Jan 07
These calculations show the effect of using higher levels of cocoa butter alternatives on the amount of cocoa bean required for solid chocolate manufacture Modern coca butter alternatives – produced at close to historic cocoa butter prices – could be used with minor recipe changes – such as small increases in cocoa mass levels – …
Jan 07
Cocoa “Shortage” – Some Radical Thoughts – Part 2 In part 1 of this article some alternative ideas were proposed for the medium to long term issues associated with Cocoa supply. This article considers the alternatives suggested above in a little more detail Accept Higher Costs and Reduced Supply Raising prices and seeing demand reduced is …
Jan 07
Cocoa “Shortage” – Some Radical Thoughts – Part 1 There is currently a substantial shortfall in Cocoa crops and factors such as social, political and climate change are probably going continue to steadily (and sometimes radically) reduce traditional sources in the future. Furthermore, most Cocoa is produced by small farmers, and you can’t move small farmers …
Feb 04
Chocolate Coating in Belt Coaters There are several factors to consider when trying to model coating times At the end of the coating process the chocolate coating must be largely crystallised, otherwise it will soften as latent heat is released after coating Chocolate for coating is untampered hence it will crystallise more slowly than would …
Jul 11
How (and why) liquids flow in the ways they do The liquids we encounter in the food and confectionery industries are some of the most complex and obscure in the ways they flow. Understanding why they behave in the strange ways they do – and being able to quantify it – is useful and can …
Feb 24
I was interviewed on BBC radio 5 this morning about the Mars product recall. It seems to me to be a very professional response, particularly given the danger of a choking hazard. It has clearly been made more difficult in that product was in the distribution chain, possibly for some time, before they were aware …
Sep 18
Social Media can be used in important ways to communicate with customers and consumers. It is therefore essential to get my clients thinking about the opportunities social media represents. Social media potentially changes the game completely for small start up businesses and ones which are developing, allowing direct access to consumer information in ways never …
Sep 18
The Route to Success – Satisfying the Customer and Consumer Satisfying the customer and consumer is a fundamental step to success in any business. The product you offer must generate an image of Desirability, Quality, Trust, Consistency, Service and Value. Whilst there is reasonable and logical emphasis on satisfying and motivating the consumer, the customer …
Jan 02
New Product Directions – Some Challenging Thoughts for the Future The challenge and opportunity exists to change the whole direction of Chocolate and Confectionery development and to offer the consumer a series of radical new choices, relevant to now and the future rather than being rooted in the past. This also signals the opportunity for …
Sep 26
In order to maximise performance a business must use all its assets to the full. However the “assets” of a business need to be considered much more broadly than just its manufacturing facilities. Businesses have three main groups of assets Their Brands Their Intellectual Property (Recipes, Processes, Technologies, Skills, Patents, Ingredients) Their Capability (Financing, People, …