Post by dsw on Jan 25, 2021 9:43:56 GMT -5
I am looking at building out a small craft chocolate shop. I have done a bit of research and following along other similar enterprise stories, and where equipment is concerned, I am wondering if there is great benefit in stepping past the initial "small equipment" phase that I see so many blow past in their development. I'm not talking about going straight to large commercial equipment here, but my goal is to minimize personal investments of time and physical effort where possible in order to make the operation more efficient. I have physical challenges that prevent me from doing certain things the hard way, so I want to do them the smart way.
To that end I have a few questions about equipment:
For roasting, a small multi-rack commercial convection oven looks sufficient. Is there any compelling reason to eschew those and go right for a drum roaster? It looks like a drum roaster is a better option for larger batches, but the 10x price difference is somewhat offputting.
For cracking, is the hand-cranked Crankandstein a good choice? I see that the Aether includes an option for a cracker. That seems very efficient.
It looks like there are great options for winnowing readily available, the Alchemist's own machines seem good to me -- again, the Aether might be a good time and space saver.
I see the use of a Premier or something similar for a maker, as a tool to test recipes in smaller batches is invaluable. I have been looking at other options for bigger batch creation, and I'm thinking the refiner/conche is the way to go. I have heard of Universal and have seen a few websites with similar machines. The specific question is: In the smaller range( <50kg) what are the price points and operating costs(in general/ballpark)? Sites I have visited are very sparse on hard data, or only show units significantly bigger than I am looking at.
Initially, the plan is bars and slab chocolate. I may move to other confections when the skill to do so comes in, through learning or hire. I have seen a lot of options in the tempering stage of things. My question is, then, is it worthwhile to invest in one of the continuous tempering machines? One of the vat-style tempering machines that hold the chocolate? Or, really, will tabletop and "kitchen sink" tempering be sufficient until, fingers crossed, demand becomes significant? I know with the present pandemic demand has changed significantly.
Molding seems simple to me, good polycarbonate molds and get on with my life. I'm guessing a small commercial fridge or wine cooler to set is best?
Packaging is one of the areas I have spent the most time thinking about. Is this an area you really do want to wait out getting a machine until things get crazy? Is it better to get something, even something small? I have looked at various forms of packaging, and there are a few that really speak to me. I really like the take that Potomac has practiced for their packaging, and I also like the flexibility of a flow wrapper with differing outer packaging like Manoa uses. Don't get me wrong, I love a gorgeous combination of foil and paper, but I haven't been able to find a good solution for that past small batches. Am I looking in the wrong places?
Thanks for making it this far!