Making chocolate in production. Confectionery business: how to make money producing chocolate? In general, the process can be described as follows

Chocolate is a worldwide popular confectionery product based on cocoa butter, obtained from cocoa beans - the seeds of the chocolate tree. Cocoa appeared in Europe in the 16th century, thanks to Spanish sailors who met the fruits of the chocolate tree in the New World (in America). After Europeans learned to add sugar to cocoa drinks in the 17th century, a fashion for chocolate began in Europe as a hot tonic drink based on cocoa powder. According to legend, at the French royal court of Louis XIV, a chocolate drink made from cocoa with sugar had a reputation as a love potion.

Since then, cocoa, and with it chocolate, has won the love of consumers and found recognition throughout the world. Nowadays, countless culinary masterpieces are prepared from chocolate, including at home. Among the most popular ingredients in chocolate recipes, in addition to cocoa powder itself, it is worth noting: nuts, raisins, coconut flakes, dried fruits, candied fruits and vanilla.

With the development of science, chocolate began to be classified not just as a delicacy, but also its antioxidant nature was discovered, because chocolate contains a large number of natural antioxidants. There are also amino acids, such as tryptophan, found in other proteins (dairy products, nuts, mushrooms). It is when the body processes tryptophan that an important neurotransmitter is formed in the body - serotonin, it is also called one of the “happiness hormones”. The higher the percentage of cocoa in chocolate, the faster a person will experience a slight feeling of euphoria when eating it. The dark or milk version doesn't make too much of a difference, although everyone agrees that dark chocolate can do it faster.

To make chocolate at home, you just need to know simple recipes, have the necessary ingredients in the kitchen and remember a few tips for making homemade chocolate:

• Ingredients: cocoa powder, butter, sugar or honey - must be of high quality and sufficient quantity, since the recipe for homemade chocolate cannot be approximate - it will not work.
• To prepare chocolate at home, you must strictly observe the temperature regime of heat treatment of the product, since chocolate does not tolerate a limit above +32 C. It is better to use a culinary thermometer or simply touch it with your hand to the burning limit.
• Due to the low heat treatment threshold, it should be carried out not over an open fire, but in a water bath or in a double boiler. Otherwise, it is difficult to keep track of the temperature limit and the food may be spoiled.
• Especially at first, at the stage when the first thing is lumpy, you shouldn’t go for a large portion of homemade chocolate. If everything goes well, you can move on to larger portions.
• When making chocolate candies with filling, it should be added in layers, alternating with chocolate.

To prepare a homemade chocolate bar, similar to the factory one, you cannot do without the scarce cocoa butter, which alone can give the chocolate delicacy a certain rigidity of its shape.

What additives are there for homemade chocolate?

As additives for homemade chocolate, you can use quite familiar ingredients, such as nuts: hazelnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, walnuts or even pecans. Various candied fruits and dried fruits are also suitable as fillers: prunes, raisins, dried apricots, citrus zest, coconut flakes, waffle or cracker crumbs.

Most often, you can prepare these filling ingredients for homemade chocolate using a regular blender. The crushed fillings are added to the hot chocolate mixture, stirred until uniform, and only after that the liquid chocolate is poured into prepared molds.

Classic homemade chocolate recipe

This recipe is for lovers of classic chocolate, without any additives or flavorings, which can be considered basic for preparing other varieties of this dessert.

Ingredients:

• cocoa powder - 200 grams;
• cocoa butter - 40-50 grams;
• granulated sugar or powdered sugar - 100 grams;
• butter - 20 grams.

According to the classic recipe, you can make chocolate at home like this:

1. Melt butter and cocoa butter in a water bath and double boiler.
2. Add a mixture of cocoa powder and granulated sugar into the resulting homogeneous butter mixture, stirring until the mass is completely homogeneous.
3. At room temperature, allow the chocolate mass to cool slightly, pour it into molds and cool in the refrigerator.

Homemade vanilla chocolate recipe

Based on the classic recipe, you can prepare vanilla chocolate with the addition of dried fruits and nuts.

Ingredients:

• cocoa powder - 4 tablespoons;
• fresh whole milk - 100 milliliters;
• butter - 125 grams;
• granulated sugar - 1 glass;
• raisins, dried fruits and walnuts - 40-50 grams;
• vanillin - 0.5 teaspoon.

Here's how to make vanilla chocolate at home:

1. Heat the milk over low heat in a suitable container in a water bath.
2. Add sugar and vanillin to warm milk, heated over low heat, stirring constantly, until they are completely dissolved.
3. In a separate water bath, dissolve the butter and pour it into the mixture of milk with sugar and vanilla.
4. After mixing these ingredients, add cocoa powder with constant stirring to avoid the formation of lumps.
5. Keep the resulting homogeneous mixture over low heat in a water bath for 25 minutes.
6. During this time, prepare the filling and add it in crushed form, stirring until smooth, into the chocolate mass before pouring into molds.
7. To harden, place the molds with it in the refrigerator for several hours.

Original coffee chocolate recipe

At first glance, there seems to be no need to combine the smell of coffee and cocoa - they are good on their own, but there are lovers of such culinary experiments and tastes. An original recipe for homemade coffee chocolate just for such gourmets.

Ingredients:

• cocoa powder - 50 grams;
• butter - 250 grams;
• powdered milk - 250 grams;
• granulated sugar - 250 grams;
• ground brewed coffee - 1 teaspoon;
• lemon zest, dried fruits, nuts and vanilla - to taste.

According to the original recipe, you can make coffee chocolate like this:

1. Boil 3/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of natural ground coffee, add vanilla or lemon zest and hold for 4-5 minutes over low heat.
2. Remove the resulting coffee from the heat, strain it and bring to a boil, at which point add the cocoa and sugar mixture with constant stirring, and continue to cook it over low heat for another five minutes.
3. Into the resulting mixture, without removing it from the heat, add and stir thoroughly the powdered milk, after which, removing from the heat, add the dissolved butter.
4. All that remains is to add the filling prepared from the above ingredients into the chocolate mass, stir until smooth and pour it into molds in order to cool them in the refrigerator for several hours.

Homemade milk chocolate recipe “Tender”

Lovers of homemade milk chocolate will be attracted by this recipe for its simplicity, availability of ingredients and delicious results.

Ingredients:

• fresh milk - 100 milliliters;
• butter - 50 grams;
• cocoa powder - 4 tablespoons;
• granulated sugar - 1 glass;

According to the home recipe, prepare milk chocolate “Tender” as follows:

1. Pour the mixture of granulated sugar and cocoa powder into the milk heated in a suitable container, stirring constantly until they are completely diluted without lumps.
2. In a separate container in a water bath, dissolve the butter, pour it into the warm chocolate mixture and, stirring, bring to a boil over low heat, turn it to low heat and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
3. If there is a filling, add it to the still warm mass and, pouring it into molds, cool it in the refrigerator for several hours.

Homemade chocolate recipe "Lakomka"

The good thing about the recipe for this chocolate is that the homemade bar is not much different from the factory one, although it does not contain scarce cocoa butter and the other ingredients are simple and affordable.

Ingredients:

• whole milk - 5 tablespoons;
• cocoa powder - 150 grams;
• butter - 70 grams;
• powdered sugar or granulated sugar - 100 grams;
• premium wheat flour - 1.5-2.0 teaspoons.

You can make homemade Lakomka chocolate like this:

1. Gradually add the dry mixture of granulated sugar and natural cocoa powder into milk heated in a suitable container over low heat, stirring constantly until the liquid mass is completely homogeneous.
2. At the same time, in another bowl in a water bath, dissolve the butter and pour it into the milk mixture, stirring constantly, which is brought to a boil and removed from heat.
3. First dilute wheat flour sifted through a fine sieve in a small volume of chocolate mixture, then stir without lumps into the total chocolate mass.
4. Place the homogeneous mixture over low heat and, while stirring, without bringing to a boil, hold it until it boils.
5. Pour warm chocolate, similar to sour cream, into greased molds and place in the freezer to harden for 3-4 hours, after which the treat will bring chocolate pleasure to guests and hosts.

Quick recipe for homemade chocolate “For tea”

The effect of dark chocolate in this recipe is achieved by introducing the maximum volume of cocoa powder into its recipe, which will give it the natural bitterness of cocoa beans. In addition, changing the ratio of cocoa and sugar allows you to prepare complex chocolate treats.

Ingredients:

• cocoa powder - 100 grams;
• granulated sugar - 1 tablespoon;
• butter - 50 grams.

Prepare homemade chocolate “for tea” as follows:

1. Melt the butter in a suitable container in a water bath.
2. Mix cocoa powder and granulated sugar in a dry version and, while stirring, add to the melted butter, bringing to a homogeneous mass.
3. Bring the resulting chocolate mass in the form of thick sour cream to a boil and cook over low heat while stirring for 2 minutes.
4. All that remains is to pour the slightly cooled boiled chocolate mixture into the prepared molds, cool at room temperature and place in the refrigerator or freezer to harden the chocolate product.

Homemade chocolate recipe with honey

And although the process of preparing such a delicacy requires time, scarce ingredients and careful execution of the recipe, the end result will reward the home confectioner with delicious chocolate.

Ingredients:

• grated cocoa - 400 grams;
• liquid honey - 100 milliliters;
• cocoa butter - 200 milliliters.

According to a homemade recipe, prepare chocolate with honey as follows:

1. Melt cocoa butter in a water bath.
2. With constant stirring, pour grated cocoa into it in small portions, bringing the whole mass to homogeneity, then pour liquid honey into it while stirring, stirring evenly.
3. Heat the homogeneous mass in a water bath to +40 C, but no more, since above this temperature barrier honey loses its beneficial properties.
4. Pour the chocolate-honey mass into the prepared molds, let the chocolate form at room temperature for 8-12 hours until completely hardened.

• The bitterness and hardness of homemade chocolate depends on the proportion of cocoa powder in its recipe.
• When adding flour to the ingredients, you must strictly follow the recipe for making homemade chocolate, since if the norm is reduced, it may harden poorly even in the freezer.
• If it is possible to use brown cane sugar to make homemade chocolate, then you should prefer it to white beet sugar, because the former not only contains valuable minerals, but also makes the chocolate much tastier.

By the way, did you know that chocolate chilled in the refrigerator will be softer than from the freezer? Silicone molds are preferable for pouring chocolate, as it is easier to remove it from them.

Chocolate is not just a product, but a real joy that children and no less adults experience in anticipation of feeling the taste of a delicate delicacy melting on the tongue. It can lift your spirits on a gloomy day, charge you with energy during a break, help out on almost any holiday, and even become a kind of “bribe” when you need to ask someone for something.

Whatever one may say, chocolate makes people happier. Do you want to give joy to others, and even get paid for it? Open your own chocolate production. This business will always be in demand, and people will not stop eating sweets even in times of crisis.

What does a chocolate manufacturer need to know?

The presence of a large number of competitors will not affect your products if you strive for high quality and do not skimp on components, replacing them with cheap analogues. It is better to make a product more expensive than a cheap and low-quality one. Few people will skimp on pleasure, and chocolate is that for most.

The use of various additives “dilutes” the cost of the finished tile, reducing it by 20-40%. Therefore, do not be afraid to introduce chocolate with various fillings into your assortment, thinking that this will increase costs (rather, it will be the other way around).

When starting a business, concentrate on one product - choose either the production of chocolate bars or the production of bars. This will allow you to save on the necessary equipment, carefully consider one recipe (in different variations) and purchase less raw materials than if you produced everything at once.

"Chocolate technology": stages and processes

Chocolate production begins with the primary processing of cocoa beans. They are sorted, cleaned, subjected to thermal procedures and crushing, then the cocoa vella (shell) is removed. This is how you get cocoa liquor. Next, it is pressed, broken and sifted. As a result of processing, two components are obtained - cocoa powder and butter. Then they proceed to dosing and mixing the components according to the recipe. The resulting mixture is rolled and crushed in specially designed mills.

Conching: stages

After this, the main stage of production begins - conching. This process is very important and largely determines the taste and quality of the finished product. It consists of continuously stirring the chocolate mass for a long time. The minimum is a day, but this is in the case of making cheap tiles. On average, the process takes three days, and in the production of elite varieties it takes up to 5 days. This stage is implemented in three approaches:

1. Mixing cocoa powder and powdered sugar, that is, dry ingredients.
2. Removing excess moisture from the mixture.
3. Adding cocoa butter and kneading the already heated chocolate mass.

The described procedure is carried out in special conche machines, resulting in a homogeneous thick mass - it is called homogenized.

Final processes

The next step is the formation of chocolate masses in the form of bars, bars or candies and their filling, if provided by the manufacturer. You can add various nuts, raisins and candied fruits, puffed rice, flakes, waffles, liquid and cream fillings, etc. to chocolate. These components allow you to expand the range of products without the use of additional recipes.

The finished masses are poured into molds (special molds) and kept at a temperature of 33 degrees for half an hour. The procedure is called "tempering". Finally, the completely cooled products are removed from the mold and sent for packaging.

Equipment for chocolate factory

In addition to the main question of how to produce chocolate, there is another, no less important and more significant financially - where to produce it. Equipment in this business is the main cost item, but you can’t do without it. According to various estimates, it will take about 10-15 million rubles to purchase all the necessary equipment. Naturally, they will pay off, and more than once. But first you have to invest.

Equipment for the production of chocolate is a fully functioning line consisting of the following mandatory attributes:

• ball mill - the rolling process takes place here;
• conche machines - for the conching procedure;
• grease boiler - for kindling cocoa butter;
• tempering machine;
• refrigeration tunnel;
• conveyor line;
• aeration units, heated pipelines;
• stamping machine for making molds;
• packaging machines;
• thermostats, hoods.

As you can see, there is a lot needed. Equipment for chocolate production is not limited to two or three main positions. Moreover, every machine is important at some stage, so you won’t be able to do without something. There are, of course, a number of auxiliary installations that will be needed in the case of the production of a certain range. For example, equipment for caramel (if you use it as a filling for bars or bars). But at the initial stage, you can do without such acquisitions.

Raw materials for quality chocolate

The basic composition of a chocolate bar is no secret. Just look at any packaging where the well-known components are listed. This is cocoa butter, cocoa mass and powder, powdered sugar, and sometimes flavoring (vanillin). In addition, depending on the specific type, there are other ingredients (for example, nuts, raisins and other fillings).

But not everything is so simple; many manufacturers, in order to save money, replace high-quality components with cheaper analogues. For example, they use carob instead of cocoa powder or palm oil, vegetable fat instead of cocoa butter (or together with it). This allows you to reduce the cost of the chocolate bar several times, but the taste will suffer.

If you care about long-term reputation and the presence of regular customers, then it is better not to use such tricks. Offer your customers quality chocolate, albeit more expensive. If the product is truly tasty, then there will always be demand for it.

At the same time, you will not be left at a loss. For example, making a kilogram of high-quality dark chocolate (from cocoa powder, cocoa butter and powdered sugar) will cost about 400-500 rubles. At a price of 80-100 rubles per 100 grams, you will earn 2 times more than you spend.

Requirements you need to know about

Every entrepreneur, of course, is concerned about compliance with all the rules and regulations of the law applicable to his type of activity. Chocolate production belongs to the food industry, so communication with the authorities of Rospotrebnadzor and the sanitary and epidemiological station cannot be avoided. First, let's say a few words about the premises for organizing production. Basic requirements for the workshop and warehouse:

• presence of exhaust hood and ventilation;
• installed air conditioning system (to maintain air humidity at 75%);
• temperature in the warehouse - 16-18% (this is important for preserving the properties of raw materials such as cocoa beans);
• water supply, sewerage.

As for specific documents, you will need technological instructions for approval with Rospotrebnadzor, a certificate of conformity for the production of chocolate products, registration documents, sanitary records for all employees. If you comply with sanitary rules, fire safety, and production technology, then there will be no problems with supervisory authorities.

Conclusion

Organizing chocolate production is both simple and difficult at the same time. All the basic processes have long been known and worked out; every entrepreneur can create a recipe and organize the production of products. However, at the initial stage you will have to decide on a number of important points regarding the raw materials used, the purchase of all necessary equipment, and the collection of documents for starting a business.

All this will require considerable effort and time, but the undertaking is worth it. If you correctly draw up a business plan for the production of chocolate, you will soon be able to recoup the costs and begin to make a very good profit. And how much new joy you will give people in the form of chocolate bars!

Chocolate is perhaps the most delicious treat of all confectionery products. Regardless of the time of year, the economic situation in the country and other factors, people regularly consume it. And even those who adhere to proper nutrition or are on a diet do not refuse a couple of slices of dark or diet chocolate. Therefore, the business idea for producing chocolate looks very tempting. The main thing is to know some of the nuances and also study the technology.

Pros and cons of a chocolate business plan

Chocolate production provides the following advantages:

• High demand for products
• Small investment if you plan to organize a home business or mini-workshop
• High income, profit 200% or more
• Simple and understandable production technology.

But there are also disadvantages:

• Difficult to compete with large manufacturers
• High investment for opening a full-fledged plant
• The need to create an exclusive product or original packaging to win over the target audience.

If you want to get the expected profit, you need to work on your assortment. The stores offer a wide selection of chocolate: milk, bitter, white, with additives and fillers.

The equipment and technology for producing dark and white chocolate are not much different. This means don’t limit yourself to one type of product!

Legal aspects

You should start implementing a business plan for chocolate production by registering your activity. This stage is not quite as simple as it seems. After you have opened an individual entrepreneur or registered an LLC, you will need to obtain several treasured “pieces of paper”, without which it is impossible to bring such an idea to life.

One of them is a certificate for the production of food products, which is issued by Rospotrebnadzor. To obtain it, you need to draw up a workshop plan and indicate sanitary standards. This document also contains all the methods for producing chocolate with technological maps.

If you are not well versed in this area, it is better to turn to experienced specialists to draw up the necessary documents. Otherwise, many problems will arise on the way to obtaining permits.

Raw materials for chocolate production

Each plant has its own recipe, but the basic set of raw materials remains unchanged:

• Cocoa powder
• Powdered sugar
• Cocoa butter.

Modern production uses various substitutes to reduce the cost of production. So, to make dark chocolate, instead of cocoa butter, palm oil is added - a cheap analogue. Various aromatic and flavoring additives are also in use.

The more natural raw materials in chocolate, the tastier it is!

It is necessary to purchase raw materials only after the technologist has worked on the product recipe.

Step-by-step technology for making chocolate

The production process in a factory on a special line differs from recipes at home. The technology includes the following stages:

1. Roasting cocoa beans. You can purchase ready-made ingredients, but to create a truly high-quality product, it is better to carry out the full production cycle.
2. Processing cocoa beans using a winnowing machine. At this stage, the beans are peeled, refined and ground into cereal.
3. Obtaining cocoa butter. To do this, the powder prepared at the previous stage is heated to 95-105C and pressed. Then cocoa powder, butter and powdered sugar are mixed and then crushed again.
4. Conching. This is the process of mixing mass under high temperature. During this stage, various flavors and flavoring additives are mixed. The longer the mixing takes place, the richer and brighter the taste. Thus, conching of the mass for elite varieties of chocolate is carried out within 3-5 days without stopping!
5. Tempering. This process gives chocolate a beautiful shine and presentation. This is done by cooling the product to 28C, after which it is heated to 32C.

Each point must be strictly observed. Temperature differences and heating and cooling times are not allowed.

The last stage - the chocolate is poured into molds, raisins, nuts, etc. are added. according to the recipe. At the end, the finished product is kept in the refrigerator, after which it is packaged.

Equipment

The chocolate production line consists of the following units:

• Container for melting cocoa butter
• Conche machine
• Ball mill
• Tempering unit
• Refrigeration unit for cooling the mass.

Additionally, you will need a conveyor belt, a refrigeration tunnel, an aeration unit, chocolate molds, thermostats, and a packaging machine.

All of the above equipment will require a considerable amount. The new line will cost 3.5-8 million rubles. But you can reduce the cost by abandoning the automated line in favor of a cheaper analogue with less power. Such an installation will cost 1.5-2 million rubles.

The high cost of equipment is the only negative

Assessing business profitability

Even taking into account the high costs of purchasing equipment and organizing production, the profitability in such a business is high. The investment will pay off fairly quickly.

Example: the cost of dark chocolate is 600 rubles per 1 kilogram. In stores, 100 grams of the same chocolate costs a maximum of 100 rubles.

But in order to achieve regular profit, you will need to find regular wholesale customers.

Other ways to make money from chocolate

If it is not possible to organize chocolate production, but you are still interested in the “sweet” business, you can consider other options.

For example, purchase a franchise of a famous brand. Franchises are sold on specialized websites. As a result, the franchisor will help you at all stages of the business, provide advice and, if necessary, train. The advantage of buying a franchise is that you acquire a completely ready-made idea and a well-promoted product that does not require advertising.

You can also open a small shop selling your own chocolate or make chocolate-covered fruits, chocolate fountains, etc.

Confectionery products, especially chocolate, are always in demand, regardless of the season and the state of the economy. And the simple technology of chocolate production, combined with these factors, makes this business idea very attractive to many beginning entrepreneurs. And investors are ready to invest a lot of money in this niche. So why not take advantage of this by preparing a business plan for chocolate production, which would present the technology, recipe and economic benefits of the future enterprise.

Our business assessment:

Starting investments – from 1,500,000 rubles.

Market saturation is average.

The difficulty of starting a business is 6/10.

What does a businessman have to think about when launching his own “sweet” business?

Relevance of the chocolate business

The chocolate market in Russia is developing rapidly. And even despite the fact that many today prefer a healthy lifestyle, it’s unlikely that anyone will refuse to occasionally treat themselves or their children to sweets. Let's say more - a chocolate manufacturing enterprise on pre-holiday and holiday days can increase production volumes, and, accordingly, profits by 200-300%.

And if earlier this market niche was represented by a couple of industrial giants, now on store shelves there are a lot of products produced by small, little-known brands.

The small chocolate production business is slowly gaining momentum, largely due to the fact that it is very “fashionable” today to consume everything natural and, let’s not be afraid of this word, unique. And this kind of product can mainly be provided to customers by small companies that do not chase quantity - quality is more important to them. Therefore, in this matter, in order to “taste” all the charm of the chocolate business, it is better to start by organizing a small workshop.
There is hardly any point in being afraid of major competitors when launching your own chocolate business. The main thing is to understand the goal - to gain the trust of a specific target audience by supplying high-quality sweets to the market.

The main problem that an entrepreneur planning to launch a chocolate production workshop will definitely face is large start-up investments. And here is another reason that proves that organizing a small enterprise is much easier for a person who does not have millions of dollars in investments.

The chocolate manufacturing business can also be difficult because there are quite high requirements for the appearance of the products produced - both the packaging and the bar itself must fully comply with the image of the production company. That is why organizing a mini chocolate production will not bring the expected profit if you do not thoroughly think through all the “designer” nuances.

Where to start a chocolate business?

As in many other areas, it is important to study the market and try to determine what exactly will interest consumers in a particular region. Without extra funds, you are unlikely to launch large-scale marketing research, but you can organize some surveys.

The technological process of making chocolate is not complicated, but you need to learn at least the basics of production! To help the entrepreneur - lectures from teachers, master classes, consultations with specialists.

In order for a mini chocolate factory to bring the expected profit, you need to work on the assortment. The domestic market offers a wide variety of chocolate - bitter, porous, white, milk, with or without filler, with or without additives. And since, in terms of the technological process, the production of white chocolate differs little from the production of the same dark chocolate, there is no need to limit yourself to the production of only one type of product. Variety of products will attract more buyers.

The peculiarities of production and equipment are such that a wide variety of chocolate confectionery products can be produced on one line.

Next, you will need to register your business. This stage of business formation is sometimes very drawn out and adds headaches to the businessman. The main difficulty is to obtain a certificate for the production of food products from Rospotrebnadzor. And in order to take possession of the coveted “piece of paper”, you will need to prepare a project plan for the workshop and prescribe sanitary standards in it. Here you must also provide a list of products planned for production and methods for producing chocolate, confirmed by technological maps.

At this stage, it is better for a person who is not versed in technical nuances to turn to qualified specialists. Otherwise, you will have to run around the authorities for a very long time.

Product samples are then submitted to a laboratory for testing to obtain a license.

What raw materials will need to be purchased?

And despite the fact that each enterprise has its own recipe, the main raw materials for chocolate production remain unchanged:

• cocoa powder,
• cocoa butter,
• powdered sugar.

Of course, the color, taste and quality of the released products will be influenced not only by the main components. Nowadays, a lot of coloring, aromatic and flavoring additives are used in factories. For example, the production of dark chocolate allows the use of palm oil instead of expensive cocoa butter.

The more natural raw materials in the finished product, the tastier and better quality it is.

The purchase of raw materials is carried out after the technologist has worked out the recipe for the products that are planned to be produced within the walls of the workshop.

Chocolate making technology

Chocolate production process diagram

The technological scheme for chocolate production is quite simple - with automated equipment, the share of manual labor is reduced to a minimum.

In general, the process can be described as follows:

• Dosing of components.
• Rolling the mixture of components.
• Conching a mixture of components under certain conditions.
• Heating the chocolate mass to 40-45 ˚C and pouring it into special molds (molds).
• Tempering chocolate - keeping it in molds while stirring.
• Packaging of finished products.

Conching is considered the main step in chocolate making. Some elite varieties of the product are conched for 350 hours. The norm is considered to be 72 hours.

The technology for any type of chocolate is the same - the differences are only in the nuances. For example, the production of aerated chocolate is accompanied by the saturation of the chocolate mass with air bubbles - at the stage before tempering.

What equipment do you need to purchase?

To organize a full-fledged workshop, you will need to buy equipment for chocolate production. Manufacturers today offer a wide selection of production machines - from household appliances to high-tech lines.

Chocolate production line

Industrial production of chocolate bars is impossible without the following equipment:

• Ball mill – from 1,000,000 rubles.
• Container for kindling fat-containing raw materials - from 100,000 rubles.
• Conche machine for the production of chocolate mass – from 500,000 rubles.
• Tempering machine - from 1,000,000 rubles.
• Refrigeration tunnels – from 2,000,000 rubles.

And this is not a complete list of equipment. The list of expenses must also include molds, conveyors, pipelines, thermostats, laboratory equipment for analyzing finished products - all this is at least 500,000 rubles. It turns out that to prepare the workshop for work you will need at least 5,000,000 rubles.

But the price of chocolate production equipment varies widely. Therefore, without such an impressive investment, you can not buy an automated line, but limit yourself to the one that has less power. A set of equipment in this case will cost a novice entrepreneur 1,500,000-2,000,000 rubles.

How profitable is the chocolate business?

According to experts, the production of milk chocolate is a highly profitable business - and this despite such high costs for organizing the workshop. All costs with established distribution channels pay off very quickly.

As an example, you can take simple calculations. The total cost of 1 kg of natural dark chocolate is ≈600 rubles. And in retail stores, a 100-gram bar of the same chocolate costs at least 100 rubles.

Of course, this is all ideal. To achieve such indicators, you will have to work hard and look for regular wholesale customers. Chocolate is in demand for confectionery production, among wholesale warehouses, and in retail chains.

What other options are possible for organizing a chocolate business?

If the investment is not enough even to purchase a low-power production line, but you still really want to organize a “sweet” business, you can think about some other options for starting your own project - either a franchise or handmade home-made chocolate.

A franchise opens up excellent opportunities for an entrepreneur to own a business whose brand is already known to consumers. On specialized websites you can find a lot of offers for the sale of franchises. In this case, the company helps to establish a business taking into account the characteristics of a particular region. The cost of franchising services varies from 200,000 rubles.

The production of handmade chocolate is also a very promising activity, since you can get truly unique sweet products at home. Household devices are inexpensive, raw materials are easy to get, but ready-made chocolate will cost at least 200 rubles per 100 grams. A common practice today is to open chocolate boutiques. In general, selling chocolate directly at the place of its production is a very tempting idea, since it will immediately attract interested customers.

In addition, a small chocolate business brings great benefits and pays off fairly quickly.

To open a chocolate business, you need to rent the right premises, since cocoa beans, a raw material, are very demanding in terms of living conditions. Therefore, the room for chocolate production must be very well ventilated and always dry - chocolate does not like moisture, and the temperature in this room should be no more than 17 degrees.

Like the production of any other food product, the chocolate business requires the premises to comply with sanitary standards, complete cleanliness and constant fight against dust and dirt.

Equipment for chocolate production

In order to open chocolate production, you need to purchase special equipment. First of all, this is a cauldron in which the fat will melt. Its average cost is from 300 thousand rubles. A ball mill for mixing components will cost more than one and a half million rubles, and a tempering machine will cost at least a million.

In order for production to be continuous, there must be several conches, each costing at least half a million. Cooling the molding will require a special refrigeration tunnel, the cost of which is from two and a half million.

In addition, a large amount of auxiliary equipment will be required: conveyor belts, hoods, thermostats for folding the finished chocolate, as well as pipelines. All additional equipment will cost the entrepreneur an average of 5 million rubles.

Raw materials

The raw materials for chocolate production consist of three main ingredients: powder, cocoa butter and powdered sugar. The most important ingredient - powder - costs from 500 rubles per kilogram, but in some industries it is replaced with carob powder - carob, since it costs only 60 rubles per kilogram.

The quality of the chocolate consequently deteriorates. And cocoa butter can be replaced with milk fat or palm oil.

Sales