Many confectioners create showpieces or “attention grabbers” for their retail storefronts. RCI member, Wilbur’s of Maine Chocolate Confections started making a three-foot tall rabbit, affectionately known as “BFB” (Big Friendly Bunny), about 20 years ago to grab everyone’s attention, and along the way we have learned a few tricks to making this work seamlessly.

 

THE WARM UP

Start with a warm mould, 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit, to allow for easier mould release. If your production area is cooler, warm the mould with a hair dryer for a moment before filling. This tip also seems to reduce the amount of cocoa butter left behind on the mould and yield a better shine, since fat migration doesn’t occur where the mould meets the chocolate.

 

FILLING THE MOULD

A book-mould with an open bottom is a popular choice for creating large moulded chocolates. At Wilbur’s, they bolt two sides together and start filling the mould from the tempering kettle, a little at a time. Utilizing skewers and a shaker table will help ensure all crevices are filled and air bubbles are release. Many larger operations have mould spinners that can make this step easier, but spinners require a closed mould. 

 

COOLING TIME

To create a hollow moulded piece, turn it over on parchment paper to set. The chocolate that is still liquid will move to the bottom and create a base. Time in the cool closet needs to be watched carefully with a piece as large and as time consuming as this one. Regularly rotate the mould to evenly cool the chocolate and then start to loosen the wing nuts on the bolts as it nears release. Great caution is vital during this step since cracking means starting over. Wilbur’s clocks in about an hour of time to complete each large mould, but agree the time is worth it.

 

FINISHING TOUCHES

After release, it’s time to trim and brush off the trimmings before transporting the moulded chocolate piece to the retail shop. To protect your large and delicate the large and delicate chocolates from getting banged up, Wilbur’s recommends placing the chocolate back in the mould, loosely bolted together.

 

Even though it takes about an hour for Wilbur’s to create their three-foot tall rabbit, they agree the time is worth it. “We have sold a few of the BFBs over the years, but he serves primarily as a decoration, a conversation starter and a selfie opportunity,” said Andy Wilbur, owner of Wilbur’s of Maine Chocolate Confections. “Using him as a promotion or a raffle is a great bonus. We have found that even customers reluctant to sign up for email lists are eager to share if they have a chance at winning a large specialty item such as the BFB.”

 

Making an oversized moulded chocolate can be intimidating, but with practice these tips will help you create showstopping chocolate centerpieces for your retail displays. Hoppy moulding!

 

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Curious how you scored on the Chocolate Knowledge Quiz? Here's the answers to the quiz from blog post #293. 1. (C)  2. (B)  3. (A)  4. (B)

Tags:  Chocolate  Holidays  Marketing  Moulds 

So, it’s February! And how are those New Year’s resolutions coming along?

 

Whether you made a resolution to improve your business this year or not, now is a great time to evaluate the goals you do have and measure your progress since setting those goals. Experts agree measuring your progress on an ongoing basis is a vital part of successfully attaining goals.

 

If you aspire to learn more about chocolate and expand your candy making skills, we’ve pulled sample questions from RCI’s Chocolate Boot Camp^® “School of Knowledge” quiz, as a way to help you take a pulse of your chocolate knowledge.

 

1. Which of the following steps of cocoa bean processing must take place within the growing country?

   A. Conching

   B. Winnowing (shell removal)
   C. Fermentation
   D. All of the above

 

2. When tempering chocolate, what percentage of solid fat crystals is desired when process is complete?

   A. 0.1 - 1.0%

   B. 1.5 - 4.0%

   C. 5.0 - 8.0%

 

3. Which of the following will contribute to bloomed bottoms?

   A. Cold belt temperatures

   B. Using chocolate in bottomer

   C. High-viscosity chocolate

   D. All of the above

 

4. When removing confections from freezer storage, typical temperature profile is:

   A. 0°F - 30°F - 70°F

   B. 0°F - 40°F - 70°F

   C. 0°F - 50°F - 70°F              

 

Now that you've completed the sample quiz, ask yourself, how confident do you feel in your answers? Would you qualify for master chocolatier status or could you use a refresher on the subject? See post #295 for the answers.

 

Warren Buffet once said, “The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself, the more you learn the more you’ll earn.” Whether you're a veteran chocolatier or a newcomer to the industry, if you aspire to learn more and expand your candy making skills, consider ways to invest in your education. Thankfully education is more accessible than ever before! Education is available in all different formats; print, webinars, podcasts, seminars and workshops, certifications and courses, even in-person meetings such as trade shows or local networking events. Experiment with different learning formats to find out what works best for you.

 

Want to learn more about RCI’s upcoming events and education? Click here to receive notifications about when registration opens for events and education courses, like RCI’s Chocolate Boot Camp and Annual Convention & Industry Expo.

 

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  Candy Making  Chocolate  Chocolate Boot Camp  Education  Enrobing  Shelf Life  Tempering 

Our favorite time of year is just around the corner -- American Chocolate Week! A whole week of chocolatey celebration, Sunday, March 17 through Saturday, March 23! Here’s a few of our favorite ways to celebrate with consumers!

 

Interactive Experiences

Wilmar Chocolates' "Mix It Up!" bars are made to order!

Celebrate American Chocolate Week by creating an interactive experience for customers. This could take the form of a unique tour of your candy kitchen, a class on the origin of chocolate or a hands-on chocolate making class. Any of these options are sure to give your customers a greater understanding and respect for your products. RCI member, Wilmar Chocolates, invites chocolate lovers to work with expert “baristas” to create their own custom chocolate bars.

 

Secret Choco-Code

Create a new chocolate-themed secret password each day that customers can only find via social media; if they use the secret password while visiting your store, they could get a prize, plus a coupon towards a future purchase--which will encourage them to come back again.

 

Chocolate to Keep. Chocolate to Share.

If you find that your customers are more often buying chocolate for someone else, remind them to enjoy American Chocolate Week themselves too. Offer shoppers a “Buy One, Get One” deal and encourage them to buy chocolate to keep as well as to share.

 

Sweet Trivia

Think of the holiday as an opportunity to educate your customers with a fun chocolate trivia question each day in store or on your social media pages. Anyone who posts the correct answer could be put into a drawing for a free pound of chocolates.

 

Pitch Your Story

Utilize your relationships with local media and pitch an American Chocolate Week story, based on your store, of course. A well-drafted press release is a powerful tool to create exposure and enrich your customer base. If you haven’t had success with press releases you’ve submitted in the past, click here to see if you’re guilty of one of the 5 most common mistakes businesses make when writing a press release.

 

Have fun celebrating a holiday so sweet we need a week to celebrate! How will you be celebrating American Chocolate Week? Share in the comments below. 

Next week: Check your temper! Learn two fool-proof methods to ensure your chocolate is always in good temper.

 

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now!" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. Plus, review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  American Chocolate Week  Candy Holidays  Marketing  Press Release 

With a pinch of moisture and a dash of heat, you’ve got the recipe to ruin perfectly good chocolate. But we’re not looking to ruin chocolate here! It may not be easy, but as a chocolatier, you are expected to craft delicious chocolate with a glossy sheen and perfect snap every time, without fail. However, thanks to a myriad of factors that can negatively affect  your chocolate at any given point, even the most skilled chocolatiers can have off days in the kitchen. To help, we’ve created this quick-reference guide to pinpoint common mishaps that can occur when working with chocolate so they can be easily corrected.

Chocolate is dry and powdery

When you rub chocolate and it feels dry and powdery, say “hello” to sugar bloom. Sugar bloom is caused by moisture. Dew forms on chocolate and gets absorbed by the sugar, leaving a dusty layer of crystals.

    Causes:

 

• High humidity (50% humidity or less is best)
• Cooling temperature was too low (below 50° F)
• Chocolates with a moist center were stored in a high-temperature room.

Chocolate feels greasy

If your chocolate feels greasy, you've got fat bloom. Fat bloom is caused when cocoa butter separates and moves to the surface of chocolate.

     Causes:

 

• Centers made with soft fats. Many nut centers can also cause fat bloom when in contact with incompatible fats.
• Proper storage temperature was not maintained.

Chocolate doesn't release properly from mould

Are your chocolate moulds putting up a good fight? Learn how to fight back with common causes for sticky moulds.

     Causes:

 

• Mould was too cold or too warm, causing chocolate in contact with the mould to lose temper.
• Mould was not clean.
• Too much or too little seed when tempering.
• Sugar bloom (see above)
• Center was too cool. Center must be close to the temperature of the chocolate.

Cracks in finished product

Sure, that chocolate bunny with a crack down the middle can still taste good, but it doesn't exactly send the right message to customers. Learn what's causing the problem below, so you can avoid it in the future.

     Causes:

 

• Cooling temperature was too low (below 50° F)
• Chocolate was in the cooler too long.
• Low viscosity of the chocolate

Other considerations

If you've covered all the bases above and are still unsure what's wreaking havoc in your candy kitchen, here's a few other common culprits you may have overlooked.

 

• Local climate conditions can greatly affect the environment of your candy kitchen and, in turn the results of your finished products. Take care to create an ideal environment for working with chocolate.
• Chocolate picks up and holds odor. Be careful when using products with a strong odor near chocolate, such as mint and even cleaning products.
• Be mindful of where air vents are blowing. Avoid air vents blowing directly on product.
• Keep moisture far from your chocolate making areas. A dishwasher giving off a bit of steam can have a negative effect on any product that is near it.
• Do not cook near chocolate. If you make caramel, for example, it should be made in a separate area.

Mistakes happen. Learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others through education and talking with fellow candy makers. By understanding what could go wrong and how to avoid or correct mistakes, you can avoid a great deal of unnecessary costs and frustration.If you have questions that are not addressed in this post, RCI members can login to pose questions to fellow members on RCI’s online forum, List Serve.

 

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  bloom  Chocolate  Cracks  List Serve  Moulds  Tempering  troubleshooting 

If you sell chocolate-covered strawberries for the holidays, more specifically Valentine’s Day, and have found yourself working from sunrise to sunset to keep up with demand, this tip is for you. 

RCI member, Luisa Chocolatiere shares her pro tips for extending the shelf-life of these delicate fruit confections to best avoid working yourself ragged while preparing for one of the biggest candy holidays of the year.

1.) Clear communication

Although this first step will not affect the longevity of your strawberries, it will help you better prepare for the holiday. Requiring advanced orders for chocolate-covered strawberries helps create expectations for your production needs. Clear communication to your customer base is key to ensure their expectations are met too. The beginning of January is a great time to start to taking orders for Valentine's Day.

2.) Gently clean and air dry

The way you clean your berries could be contributing to unwanted mold. Follow these step-by-step instructions to minimize moisture and bacteria.

 

• Start by wiping away any dirt with a clean towel and discard unwanted mushy or moldy berries.
• Gently submerge berries in a solution of cold water and non-pasteurized apple cider vinegar (use approximately 3 tablespoons for every one gallon of water) for five minutes. The acidity of the vinegar will kill spores and bacteria on the fresh berries.
• Next, place the strawberries in a colander to drain excess water before air drying berries in a single layer on top of a dry towel.
• Once the strawberries are dry, they can be placed in their original containers, which have since been cleaned and dried as well, until they are ready to dip.

3.) Chilled storage

To keep chocolate-covered strawberries overnight without the harmful effects of refrigeration, place dipped strawberries on containers, which are on top of gel ice packs and they can store for up to 48 hours.

These tips may seem simple, but they have the potential to completely transform the way you operate your business leading up to Valentinue’s Day—for the better. Now with all that extra time saved up, you may be able to devote more of it to other areas of your business or spend it with family and, hopefully, get more sleep on the morning of Valentine’s Day! Let us know in the comments below what you plan to do with the time you’ll save with this tip!

 

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tags:  Tip #289: Make Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Last