Chocolate News

Last Saturday, Octover 25th, Chiammaya was the guest "chef" at the Marshall Culinary Institute. We had it planned so that The class cound observer or even create their own blend of chocolate and then we would go inside and discuss the history of chocolate and share some secrets of the best hot chocolate and how to make world class fudge.

I dropped into the institue earlier that week to drop off ingredients and see how things were shaping up. I was dissapointed to learn that there were only three participants signed up.

I had to move the truck down very early Saturday morning so I could get parking close enough to the storefront. I fired up the kerosine heater Friday night and ran it all night in order to keep the stones warm enough to produce chcolate.

Shawn, the owner of Le Cooks Store, nextdoor, was a bit concerned that I was parked right in front of his store on what looked to turn out to be a busy saturday but it all worked out in the end and I was able to move more in front of the institute.

Class time cam and saddly only one participant showed up. I think she really enjoyed the class and the chocolate, she bought two pound of chocolate and that was on top of the sampler pack that came with the clas.

After the class I walked next door to Le Cooks Store and spoke with Shawn about featuring Chiammaya chocolate in his store. He recieved my inquiry with enthusiasm  and mentioned that they loved local products and thought that Chiammaya Chocolate would be great in their gift baskets this holiday season.

So, in spite of a low class turnout, it looks like product placement is on its way!

Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote. It took a while for the chocolate machine to arrive. First I had to wait a week for my payment to clear PayPal. Things were going slow and I hadn't heard a word so I asked e-bay for the sellers information. Now the auction stated the equipment was in Lorado Texas, so imagine my surprise when I reached a woman in SEATTLE!!! Well I explained who I was and explained that I was getting concerned as I'd never sent SIX GRAND to a total stranger before... She hemmed and Hawed a bit and said, "well you probably should talk with Michael, he's the one with the equipment." I explained that SHE was the one that had recieved the money so I'd just as soon talk with her.

Irony is a strange beast. You see, it turns out the equipment was not in Lorado Texas at all, but it was about 10 hours from Lorado in MEXICO! Imagine getting U.S. equipment for making Mexican style chocolate from a factory in MEXICO.

I DID speak with Michael and we exchanged several e-mail. He told me of his negative experiences with trying to do business in Mexico and I told him a bit about my dealings. He assured me that my equipment was in good hands and that it would arrive in good shape.

Another week went by and it arrived. Sadly, it arrives a couple hours after I had left town for a trip, so I had to wait to see what arrived until the weekend was over.

My conversations with Michael indicated that I would be getting two pallets of equipment. I allerted the warehouse people that I was expecting two pallets and then I thought I should confirm this so I wrote another e-mail. No, it wasn't two pallets it was one crate. Back to tell the warehouse!

I got to the warehouse Monday morning looking for my one crate only to find a single pallet. I was worried a bit but after inspecting everything it all seemed there though in several pieces but it seemed well labeled.

There are no manuals or instructions. I wrote Savage Brothers asking for their assistance. They have been somewhat slow but I THINK they aresending the manunals.

I've got the equipment off the truck and in my garage. I had to play LET'S MAKE A DEAL with my daughter. She can still have her Halloween party but after it is over, my daughter and her boy friend are going to help me re-model to make a chocolate factory.

The equipment needs a water line into it, a drain line out of it and an air compressor to operate the depositor. It is more than I expected but I'm in up to my hips so there's no turning back.

Wish me luck and stay tuned for more!  

Wow! Things change quickly. When I last wrote I was trying to find the RIGHT place to set up a production facility. Now the search intensified.

You see, I keep an eye on various places for used but in good shape equipment. I try to keep in touch with industry folks and make sure I only buy quality commercial equipment. Well I was looking on e-bay the other day and came across a Savage tempering machine WITH a depositor and shaker. The starting bid was $5000. I called Savage and started asking prices and at first they were a bit evasive. I asked them the price of an off the shelf 50 pound tempering machine and they said $4000. Well this machine is a 200 pound machine WITH the depositor and shaker and I had to set up a bid. Well last friday I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the auction to end. 5-4-3-2-1 I WON!!! I got this NEW -- well use at least once -- it has an hour meter o nit so I'll know for sure in a couple weeks -- 200 pound tempering/depositing/shaking machine for just under $6K after freight and insurance!!!

The great thing about the depositor is that I can measure the weight of a bar EXACTLY. Up to now I've been using a disher -- ice scream scoop -- and have been zeroing in on the right weight. Even though I TRY my best to be consistent I vary between 3 3/4 oz to 4 1/4 oz. Now giving my customers more than they are paying for is ok every now and then but if I overweigh by a quarter ounce every time it soon eats into the cash flow that keeps the business going. Also, I'd NEVER want to underweigh for my customers, you guys are AWSOME!!

Now the pressure is on for WHERE!!. I've toaked to the mountain bounty executives and the word NOW is January or February. I REALLY don't want to wait that long so I'm back to considering my basement -- Sorry to my daughter!!

So what does this behemouth look like? Well Here are a few pics from the folks I bought it from.

http://dailymail.com/Life/200808200476

Another story which I always love. Thanks to the Charleston Daily Mail, the word of Chiammaya is spreading.

Though there are some time line errors I am happy with the story and hope to be hearing from people in Charleston soon.

When I got back from the strawberry festival, I returned with a great deal of information. I learned how to improve my fudge recipe, I learned what kind of festivals would work for Chiammaya, and I learned that though watching and receiving your chocolate fresh and hot from the mill is a cool thing, MANY customers want it in a familiar form, a bar.

So I came home and began working on bars. I've come up with a 4 ounce bar, perfect for the fudge recipe, 2-3 cups of hot chocolate or easily broken to measure for your favorite recipe.

The original intent was to package 4 bars in our standard box to make one pound, after all, a pound of freshly ground chocolate fits in the box. Well I was surprised to learn that once molded, only three bars will fit in a box. EURIKA!!! an idea was born.

We're not quite ready to sell the bar form of Chiammaya Custom crafted chocolate, but when our production facilities are complete, we'll be able to offer a sampler package of three bars -- one of each of our standard blends of chocolate -- for one price.

Thanks you all for giving giving me honest feedback, support and encouragement.

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Publications/Food-Beverage-Nutrition/NutraIngredients/Research/Cocoa-flavanols-may-boost-blood-flow-in-the-brain

EVERYONE always knew chocolate was great to eat and now and then we hear it is good for us too! Here is a very interesting article showing it can be brain food too!

About three weeks ago I got a call from WOWK TV about an interview for their business section. We scheduled a meeting and I made sure the truck was completely cleaned and I had a batch of fudge for samples of what you could do with Chiammaya Chocolate.

I was all ready and I got a call from the reporter that she was covering a murder trial and could we re-schedule. Sure that would be fine ( I'd just eat all that fudge myself!)

We re-scheduled and the day we were to meet again, she called and said she'd never had to reschedule before but the trial was going to jury and she had to stay there.

Yesterday we FINALLY made it, but what a day!

I walked out to my car first thing in the morning, opened the door and saw the glove box opened and all the papers scattered. I'D BEEN ROBBED!!!

The police were called but they didn't know when they could come to take a report so I went on to work. I pulled up in front of my office and my cell phone rang. The police were at my front door, where was I?

So I turned around and went back home and gave a report. Since I had serial numbers they gave me a 5% chance of recovery. Just about what I had expected. So now back to work.

It was about 10 after 9  when I got a call to confirm that we were on for the WOWK interview at 9:30. NINE THIRTY I exclaimed! I thought we were scheduled for 1:00. I checked my cal lender and sure enough it was scheduled for 9:30.

I hustled BACK home and got ready with time to spare. The interview went well and I asked when it would air. She suggested 6, or 7 and then again at 11.

WOW that's fast. She called about 1:30 and said for sure at 7 and 11 so I set the DVR.

I checked my web tracking site about 3:30. The story hadn't aired yet and I already had nearly 50 hits, ALL from the WOWK web site! NEVER underestimate the power of the press.

Today, after the WOWK piece ran twice I got a call form the Charleston Daily Mail, we have an interview set for Monday. MAN, THIS IS GREAT!

Well I got my name in the local paper -- http://www.herald-dispatch.com/business/x2102944713/Shop-creates-custom-chocolate-for-clients -- and things got CRAZY!!! The web site had a 4000% increase, and the phone began ringing off the hook.

I called the department in West Virginia to ask about label specifications and began getting calls for the county health department, the agriculture department and everyone in between. Though our facilities are REGULARLY inspected by the health department and no points yet, It simply was a reminder that my tax dollars ARE being well managed!

It seems that in order to produce the bars of chocolate that YOU, my customers have asked for I will have to make so investments in equipment and expand facilities, but that's what growing a business is all about.

I also was supposed to be interviewed by the local TV channel but the reporter got sick so we've re-scheduled for Thursday.

I have equipment being delivered regularly for expansion and have called about getting the custom molds so the bars will look right.

Growing a business is really fun and I owe it all to my customers, THANKS

Don't let anyone tell you making fudge is easy and for sure don't let them tell you making GOOD fudge is easy either. Yes, there are a million fudge recipes out there, but getting everything correct takes some patience.

The first time I made Chiammaya Total Chocolate indulgence fudge -- actually I used Chocolate Lovers Blend -- it TASTED delicious, but was as grainy as a spoon of table sugar. One guy even said it was the best fudge he'd ever had, but he was probably drunk -- thanks anyway Blake! :-)

Last month at the Strawberry Festival I met a professional fudge maker  -- Bob Brown from Oh Fudge! -- Who was as nice a guy as you would ever meet. Bob used some of my chocolate to make a small batch of fudge and it for sure was better than the grainy mess I had concocted. He reminded me of something I'd heard from Alton Brown on Food Network;  adding a small amount of corn syrup prevented crystallization.

I came home and revised my recipe and it sure was less grainy, but still had a grit that just wasn't right. Bob had given me a proportion and I recalculated and re-worked my recipe. I can't say it's perfected yet but MAN it's getting close.

Thanks for the help Bob and I hope someday I can re-pay the favor. Try the recipe, I think you'll like it.

http://www.chiammaya.com/blog/recipes/

The Strawberry Festival went well. The weather was fantastic except for a couple of brief showers. The crowds were great and for the most part. I did have an incident where a woman asked for a sample of Total Chocolate Indulgence and told me it was totally disgusting. I think she was expecting some thing sweet even though it was clear that it was 71% cacao.

With each show I do, I learn something new.

To me to cool thing about Chiammaya is that we make the chocolate on the spot and you know how fresh it is. But what I think is cool doesn't matter and doesn't pay the bills.

I have realized that a packaged bar is what I need so I'm looking into custom molds and packaging.

The  plan is to make quarter pound bars that fit into our current packaging so four bars make a pound.

I hope the public likes it!