Homemade Chocolate - The Secret Chocolatier's Diary » Chocolate Business

Carving Out a Chocolate Space

Andy — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:31:16 +0000

Since we turned our sights in January to getting our own space to create chocolate in Charlotte it’s been quite a ride. Our plans have been approved by mentors around the city, we hunted with the The Nichols Company for a space and are now working with architects Bryan & Jen Shields to design the shop. With any luck we’ll be bringing on Clay Gordon of The Chocolate Life (and author of Discover Chocolate) to help consult us through this new stage of development.

Other Chocolate Shops

Robin and I recently returned from a trip to Seattle & Alaska. Whenever we are away we try to visit other chocolate shops to get an idea of what everyone else is doing. Unlike the massive coffee industry there are only about 1000 chocolate shops in the US. That means it’s a lot harder to find others trying to do what you want to do. We visited Dilettante Chocolates, Frans Chocolate, and a confectionary shop in Ketchikan, AK. It was great to see the varied differences and a few shared similarities. I wish we had more time to visit the few others that were in the area but our time was meant for a family reunion.

Standing On the Shoulders of Our Peers

The shops we visited gave us some ideas and confirmed others we’ve been thinking. We’re also a hybrid of chocolate and a bit of bakery so we’ve yet to really find a match like ours–which has it’s good and bad connotations.

When we spoke to our architects about our plans we wanted to bring a bit of the secret, and a bit of the transparency to bear. We described ample display cases and frosted glass separations between the front of the house and back. A place for consultations–to sit and discuss a cake or custom creation.

Being that we all co-locate and the administration of the business can float–instead of a classic office we’re looking more for a co-working nook.

All the while we want a very open and easy to navigate or reconfigure kitchen. Chef Bill has instructed us on the finer points of kitchen control by having as little built-in as possible and more mobile/castered equipment.

More Work Ahead

Considering all we’ve done I still feel we are at the base of the mountain to be scaled. This is all planning and aligning. Funding and executing it all will be the feat of all feats. Regardless, we are all so excited to move forward!

Your Inputs

What would you like to see in a chocolate shop? Do you have any aspirations for our growth?

Chocolate at Charlotte Area Markets

Andy — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:35:39 +0000

Looking for Chocolate in Charlotte? If you are an area market goer, or been looking for a reason to get out and explore our markets here are a few that we participate in. You can order chocolate online and pick it up at any of these locations as well.

Atherton Market at Atherton Mills

Formerly the Charlotte Tailgate Market. Lynn Caldwell’s efforts have crystalized with the help of Avant and Eden creating a lovely space for regional farmers, artisans and crafts people. They have renovated the old Charlotte Trolly Barn and it is easily reachable by the Lynx light rail line.

Saturdays: 9am to 2pm

Tuesdays : 11:30am to 6:30pm

Meeting Street Market

(update: 07/10 we have suspended Meeting Street for the Summer. Expect us back in the Fall as temperatures cool.)

Our first year at this market at Marvin & Ardrey Kell rd in South Charlotte. Situated in a very residential community this market has a lot to offer and is worth the visit. Protein & vegetable vendors abundant.

Tuesdays: 4pm to 8pm

Matthews Community Farmers Market

A very local only market with many of the board being the farmers themselves. The market is very kid friendly and getting to know your local vendors is always a pleasure. From Chef demos to kids activities it’s a lot of fun if you can get their early enough. A note that the market goers tend to be very loyal so if you want the cream of the crop as it were get out early.

Saturdays: 7am to 12pm

Wednesdays: TBA

NCDA Regional (aka Yorkmont) Farmers Market

A long standing market run by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. The market is an all week but the prime time to be there is on Saturday. The market is home to a number of resellers, look for NC/SC Slow Food farmer flags or better yet ask them how they raise their food or bring it in. Try and support the local option before you pick up the out of state or worse out of country ones.

We hope to see you out!

Trials of Making a Chocolate Business Plan

Andy — Tue, 04 May 2010 18:06:56 +0000

Anyone who has ever developed and made a business succeed knows the difficulty involved. Entrepreneurship is both awesome and terrible at each and every stage along the way. For those who don’t really know us we’ve been in business to this point for three years in June. From a single market testing our truffles to now.. 4 markets, 5 retail accounts, a number of commercial clients, and our happy chocolate for weddings.

Where does that leave us?

Growing Pains, Kitchen Strains

During the Christmas holiday rush this past year we found where our maximum was. We literally had nights we were in the kitchen till 2 or 3am and someone would start giggling and then we’d all capitulate into laughter. It was sheer madness and we enjoyed every silly minute.

The reality of our situation was a bit less gleeful as our maximum output is a lot less than I had originally thought we’d be able to accomplish. That began the acceleration of our business plan and financials.

Chocolate Planning

What goes into a chocolate business plan, or “How hard can that really be?” The plan quite honestly hasn’t been the crux. Having written plans before it requires a good idea of who you are, where you are going (vision), competition, demographics, etc. Out of all of those items the toughest bit for us to really answer was where we are going.

Customer Defined, Market Tested

We were defined by you (and of course I mean the plural you.) Bill Dietz is the expert, Robin, Karen and I his minons. Bill can craft all sorts of Wonka-like delights but if you don’t want any of them; how is that helpful? With each offering we asked, we listen, we refine, we move forward. In a business plan this type of mentality isn’t well accepted as it isn’t concrete (funny to even use the word concrete in something so generally unproven.) They really want you to know, to dream, to see the future.

How do you define a future when you are creating it bit by bit, proving each chocolate bit as you develop it?

Dream a little Chocolate Dream

Consensus from many told me you still have to define it. Dratz.

During one of our recent meetings we took a chunk of time to each ideate what we thought the future held, how long it would take us to mature, and then what thoughts we have beyond that. While there were some great thoughts that tied into how as a family we wanted to grow and mature together. As a business we desire to develop our niche; a hybrid chocolate bakery/confections shop, establishing ourselves strongly with our first store. Beyond that we can take many directions of secondary locations/distributions, etc. Blue sky thoughts are great but too far out and I start fearing what befell Icarus.

Financials & Pro Formas — Oh My!

What really took time was building our financials. With the help of friend and business associate Tamela Rich I was well mentored in the facets (the many…many…many facets) of financial planning. What started with one small sheet has bloomed into 16 pages that are all tied together into something very Rube Goldberg oriented. All of it based on what we have done for the past few years.

We actually have our finances rooted in reality. What a concept. Most financials are built off assumptions that start with demographic percentages and traffic counts. Having multiple markets and commercial sales gave us some initial leverage. The tough part is how does all of that translate into a brick and mortar store with a family working full-time (as opposed to 3 years of overtime)?

Live, Learn, Input Formulas

I had to build a different level of assumptions based off of what qualified a market and how many days a month could we really expect to sell those quantities. Our multiplier was built off this concept and I reduced it even farther just to stay conservative.

I’m a life long learner and every time I think I have my mind wrapped around a topic matter someone with more knowledge comes along and shows me just how little I do know. I appreciate such moments as they give me more and more scope of how things work.

Where’s the Chocolate Shop?

To finish this burgeoning post of early business growth we are just about done with a peer review. I’ve met with SCORE and now I need to start meeting with those able to lend our capital requirements. We’re also working with Josh Beaver from the Nichols Company to locate a space and he’s been so patient with us as we go through this process.

It is my dear hope to say that we will be opening a shop sometime in the Fall or sooner. We have something special and look forward to sharing it not only at the markets or online, but at our own store where you can see Chef do his magic.

We always appreciate your kind support!

Twelve, an Uptown Charlotte Holiday Market

Andy — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:35:31 +0000

The Center City Green Market in Charlotte has been bouncing around the last couple of years uptown and while our own commitments have precluded us from being as involved as we’d like we still like to support local farms, artisans, and crafters in our region.

Ted Boyd had a simple idea that took a lot of engineering to deliver. Take an empty box store in the center of the city and turn it into a beautiful holiday market. With little time to spare he and his team of volunteers pulled it off, and quite well I must say.

Located near the heart of Charlotte at 101 N. Tryon. We were there for their opening on December 3rd but they are also open December 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th. The Secret Chocolatier will definitely be there the 16th through the 19th. We might be able to do more but we’re running around pretty heavily as it is.

Twelve has a variety of local and regional crafters from homemade spices, neighborhood honey, jewlery, kids t-shirts, a wreath bar, our chocolates, David French & local artists, and more.

If you’re in the area or know those who are, won’t you join us at supporting local?

Dogswalk Against Cancer, Santa Paws Preview

Andy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:29:04 +0000

We’re always enthused to support local groups when we are able. The Secret Chocolatier will be giving out free samples of chocolate to those attending the upcoming Santa Paws Preview in Charlotte, NC.

November 18, 2009

5:00-8:00 pm
Canine Cafe Charlotte
1447 South Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28203
704.588.3647

Preview all the new Holiday gifts for the canine kids on your list!
Get in the spirit by listening to Holiday music and enjoying complimentary wine tasting, cheese & delicious chocolate samples while you shop.

Plus pick up something special for yourself from the Stella & Dot Jewelry Collection.

*With each purchase you’ll receive a Christmas tree Pupsicle for your furry friend.
10% of all purchases benefit Dogswalk Against Cancer.

The Confessions of The Secret Chocolatiers Wife, Part II

Karen — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:43:48 +0000

“The Confessions of The Secret Chocolatiers Wife”
Part II
- The Ciordia’s

The Secret Chocolatier family has spent an extra amount of time together recently reflecting on where we are and where we may be headed. What are the choices ahead of us and what part do we each feel called to fill? But more importantly here it is fall! All of the new seasonal flavors have been tested, tasted, and our final line up is out and being enjoyed by more and more smiling people. When all the time has been spent developing recipes, trying the different available local products in our recipes, tasting, balancing flavors to find the right balance, which is different for each flavor it is still all about the look of satisfaction and smile on the face of those who partake in these wonderful chocolates we all work hard to finish for each order, each market day and each special event.

But since this is part II, (if you haven’t read part I you may want to do that) I will move on in the telling of some of my own insights into where we are.

The Ciordia’s

The Ciordia’s are our youngest daughter, Robin, and our son-in-law, Andy. While Bill and I were just moving along with our truffle making thinking this was a fun way to bring in some extra money, they said – this is such a great product and everyone who tries it loves it so “do you want to make this a real business”. We said “sure” (we’ll try anything) and that is exactly what they have done. They’ve taken the chocolate and gone forward with amazing commitment and determination. They have worked to get us into more markets and other venues and continue the push forward. Robin and Andy have gotten the word out to the rest of Charlotte and beyond to make this business happen.

Growing into the Chocolate Role

Over the past year, our daughter Robin has taken on more of a role in assisting her father in the kitchen. She does every step of the truffle making, and brownie dipping, and soon will be moving into learning the cakes. I guess you would call her the “Chocolatier’s Apprentice” . Watching us all around the kitchen with chocolate flying everywhere it does seem more like the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”.

Robin's First Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Child

Robin has always been an extreme chocolate lover and with that love of chocolate she has evolved into one who creates chocolates; just as her love for children led her to a career as a teacher. –And just to boast for a moment, she is and extremely gifted teacher, not just because she’s my daughter because as a former teacher and administrator I am extremely hard in judgments of other educators. If she wasn’t terrific I just wouldn’t say anything.

Then when she started doing some of the chocolate work with her father and learning so much, I realized I was seeing a whole new and bright future for her. Bill follows generations of family members who lived there lives as bakers and pastry chefs and when Robin said she would really like to keep the family tradition going we were really excited.

The Mad Hatter

Andy, my son-in-law, has a role in our business that I don’t think any of us could fill or do without. When people are first drawn to our table at the markets, they see photographs of our truffles and signs with logos that he has designed. Our website, marketing, photography, etc., everything that puts our business out for the public to see is done by Andy. Because of the great web design and getting connected with other chocolate sites we have seen our truffles travel to every corner of the country. The packaging for shipment is so well done by Robin and him that even truffles sent to Southern California in the middle of the summer arrived in perfect condition- to the delight of the recipient.

Andy has an amazing social network that seems to have tentacles reaching all across the Charlotte area, and maybe even the country. He works tirelessly to drive (or propel) us forward and continue our growth

Besides all of that he too is skilled in the making of our products. One Friday when we were trying to get everything finished for our Saturday markets and fill special orders he decided to nudge me a little and get me to dip some of the brownie pops. I broke a few (which we unfortunately were forced to eat) but he patiently continued to instruct me until I was able to do it.

I am now going to work on preparing the Chai for infusion into the next batch of chocolate truffles MMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Searching for Chocolate Truffles

Andy — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:38:29 +0000

What began as something for nobility (and a story for another day) is now available for all. The chocolate delight of the ages, the chocolate truffle. Readily available though might not translate into great for you or great tasting. How will you know?

What are you looking for?

Favorite chocolates are usually stuck in your head from when you were a child.

Was it a truffle that you bit in to and it had snap, or was the chocolate soft to the tooth?
Textured or smooth?
Did the chocolate melt in your mouth or dissolve over time?
Milk, Semi, Dark Semi, Dark, Deeply Dark?

The point of this little exercise is that one thing that will make something great is how well it naturally aligns with your expectations. It’s also a good idea to every once in a while test your old favorites. How has your palate changed? Ponder how much the product might have changed in that time.

Buying Chocolate Truffles, Buyer Beware

As a consumer you are faced with a barrage of opportunities at buying sub-par products. Picking and choosing at most chains and grocers will leave you less than satisfied. Reading the label doesn’t illuminate much more either. Can you trace the chocolates origin? Is it even chocolate? Why was malt added? Where’s the chocolate and what is this mockolate?

Industrial chocolate makers are tirelessly laboring to reduce cost while still giving some form of “chocolate experience”. The industry has found that it can add fillers like additional sugars, sucrose, cellulose and wheat fiber. These false agents can replace natural components. Add on to that heat and shelf stabilizers (the joys of science) which may make a product last a year, but should it?

Reducing the cost by removing a real sensory experience. It’s really a sad state of affairs and you have to be on your toes to find a real treat.

Source from Artisan Chocolate Makers

People who look at their craft like an art will lead you to great finds. If you want to find some real chocolate truffles, divine chocolate truffles, find your artisan chocolatier.

Artisan work is usually carried out as a small to mid-sized business. You can’t exactly keep making things by hand when you’ve gone large. Artisan chocolatiers usually support others in their area and source more local for their ingredients. They also work at making products with a more traditional approach and time tested recipes.

Passion in, passion out.

Keep an eye out in your paper during the holidays and gift giving seasons and you’ll see writeups of area shops. It’s one of the easier ways of finding new places to visit in your area.

Of course if you’re looking for chocolate in Charlotte or just want to support us, The Secret Chocolatier, we always appreciate it.

It’s a good idea to investigate your local farmers markets too. I’ve found many a delightful confection at the markets with usually the maker and a great story to go with it.

Searching more online you can support new up and comers like Forte Chocolates or the mature Recchiuti. The point is to treat yourself with something special and memorable. If you are just eating filler from others what kind of worth are you really setting for yourself?

Do It Yourself! Making Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffle making is not very complicated & everyone does it a bit differently. That’s what makes it an art. You can tinker with (in our case) cream / butter / chocolate ratios to get a consistency you are looking for but people often miss sourcing their own quality goods. It’s silly! If you’re going to go through the time to make something homemade–do it right, buy good ingredients!

Do I need good chocolate?

Seriously? Robin’s been fielding some DIY questions on Twitter lately and the final results have been to the tune of, ‘It was a great attempt but I think I need better chocolate.’ Well of course!

One place we’ll often source samples from is Chocosphere. They import quite a few hard to find chocolate from around the world. With this comes a caveat, it’s not all about the brand, it’s about the taste. Being that there are so many tastes out there you should order a sampling of a few chocolates and find what you like.

Quality, Quality, Quality

When searching for great chocolate truffles (or making your own) you have to find those who believe in uncompromising quality. As soon as quality is sacrificed for cost or industrial distribution you are quickly sloping towards something below average. Look for those who put their passions and knowledge of the craft into their products and I guarantee you’ll never go wrong.

Oh, and if you find something delicious, let me know. I love going on chocolate truffle tours!

Chocolate at Social Fresh Charlotte

Andy — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:46:43 +0000

Social Media & Charlotte, NC

Charlotte has one of the fastest growing social networks in the US. I’m not sure if it’s because the area is so affluent with b2b technology or if we’re just chatty but it’s always been nice to be a part of the local community.

I’ve had my own twitter account (@ciordia9) for some time now and enjoy the relationships I have built with so many regional people and those far away. Beyond the banal, twitter, or better yet social media in general is a very diverse ecosystem that one can learn quite a lot from.

Grassroots and Social Media

The Secret Chocolatier has benefited from our active region on twitter (@SecretChocolate). We’re a family business that has started with nothing but an idea and some domain expertise. Nurturing that through the local and digital grapevine has been amazing.

We source great ideas, lift up our new offerings, invite all to so many of our events in Charlotte. It’s been a great help that we couldn’t have afforded otherwise.

We heard it through the twitter-vine that #SoFresh was looking for some goodies.

What is Social Fresh?

Social Fresh is your opportunity to learn how to make the social web work for real business. Social networking and online word-of-mouth tools are getting faster and providing more access to the customer every day. To remain competitive, every company needs to discover how to make social media work for their bottom line. –Social Fresh

Orange Chocolate Truffles

If you didn’t already notice Social Fresh is “juicy” and we know how to create some phenomenal citrus truffles. Pink grapefruit, lemon, lime, and our foundation flavor orange.

For SoFresh we packaged up hundreds of orange chocolate truffles for the event sponsors and speakers and hope they enjoy them and their stay in our area. We’re always striving to find a better way to communicate and get participation from our growing community.

If you have knowledge to share, let us know! If you’re going to be at Social Fresh in Charlotte let’s connect!

The Confessions of The Secret Chocolatiers Wife, Part I

Karen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:43:36 +0000

I’ve found myself in a reflective mood lately. Maybe because I’m spending more and more time staring down into a bowl of melted chocolate with the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans. I’ve been thinking about what it’s like to be a part of this small, growing family business and how I found myself here after years in a completely different profession.

After years of teaching, I went into administration of religious education in South Carolina. Along with that I spent numerous years on religious education advisory boards and as a consultant for a religion textbook publishing company on an as needed basis.

Melting in Chocolate

So how did I end up here staring down into a bowl of melted chocolate? The answer is- I have absolutely no idea! But isn’t that one of the joys of life, to find ourselves doing things we never imagined we could or would do and loving it. I have found that through my experiences in life I have grown and changed, and developed new gifts and talents. I believe that as we evolve throughout life we are called to give of ourselves in different ways. What a person does now may not fit 5 or 10 years from now. I certainly never dreamed of this!

I still enjoy being with small children. Would I be in a classroom with first graders full time now? Probably not. I love engaging in conversation with young people and enjoy their enthusiasm and energy about everything that they do. But I don’t think I would benefit anyone by being in full time youth ministry as I once was.

Now that our little truffle making endeavor has turned out to be the beginning of a very real small family business I have to rethink some of the notions I have of each of us involved, including myself.

Having a Laugh

Chocolate Truffle Making is a Busy Business

My husband Bill has been a pastry chef for many years so it is easy for me to see him in that role. However, to be a real part of what he does is a very different experience for me. During the 25 years Bill worked in restaurants I had a great appreciation for the work he did and enjoyed indulging in what he made. However, to actually watch how he functions as a professional is quite different. It’s amazing to see the meticulous care he takes with each step of making the different parts of a truffle or how he layers each cake so carefully as if he was handling a newborn. I always knew by eating what he made that he was amazing at what he did, but after all these years to observe him work is sometimes like watching art being made.

For a recent event Bill was asked to make a wedding cake that was suggestive of the artwork of Gustav Klimt. Bill’s inspiration came from his painting “Tree of Life”. It was so amazing to see him express the work of this artist of the Art Nouveau Era on the cake. But seeing the bride’s face when she saw the cake was his greatest reward. Then there was the enthusiastic smile and thumbs up when she took that first bite. What a privilege it is for us to be a part of it all.

How Many Mint Leaves . . .

Then there are the times when he’s developing recipes for a new infused flavor.
How many mint leaves does it take to get the desired taste for the mint truffle?
How much of the espresso bean is needed to bring out the perfect balance of chocolate and coffee so that each is enriched by the other. He is like a scientist experimenting to find the correct formula to bring a little smile and mmmmmmm to the face of as many people as possible.

A Part of Something Special

I think I am still a part of something that brings a little bit of joy to people; it is just in a different (and tastier) way. We help a woman express her love for her daughter who is away at school by making and sending the truffles that were specially picked out by her mother. We help with the celebration of a new marriage or a new baby. And we make many, many new friends. As I get more and more involved in the truffle making process I understand why one of our banners says simply “Hypnotic Dark Chocolates”.

Thank you for letting us be a part of the many ways you celebrate life.

—tune in next time for Part II of “Confessions of the Chocolatier’s wife”

A Great Tasting Chocolate Wedding Cake

Andy — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:20:37 +0000

Chocolate Fudge Wedding Cake

Business has been good, ever slow rising, finding a floor, dropping, and rising again. It all mimics the economy in odd ways. As we continue to grow and our customers follow with us they begin to explore our varied menu of chocolate cakes that without a retail front is rather hard to sell.

The Key to Tasting Great

Bill does fantastic cakes; chocolate cakes, fudge cakes, buttercreams and cream cheese icings, but we don’t do fondant. We were having a discussion with our friends over at Down Home Baking who also don’t do things with fondant and our reasoning went hand in hand. The better it looks, the less it’s going to taste.

Chocolate Wedding Cake

We make things with traditions and handmade qualities in mind. While we understand that the niche of high end airbrushed masterpiece-cakes are beautiful to look at, in all of our works we’d rather have it taste better than show better. That is definitely not saying that we don’t show well. Let’s just say we don’t require CAD drawings to executing a masterful and tasty cake.

As Seen on TV

Robin and I were watching one of the cake shows on TV where they go crazy and develop all these highly stylized cakes. We were rather appaled that based on time the cakes base creation only took up like 10% of the show and that the rest of the time was designing it’s exterior on top of fondant. Is that where you really want all your time spent?

The Making of a Great Wedding Cake

We were watching, or as Bill calls it, hovering, during a recent wedding cake and found ourselves amazed at the time inputs that went into the whole process. It’s basically four areas of focus.

It begins with the client requirements, multiple interviews, pictures, swatches, design call backs and sit downs.
Then the building of the cake. We clocked him in at over 5 hours of working on the different layers, building up the different icings and fudge.
Bringing it all together, dowels for support, layers carefully together, getting the exterior just right, then the scroll-work to match dress patterns took another three hours.
Finally and ultimately the delivery. A slow drive to a country club or hall where every turn makes our heart ache.

All in all you’re talking a very good days work and that was just for one wedding cake. Now when you spend that much passion and time focusing on something you want, don’t you think it’s going to be a divine experience? We do.

Bill likes to say we don’t do wedding cakes, but we do them on request. I find it cute. We do all sorts of cakes and have a blast doing them all. If you find yourself wanting a cake for your wedding and prize taste over conformity then give us a try.