Confectionery Guitar Cutter, 5mm spacing with 3 frames.

It was bought new six months ago from TCF Sales. I have since decided to only produce molded candies so the guitar cutter is surplus to my needs. It was used about 12 times. Below is the description from TCF Sales:

DEDY confectionery equipment presents the 5 mm single arm Confectionary Guitar Cutter that produces true 1" squares. Not to be compared with guitar cutters made with a nylon (plastic) base, Dedy guitar cutters cut uniformly and precisely, and perform precisely not only initially but over time. Cuts most any soft confectionery food products like ganache, pralines, fudge, jellies, soft caramel, almond pastes, etc. DEDY quality is exceptional and preferred by professionals worldwide.

• Base Surface: 350 mm x 350 mm. Made of high quality aluminum alloy for precision and durability, and to minimize weight.

• Guitar Cutter Frames: Made of stainless steel. Three (3) frames included: 15 mm, 25 mm, and 30 mm. o Other frame sizes can be ordered separately, but must be divisible by 5 to fit this base.

• Also Includes: Pick-Up Pan to move food product to and from the Guitar cutter, spare wire, and tools. Dedy Guitar Cutter are easy to use and easy to clean. Simply remove the frame and spray or submerse in hot water using a small amount of detergent as desired. Spray base with hot water and use a firm brush as necessary.

New it was $2,395. I am asking $2,000 plus shipping. It will ship from Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Shipping to most of the USA should be around $50.

updated by @Paul Picton: 06/29/23 06:49:02PM

For Sale - Hilliard Little Dipper

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

For Sale: One Hilliard Little Dipper. The machine is in excellent, used condition. It was completely rebuilt one year ago. It is used regularly in our shop. I now do all tempering in my Selmi so the Little Dipper needs a new home. The machine weighs about 50 lbs. It is located in Cincinnati, OH 45202. I will assist in preparing for shipping and can help coordinate with UPS/FedEx as desired.

The asking price is $795 plus applicable shipping.

updated by @Paul Picton: 06/29/23 06:49:02PM

SOLD For Sale - Hilliard Hand Coater with Enrober

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

Final price: $5,000 plus shipping.

For sale: One used Hilliard Hand Coater with Enrober. This is the 80 lb per day model. The machine was completed torn down and rebuilt two years ago. It includes the overnight cover, extra blades for the bowl, spare parts, and the original manual and paperwork. It has only been used a handful of times since the rebuild. Everything is in good working order. The machine is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. I would be glad to help coordinate shipping if required. The machine can be palletized for ready shipment. Freightquote or Total Quality Logistics are good options. The machine weighs 100 lbs and will ship from 45202. 

Asking price is $5500 OBO, FOB Cincinnati.

Video of the machine running is at:Hilliard Hand Coater in Operation - Chocolate Tempering Machine

updated by @Paul Picton: 06/29/23 06:49:02PM

Cocoatown Stone Re-grinding

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

Hello. After two years of constant use, the stones in my large cocoatown grinder is very smooth. The smooth seems to contribute to more roller sticking and less smoothness in the chocolate. Has anyone re-roughened the surface of these stones? Any thoughts, comments?

CocoaTown Belt Shredding

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

That is the craziest thing I have heard in a long time. Any good V-Belt can handle a wide temperature range. My car back in Canada would not shred belts at -40. It seems that the alignment is not correct. I would also recommend using link belts.

Paul

Hello.

This appears to be the best break through in technology for craft chocolate makers. The price point is reasonable when calculated on a cost/kg processed. It is no different than a Cocoatown as their prices have rapidly increased - close to $10K per unit now.

I would like to understand what (if any) certifications that are planned. In the US, it can be difficult to use equipment that is not UL listed or NSF certified. CE approvals can be used if you can convince your local health department.

Thank-you,

Paul Picton

What is the production cost per bar of Mast Brothers chocolate?

Posted in: Opinion

As Sebastian pointed out, this kind of financial information is highly guarded. You should, however, be able to make a generic analysis. It should be pointed out that Mast Bros operation is completely different from Torres - small vs. large factory.

First, what is the price of beans? Bean to bar makers are paying higher than Fairtrade pricing so estimate around $3500/ton. Add in the cost of shipping - $400 per ton. And the cost of sugar - Organic sugar is $2/lb. These are the raw materials.

Now processing: the beans must be sorted, roasted, cracked, winnowed, ground, counched, tempered, molded and packaged. For small batch operation that might take two people, 20 hours and produce 100 lbs of chocolate. For large factory like Torres - no idea as it is a highly automated process. You will have to research the typical cost of employees in NYC.

Equipment: A small factory might have $150,000 in equipment - a large factory $2-$3M. A portion of the cost must be added in along with all the other overhead - sales, marketing, IT, wages, taxes, websites, packaging, maintenance, travel, utilities, etc. Overhead could run 500 - 1000% of the cost of the beans.

From there you can derive the cost per bar - with plenty of assumptions of course. Most of the costs are variable and controllable by the company.

Or use an industry estimate - one book on specialty food retailing said that the typical retail food cost was 35% of retail so a $8 bar would cost $2.80 to produce.

Hope that helps.

Hello.

I have been using the Champion for cracking but I am not so pleased. The major issue is the husk pieces can be quite large which then fall into the nibs. If I increase the vacuum then too many nibs are lost. I am considering adding a coarse screen to the exit of the Champion to catch the large pieces and then re-process those large pieces.

I have another bag of beans arriving this week so I will try this and report back.

Paul Picton

Conching temperature control in wet grinder

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

Hi. I have been able to conch with the Cocoa Town tabletop grinders by adding a plastic washer under the center shaft. I made a washer from polycarbonate and one from Teflon/nylon. I lift the stones after grinding and place the washer over the center spindle. I do not remove any chocolate - I use a disposable glove as I don't want my bare fingers in the chocolate.

The washer is about 0.94" thick. The polycarbonate sheets are available at Lowes/HD. A circle cutter makes a nice 2" dia. circle.

The height of the washer prevents the roller stones from touching the bottom of the bowl. The chocolate continues to move and flow but with no grinding.

I also use a similar sous vide setup but with a hair dryer. I prefer the lower temperatures and the steady cycling. A heat gun puts out a tremendous blast of super hot air. This seems to scorch the chocolate and risks damaging the grinder.