Organization of work in a chocolate production workshop. Chocolate business: how to open a chocolate store. Business plan: chocolate boutique from A to Z. Organization of the workshop

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Today, small businesses are quite common; chocolate production is one of its promising areas for realizing one’s entrepreneurial potential and making a profit. The domestic market for chocolate products is developing rapidly from year to year. Despite the fact that many people prefer to lead a healthy lifestyle, limiting themselves to sweets, during the holidays the volume of chocolate sales increases several times and, as a result, profits can be about 200%.

Chocolate is a plastic material from which you can create unusual and unique edible figures. This direction attracts many consumers, making the chocolate business very profitable. Do not be afraid of competition with large companies producing chocolate products. Even the smallest chocolate outlet can find its target audience if it sells high-quality and tasty chocolate.

What difficulties might entrepreneurs face when starting a chocolate business? There are several of them:

High requirements for the packaging of chocolate products. High-quality, designer-designed packaging is not only a guarantee of the safety of chocolate, but also the attention of the client. A new product initially attracts only its design. Only after you have bought and tasted the chocolate can you fully appreciate its taste and quality. Therefore, it is important not to miss this moment and think through to the smallest detail the design of the future packaging and the materials for its manufacture.
Increased attention from regulatory authorities. Many are afraid to create chocolate production workshops due to the increased interest in this type of activity by sanitary and fire inspectors. It is important to note that the requirements imposed by these regulatory authorities will be no less than for other industries.

How to start a chocolate business?

The procedure may be as follows:

Carefully study the chocolate market and determine which product is in greatest demand among consumers. You definitely need to find out which company will be the most competitive in the market, what its chocolate production technology is.
Develop a business plan, since the company must be reputable. If you do not have enough knowledge for this, it will be useful to attend master classes on this topic or seek help from qualified specialists.
Develop your product range. It must be remembered that the more diverse the range of your chocolate products is, the more actively buyers will pay attention to it.
A chocolate production company must be registered. The main point in this process is to obtain a certificate giving permission to produce chocolate products.
Purchase the necessary equipment for chocolate production.

To produce chocolate products on an industrial scale, the following equipment is required:

ball mill;
container for kindling raw materials;
machine for producing chocolate mass;
tempering unit;
refrigeration tunnels.

It is necessary not to forget about the purchase of thermostats, conveyors, and laboratory instruments for analyzing finished products. A less expensive option is a manual chocolate production line. To start it, you will need the following equipment for chocolate production:

tempering machine;
various molds for casting (the more there are, the better);
spatulas and stacks for chocolate mass;
fridge.

Chocolate production requires a certain space for activities. A production workshop is required where the necessary equipment and work tables will be located. Space is required for storing raw materials and a warehouse for finished products. For people working in production, it is important to designate an area where they can have lunch and relax. When choosing a premises for the production of chocolate products, it is important to adhere to the basic requirements of sanitary regulatory authorities: the availability of cold and hot water, heating, ventilation and sewage systems.

Raw materials for the production of chocolate products

As a rule, each manufacturer has his own chocolate recipe, which he keeps strictly secret. High-quality chocolate must contain: cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar. But in order to reduce the cost of finished products, a large number of artificial flavors, substitutes and palm oil are often added to the chocolate mass.

Belgian-made chocolate has become the most popular in this regard. Not only is it delicious, but it also melts well. It is used not only for making sweets, but also for glazing, decoration and cream fillings. Traditionally, this chocolate is produced in the form of tablets.

Technological diagram of chocolate production

The chocolate production scheme is as follows:

Processing of cocoa beans. This process is designed to soften the tart taste of the beans and enhance their pleasant aroma.
Cleaning and sorting of fruits. This procedure is carried out mechanically on special sorting machines.
Roasting beans. Heat treatment is designed to improve the taste characteristics of the fruit, remove excess moisture and kill existing microflora. The heating temperature varies within +150°C.
Splitting up. The grains are cooled to +30°C and sent to the crushing apparatus. As a result, what remains is cocoa nibs. It is worth noting that for the production of chocolate of the highest quality, grains whose particles do not exceed 8 mm are suitable.
Making grated cocoa. To do this, the cereal is ground into the smallest particles.
Making cocoa butter. To do this, grated cocoa is pressed. From the total amount of starting material, about 48% oil can be obtained.
Chocolate production is completely mechanized. The recipe for future chocolate is developed by specialists; the ratio of ingredients will determine what type of chocolate you end up with: bitter, milk, dessert. Nuts, raisins and other flavoring ingredients can be added to the chocolate mass. All ingredients are mixed in a machine at a temperature of about +45°C.
The crumbling process involves mixing the prepared chocolate mass with flavors and phosphatide concentrates.
Tempering takes place on special continuous machines. Thanks to this process, the chocolate mass acquires the required amount of cocoa butter crystals, which ensures the solidification of the chocolate and the formation of a beautiful glossy surface. If aerated chocolate is made, then before the tempering stage the chocolate mass is actively saturated with air bubbles.
Forming chocolate. The finished chocolate mass is poured into special molds. After pouring, the mold is placed on a vibrating conveyor, which allows you to evenly distribute the chocolate and remove excess air from it. To produce high quality chocolate, it is important to maintain proper temperature conditions. The sweet mass is cooled to +33°C at a temperature of 45°C. Before the mold continues to cool, it must be left for at least half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Final stage of production

It is important to package the finished chocolate correctly. This will help protect the chocolate product from exposure to external negative factors. Beautiful and original packaging will attract more consumers. For this purpose, aluminum foil and a paper label are used. The packaging stage is carried out automatically in all production facilities.

The chocolate business will be profitable if you initially take into account all the pitfalls and thoroughly prepare for the launch of production. If you produce high-quality chocolate, you will be guaranteed a constant influx of customers.

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Chocolate has always been and will be in great demand even in difficult times of crisis. Chocolate is the most popular gift for any occasion, be it a “bribe”, gratitude or just a sign of attention.

It's safe to say that chocolate production is a profitable business.

To organize a full-fledged workshop, you will need to spend a significant amount of money on equipment, the purchase of raw materials, and premises for the confectionery shop, so this option is not suitable for everyone.

Business idea - chocolate production, where to start - watch the video:

Some novice businessmen find it difficult to immediately understand all the intricacies of chocolate production, so you can start with.

The most famous companies offering this opportunity are Frade, Chocolate House “vonKluschke”, FrenchKis, COUVERTURE, Chantimel, Confael, BaccaratСhocolatier, Podarilli and others.

The advantages of purchasing a franchise are as follows:

famous brand;
tested production techniques;
well-established technology for sales and display of products;
good equipment;
interaction with reliable suppliers;
providing assistance and advice;

Creating your own lumber production business, features and nuances -.

It is important to remember that this method requires mandatory compliance with company standards.
Another direction will be the opening of a mini-production and boutique of elite chocolate.

The single-product store is a popular format all over the world, and the opportunity to buy chocolate right at the place where it is made looks very tempting for the buyer.

Another worthy business option would be a home workshop for the production of handmade chocolate. This direction is very promising today; you can get truly exclusive and very tasty chocolate.

Recipes for its production can be found on the Internet, and equipment for such production is available to a large circle of people.

Chocolate production technology

The technology for each type of chocolate differs slightly. Whatever type of chocolate production you choose, it will necessarily include the following steps:

Conching– continuous stirring of the chocolate mass (cocoa mass, powdered sugar, cocoa bean butter, flavorings and additives) until it becomes homogeneous.
Produced in special conches for a long time (up to 5 days). Elite chocolate is conched longer, while regular chocolate usually takes 72 hours.
Molding– giving chocolate the desired shape (bars, candies, bars) and adding filler.
The conched mass is poured into molds at a temperature of 40-45 degrees, then it is cooled to 33 degrees, left for 30-40 minutes while maintaining the temperature (tempering), while stirring.
Next, the molds are cooled and the finished bars or candies are removed from them.

Technological process of chocolate production. Photo: images.myshared.ru

As you can see, the chocolate production technology is not particularly complicated.

Instructions for starting a chocolate production

If you decide to open a production facility yourself, it is recommended that you first attend a chocolatier school, where they provide valuable knowledge about chocolate and the production process.

It is very important to understand that raw materials such as cocoa beans have their own characteristics:

temperature in the product storage room – 16 C;
shelf life and sale of goods – from 2 to 6 months;
availability of special equipment for transporting the product;
Availability of health certificates for staff.

An approximate action plan before opening chocolate production looks like this:

Registration of an enterprise.
Obtaining a certificate that gives the right to produce food products from Rospotrebnadzor.
There you will need to provide a production plan to coordinate sanitary conditions.
Drawing up a technological map for each type of manufactured product.
Laboratory testing of raw material samples required to obtain a license for chocolate production.
Conclusion of an agreement on agreement with periodic inspections.

Organization of the workshop

Equipment cost and business profitability

If we are talking about a large production workshop with expensive equipment, then opening it will require considerable capital.

Equipment for chocolate production. Photo: idea-small-business.rf

Let's look at the example of a workshop with an area of 100 square meters:

renting or purchasing premises will cost 20,000-1,000,000 rubles, respectively;
subsequent repairs cost approximately 400,000 rubles;
purchase of equipment worth 5.7 million rubles;
registration of necessary documents - 20,000 rubles;
advertising costs of 100,000 rubles;
employee salaries are 180,000 rubles;
raw materials, provision of building communications - 250,000 rubles.

Special attention should be paid to prices for raw materials and equipment:

cocoa powder – 120,000 rubles/ton;
cocoa butter – 66,000 rubles/ton;
powdered sugar – 55,000 rubles/ton;
grease boiler - from 300,000 rubles;
ball mill - from 1.5 million rubles;
testing machine – from 1 million rubles;
refrigeration tunnel - from 2.5 million rubles;
conches - from 400,000 rubles per piece.

Prices for raw materials and equipment depend on the manufacturer and product quality. Moreover, you should also purchase hoods, thermostats, conveyors, and pipelines.

Summarizing, we can conclude that to create a full-fledged chocolate manufacturing workshop, you will need at least 10 million rubles. The figure is scary, but by calculating the ratio of the cost of chocolate to its selling price (profitability), you can see how quickly this production pays off.

Calculation of the cost of 1 kg of dark chocolate

The cost of 1 kg of dark chocolate is approximately 600 rubles. At the same time, a 100 g bar of such chocolate in a store costs at least 100 rubles. Even if we include the company’s expenses in the calculation, we get a minimum profitability of 200%.

And this despite the fact that dark chocolate was created without the use of cost-reducing components.

Experienced manufacturers add components to chocolate that significantly reduce its cost. For example, carob, a grated mixture of carob fruits, costs about 60-70 rubles per 1 kg, when 1 kg of real cocoa powder costs about 600 rubles per kg.

By adding a small amount of carob to chocolate, manufacturers save up to 10% per ton of chocolate.

Basically, such a business pays off in 1.5 – 2 years.

Handmade chocolate price calculation

Now let’s look at this business using the example of a mini-workshop for the production of handmade chocolate in Moscow.

The purchase of the necessary equipment for small production will require a minimum of 150,000 rubles. It is not necessary to purchase a full-fledged production line; you can get by with similar machines designed to produce 5–20 kg of products.

Such equipment can be purchased in specialized stores or on the Internet. Renting premises for mini-production will cost at least 20,000 rubles (depending on location).

It is quite possible to create your own mini-workshop for the production of chocolate, spending 2-3 million rubles. Even taking into account the rental of premises, employee salaries, equipment, taxes, and so on, the profitability of the business is at least 200%.

And with the use of cost-reducing additives, this figure may be higher.

If you have your own mini-production, you can achieve an income of 2,000,000 rubles per month.

Sales market and clients

Business income is directly affected by product sales. Therefore, you need to immediately determine who your buyer will be.

If you have a large production, Establish profitable cooperation with stores to which you plan to supply products.

4 promising ideas for starting your own business in a garage - details.

Bottom line

In order to organize a business in the field of chocolate production, it is not necessary to have outstanding culinary skills.

This is, first of all, a highly profitable and profitable business, but only a company that produces truly high-quality and tasty products can succeed in it.

In Russia, the chocolate market is developing rapidly. From 2013 to 2019, chocolate consumption increased from 6 to 8 kg per person per year. Despite the trends towards proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, people continue to buy sweets and candies: for themselves and their families, as holiday gifts. The chocolate production business pays for itself in a matter of months and brings stable profits to the owners.

Chocolate making business ideas

There are two models for organizing the technological process: home or industrial chocolate production.

By choosing the first option, you can start a business at home in the kitchen, investing a minimum of money in equipment. But it will not be possible to officially register such a business, so the responsibility for working without registering with the Federal Tax Service and paying taxes will fall on you.

In the second case, you will have to comply with the requirements of inspection authorities, rent and prepare a workshop, hire employees and establish a stream production of chocolate products.

Making handmade chocolate

“Chocolate boutique” is a concept that came to Russia in 2016. The boutique sells elite handmade chocolate made according to home recipes. The owners of such establishments rely on the uniqueness of their products, inferior to large workshops in production volumes.

The assortment of the chocolate boutique includes:

dark, white and milk chocolate bars;
chocolate with fruit and berry fillings;
truffles;
candies with non-standard fillings;
gift sets of different types of chocolate.

Customers can order personalized sets, chocolate fountains and even engraved chocolates.

The fashionable trend of gourmet boutiques is the combination of incompatible tastes. Luxury chocolate manufacturers offer ginger, chili peppers, candied fruits and even bacon as fillings. They sell flavored candies exclusively in original packaging.

Handmade chocolate is a delight for gourmets, so it will always find its buyer

Making fruits in chocolate

Strawberries, apples and bananas are fruits that are in demand all year round. In combination with chocolate they form a unique delicacy. The advantage of the chocolate-covered fruit business is minimal competition on the Russian market. The disadvantage is the pronounced seasonality. In winter, the cost of fruit increases, and consumer demand decreases.

A possible way out of the situation is to rent space in a city shopping center in order to work even in the cold season, in a place with maximum traffic. Advertising can focus on the vitamin content of products.

There is nothing tastier than chocolate-covered fruit: neither children nor adults can resist this delicacy.

Making chocolate figures

The technology for making chocolate figurines is simple - hot chocolate is poured into molds, then cooled until hardened and the halves are removed. The edges of each are carefully heated and glued together. Figures are used to decorate cakes and pastries and are given as gifts for children and adults on holidays.

To prepare a chocolate butterfly or openwork lace you need:

melted chocolate;
glass bowl for heating;
Silicone forms.

Instead of molds, you can use any objects: cups, shot glasses, spoons, paper sheets and others. By combining different types of chocolate and adding food coloring, confectioners give the figures a unique design. Show your imagination and an unprecedented result will not keep you waiting.

Chocolate figurines are ordered to decorate wedding and anniversary cakes

Where to start: business registration

Chocolate production belongs to the food industry, so be prepared for numerous inspections by the SES and Rospotrebnadzor. Register your business before starting work by choosing one of the forms - LLC or Individual Entrepreneur.

Advantages of being an individual entrepreneur:

registration 5 working days in advance;
minimum state duty when registering a business;
minimum documents.

The main disadvantage of an individual entrepreneur is liability to creditors with all property. If you own an apartment and have accumulated debts in your business, be prepared for the property to be put up for sale.

Pros of opening an LLC:

financial responsibility within the authorized capital;
a participant in a legal entity can leave it by alienating the company’s share;
the company can be sold or donated if necessary;
in case of suspension of activities, the organization does not transfer contributions to pension and insurance funds.

The disadvantages of an LLC are a complicated registration procedure and the need to contribute an authorized capital of 10 thousand rubles, as well as a state fee of 4 thousand rubles. for registration of a company.

When registering, select a tax system that is comfortable for you. Small businesses should consider a simplified regime (STS 6 or 15%). When planning to open a large-scale production facility, think about UTII (flat tax on imputed income). The amount and procedure for paying taxes depends on the chosen system.

Table: comparison of tax regimes

Tax regime	Limits
Tax regime	Revenue	Average number of employees	Average annual cost of funds	Kind of activity	Capital structure
BASIC	No limits
Unified agricultural tax	No limits	No limits	No limits	Agriculture	No limits
UTII	No limits	100 people	No limits		The share of participation of other organizations is no more than 25%
USNO 6%	60 million rub.		100 million rub.	Except for some activities
simplified taxation system 15%	60 million rub.		100 million rub.	Except for some activities
PSN	60 million rub.	15 people	No limits	There is a list of activities	Only for individual entrepreneurs

Obtain permits from Rospotrebnadzor and Pozhnadzor, as well as a conclusion from the SES on the possibility of starting work. Get a health certificate, even if you make candy in minimal quantities.

Organization of home chocolate production

An exclusive home confectionery can compete with large-scale production due to the quality of its products, the use of natural ingredients and proven chocolate recipes. When working independently, pay close attention to the quality of the product. Experiment with combinations of flavors and offer customers a variety of products. The disadvantage of doing business at home is the inability to officially register the company. This is due to the fact that the kitchen area must be removed from the housing stock in order to organize food production in it. In this case, you take on all the risks associated with unofficial entrepreneurship.

Recipe and manufacturing technology

Follow the recipe and technological process when making chocolate - the taste and shelf life of the finished product depend on this.

The simplest chocolate recipe at home:

Mix 5 tbsp. spoons of cocoa, 7 tbsp. spoons of sugar and 150 ml of milk in a bowl. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring continuously.
Gradually add 1 teaspoon of flour and 50 g of butter. Continue stirring the mixture until smooth.
Pour hot chocolate into molds, after pouring the filling into it (wafer crumbs, nuts, raisins).

When choosing chocolate, customers first of all pay attention to appearance and taste.

Once the chocolate has cooled, it is ready to eat. Homemade sweets can be stored for 2–6 months at temperatures up to 17 degrees. Transporting chocolate is only permitted in vehicles equipped with cooling systems.

The weight of the candy should not exceed 3–6 g so that the client can put it whole in his mouth and taste it without biting.

Premises requirements

Technical conditions for chocolate production are determined by GOST 31721–2012. In the document you will find information on the quantity of ingredients for the manufacture of various types of cocoa-based products, as well as requirements for equipment and workshop. Despite the lack of registration and checks, try to comply with the maximum requirements of the standard. The room should be ventilated, with an artificial temperature regime and a low level of humidity. The optimal temperature for storing chocolate is up to 17 degrees.

Purchase of equipment and raw materials

A home bakery can be opened with minimal investment if you work to order and use kitchen equipment. Purchase raw materials for chocolate production:

chocolate mass or cocoa;
cacao butter;
sugar;
vanilla;
emulsifiers;
milk or cream.

Buy quality ingredients. To save money, replacing cocoa butter with palm, and cocoa with carob, you risk the taste of future chocolate.

At home, use a coffee grinder to grind cocoa beans into powder.

As your business develops, start purchasing professional equipment:

high power juicer for cocoa butter;
grinding machine to remove excess moisture;
tempera for quick crystallization of chocolate;
various shapes and stencils.

The cost of a home kit for the production of elite sweets does not exceed 150 thousand rubles.

Sales and advertising company

At first, sell candies directly to customers. To do this, create groups on social networks, take attractive product photos and place ads. Invite friends and acquaintances to groups, set up targeted advertising for members of competing groups.

When you develop your business and open a kitchen outside your home, having received permission from the SES, negotiate with retail chains and coffee shops that do not have a kitchen, and supply candies for sale. The main thing is to comply with the conditions of delivery and storage of goods.

Financial calculations

Home production does not require special expenses and pays off within a few months.

Table: costs of starting a business

Table: systematic costs

Planned income

The cost of one bar of exclusive handmade chocolate is 200 rubles, the cost of its production is 25–35 rubles, depending on the filling. On average, you can sell 200 tiles per month, the final income is 40 thousand rubles. Net profit per month is 15 thousand rubles, payback period for a home business is 5 months.

Business plan for producing chocolate on an industrial scale

Industrial production is different from domestic production. You will not be able to cope with the volume of production alone; you will need to involve employees. Equipment for a full-fledged workshop costs tens of times more, and the manufacturing technology is more complex than at home.

First of all, hire a technologist for the enterprise. He will be responsible for the process of making chocolate and working on recipes. Purchase raw materials only after working out each recipe.

To obtain chocolate, cocoa beans are roasted, ground and mixed with the remaining ingredients in a conche machine, and then cooled and formed into bars.

The process of making chocolate in the workshop is automated and includes the following steps:

dosing of components;
initial mixing;
mixing in a conche machine for up to 3 days;
heating the chocolate mass to 50 degrees;
pouring into molds;
cooling to 33 degrees and holding for 40 minutes;

The production of different types of chocolate differs in the initial set of ingredients and technology adjustments. To prepare aerated chocolate, it is enough to add air when loading the raw materials for conching, but for bitter chocolate you will have to use more cocoa powder.

Selecting a room

To organize a chocolate workshop, a room with an area of 60 square meters is sufficient. m. Requirements for the workshop:

is not part of the housing stock;
equipped with ventilation;
there are sinks with cold and hot water;
the walls are tiled up to 1.5 m from the floor;
the rest of the walls are painted.

To make bars and candies perfectly even, buy a molding machine for your workshop

Indoors, equip a space for storing products with optimal temperature, as well as an office and a workshop with equipment.

Purchase of equipment

The cost of purchasing equipment ranges from 1 to 10 million rubles. Industrial equipment for a chocolate workshop:

ball mill for mixing ingredients;
boiler for melting butter;
conche mixing machine;
refrigeration equipment;
tempera for crystallization of chocolate.

In conche machines, the chocolate mass is kept with constant stirring for 24–72 hours

Auxiliary equipment:

conveyors;
ventilation system;
thermostats;
planetary pumps;
hoods;
molding equipment;
packaging unit;
printing press for making wrappers.

Purchase of raw materials

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which can be purchased in Africa, Australia, and Asia. There are three types of beans suitable for chocolate production:

“Creole” - selected premium beans;
"Stranger" - average quality;
"Pumpkin" - low-grade beans.

Cocoa beans go through three stages before turning into powder:

frying at a temperature of 150 degrees;
separation of liquid and husk;
grinding into powder.

In addition to the powder, purchase cocoa butter, sugar and milk, as well as ingredients for fillings if you plan to make candies.

Don’t skimp on ingredients: the more natural ingredients, the higher the quality of the chocolate.

Recruitment

For the normal functioning of the workshop, hire employees. Make sure everyone has valid health records.

Composition of employees:

manager;
accountant;
technologist;
confectioners;
driver;
cleaner.

Enter into non-disclosure agreements with your employees regarding the company’s recipes.

Formation of assortment

Large confectionery factories use a similar recipe, and their production volumes do not allow them to produce exclusive chocolate in small batches. In a small workshop you can make chocolate according to original recipes, varying the composition of ingredients and filling.

Together with the technologist, evaluate production capabilities and calculate the expected production volumes. Develop your own specifications. Based on the planned purchases of raw materials, create a menu. Complete them and post them on the company website or in a group on social networks.

A high-end chocolate boutique's selection typically includes handmade chocolates and cakes, as well as beautifully packaged gift sets.

Possible distribution channels and advertising

Chocolate lovers (82%) buy their favorite product in supermarkets at the same time as purchasing other goods. At the same time, 21% of them are ready to specifically go to the store for chocolate. Milk bars are chosen more often than others, bitter ones less often. Only 4% of consumers love white chocolate. “Chocolate boutiques” with exclusive varieties of your favorite product are gaining momentum.

Possible sales channels for products:

supermarkets;
grocery stores outside the chains;
stalls, tents;
coffee shops, cafes;
fairs, exhibitions.

shops, coffee shops;
Internet, social networks;
city magazines;
issue of own catalogues;
sponsoring events.

To ensure that your product does not get lost on store shelves, do not skimp on original packaging and memorable advertising

Business settlements

The calculations are given on the example of a workshop with an area of 60 sq. m., equipped with everything necessary and operating under a license.

Table: opening costs

Table: recurring costs

Expected income

The cost of one chocolate bar is 100 rubles, the cost of its production is 20–35 rubles. On average, only through retail chains you can sell 5,200 tiles per month, the final income is 520 thousand rubles. Net profit per month is 260 thousand rubles, the payback period for a home business is 2 years.

Business profitability reaches 200% even when using natural ingredients. If you replace cocoa powder and cocoa butter with cheap analogues, it will increase by another 1.5 times.

Franchise or own brand

You will need significant capital to start your chocolate business from scratch. There is an exit. If you doubt your abilities, buy a franchise. Famous chocolate factories operating under franchising:

"Chantimel";
Podarilli;
Frade.

Franchise benefits:

work under a well-known brand;
proven production technology;
opportunity to buy equipment at a discount/leasing;
consulting assistance;
mechanics of doing business;
feeling of working as a team.

Disadvantages of franchising:

the need to pay the franchise seller a monthly fee - royalty;
high cost of business;
excessive demands on the incoming partner;
the need to comply with the franchisor's conditions.

A franchise buyer always runs the risk of running into an unscrupulous company that, instead of existing mechanisms for effective work, only gives a couple of instructions on how to conduct business.

The Konfael franchise allows you to ensure stable turnover and makes it possible to obtain higher profitability compared to a business created from scratch

Newbie mistakes

Beginners in the chocolate business often make mistakes. The key problem is the underestimation of consumer requests. Manufacturers in small towns are especially guilty of this. They rely on the uniqueness of the product, without paying attention to consumer qualities. As a result, the client receives an exclusive candy in expensive packaging, but it tastes obscene. Naturally, the client does not come again. In general, in provincial cities, people place inflated demands on the quality of food products, compliance with which is the key task of an entrepreneur.

If you decide to start a chocolate production business and have enough funds, don’t hesitate. Assess the market in your city, analyze the demand of potential buyers. Calculate your expenses and income and get started. If you doubt your abilities, choose a popular franchise and follow the proven methods of professionals.

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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 - gaining the trust of a certain target audience by supplying high-quality sweets to the market.

The main problem that an entrepreneur who plans to launch a chocolate production shop will definitely face is a large start-up investment. And here is another reason proving that organizing a small enterprise is much easier for a person who does not have millions of 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.

If you want to open your own small business in the future and compete with store-bought sweets with preservatives, emulsifiers, flavors and other chemical components of unknown origin, try making natural sweets.

Those who cannot live without chocolate, or simply love it, will be interested in learning the basics of the profession that makes candies, bars, decor and other miracles from chocolate. Even if you don’t make candy for sale, the issue of an unusual handmade gift for all occasions will be solved for you.
Where is the best place to start?

Step 1: Tools

Cooking thermometer.

You will definitely need a tool for the job:

It is better to use a plastic bowl in which you will melt the chocolate.
A culinary thermometer with a measuring range up to 200 degrees Celsius. There is no need to heat chocolate above 45 degrees, but if you get carried away with the process, you may want to make caramel and other sweets. This is where such a thermometer is indispensable and it’s better to stock up on it right away. Now on the Internet there are many offers of inexpensive Chinese thermometers; they are quite suitable for a start, although you can also use an alcohol thermometer with the required measurement range.
Spatula for tempering chocolate (we'll talk about this process later). A medium-width stainless steel spatula can be purchased at a hardware store.
A microwave or a small marble (granite) slab, which will also be needed for tempering.
Parchment, ready-made candies are laid out on it until the chocolate completely hardens and crystallizes.
Once you gain experience and want to make a variety of candies, you will need chocolate forks, pallets (long narrow spatulas), chocolate molds, disposable pastry bags and many other tools.

Step 2. Choosing chocolate

The next step is choosing the chocolate to work with. If you want to make exclusive sweets, try different types of professional Belgian, Italian, French chocolate, which are now easy to order online. This chocolate is sold in blocks or small tablets that are easy to work with and may cost more than bars found in stores. Since you are still a beginner chocolatier and you are afraid of spoiling expensive products, try melting a few store-bought bars first.

Step 3. Making chocolate

Step 3.1. Introduction

Adults and children love chocolate. It's no secret that a chocolate bar bought in a store contains various additives: preservatives, dyes, hardeners, etc. Your favorite delicacy can be prepared at home. True, you need to work a little. There are several types of chocolate: milk and bitter. You can add nuts and cookies to it, it all depends on your preference and taste.

The Indians learned about chocolate thousands of years BC; later the Mayan tribes considered cocoa fruits to be “food of the gods” and drank chocolate while performing various rituals. Columbus was the first European to try this drink, and the Spanish monarchs rated it with the highest score. In the 20th century, Joseph Fry prepared the first chocolate bar, which: improved mood, stabilized cholesterol in the blood, had a positive effect on the skin of the face and body, pancreas, heart muscle, and strengthened the immune system. Until now, dark chocolate clearly performs its functions.

Step 3.2. Master class for home

Without further ado, let's get down to making chocolate, for which you need: butter, honey or sugar and of course cocoa. When making chocolate, you shouldn’t skimp, buy quality products, and you’ll be pleased with the results. We have decided on the products; the chocolate mold can be silicone (for sweets and marmalade) or you can pour it into an ice mold. Now about the proportions. Have to take:

cocoa-100 g or cocoa butter (if you find it!);
butter-50 g.
three tablespoons of sugar;
5 tablespoons of water;
15 g. vanillin;
two tablespoons of any liqueur (optional).

water is mixed with cocoa and sugar;
then put it on low heat;
Stir this mixture all the time until it boils;
add butter, stir, bring to thick sour cream;
cook for another 1-2 minutes;
pour the finished mixture into prepared molds, greased with butter;

then put it in the refrigerator until completely cool. If you want to add nuts, raisins, cookies, lemon or orange zest, liqueur, cognac, then you need to add this at the stage of pouring into the mold. On top, sprinkle any chopped nuts you have.
Place the chocolate poured into the mold in the freezer; when frozen, it will be hard, but if you just put it in the refrigerator, it will be soft.

It is impossible to make real dark chocolate at home due to the lack of cocoa butter or cocoa mass. But it doesn’t matter, in any case we got a tasty and healthy dessert.

Step 4. Glazing of fresh fruits and nuts

You have prepared the chocolate for work, what to do with it next. First, try coating fresh fruits, candied fruits, nuts, and apple chips in chocolate. To do this, you can simply dip them into chocolate using a fork, let the remaining chocolate drip off and place on parchment. Candied fruits look beautiful, partially dipped in chocolate, when their tip is visible (in this case, forks are not needed). French chocolates – mediants – also look impressive. To prepare them, you need to pour a small amount of chocolate (a teaspoon or dessert spoon) onto parchment and decorate with nuts, pieces of candied fruit, raisins, let it harden and start tasting. All together it is very impressive, tastes delicious and makes it possible to create chocolate delights.

Now you are no longer afraid to work with chocolate, you want to master new types of sweets, don’t be afraid, experiment, look for new information, buy literature, come up with your own recipes.