Alexander Kaptsov

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The competition in the field of chocolate production is so high that it is time for a novice entrepreneur to think about how to attract the attention of buyers. The originality and exclusivity of chocolates can be of great help in this matter. Yes, and for a natural product, without additives and impurities, consumers are willing to pay more. If you choose the right direction for business development, then it will soon become profitable and promising.

Chocolate home business: where to start?

The chocolate business, like any other, requires official registration with the tax office. If it is supposed to produce chocolate or chocolates, selling products through a network of outlets or your own store, then. Wholesale customers and suppliers prefer cooperation with legal entities.
However, the matter does not end with registration with the tax office.

The entrepreneur will need to visit:

1. In SES and fire inspection in order to obtain a conclusion on the compliance of the working premises with the standards provided for the declared activity. It must be equipped with engineering communications, ventilation, fire-fighting system. In the production of food products, it is better to entrust the solution of this issue to experienced lawyers.
2. In Rospotrebnadzor , where you should submit the recipe for manufactured goods and receive a certificate of their compliance with existing standards.

Note: To work with the product group, you need a medical book.

If you plan to open a store to sell your own products, then you should also obtain permission for it. In general, the costs of registering an enterprise and taxes will cost around 19,000 rubles.

How to organize the process of production of chocolates at home?

An important condition for the production of delicious chocolates is strict adherence to the technological process. The recipe for their manufacture is easy to find on the Internet, but let a specialist do it. Complex recipes, selected by chocolatier - for exquisite sweets. The standard technology for making chocolate at home does not require much effort and expense.

Required Ingredients:

• Flour - 1 teaspoon.
• Cocoa - 5 tbsp. spoons.
• Milk - 150 ml.
• Butter - 50 g.
• Sugar - 5-7 tbsp. spoons.
• Forms for pouring the finished product.

Milk, cocoa and sugar are mixed in a small saucepan or bowl, the resulting mixture is brought to a boil over low heat. Oil and flour are gradually added to it, with continuous stirring. When a homogeneous mass is obtained, the chocolate is ready. It remains only to pour the filling into it (chopped peanuts, walnuts, raisins, waffle crumbs) and pour into molds.

If, according to technology, you need to put whole nuts in chocolate, then the mold is filled halfway, the filling is poured into it, which is poured with chocolate on top. After a few hours, the sweets harden and you can eat them.

With the correct organization of the production process, the following conditions must be met:

1. Maintaining the temperature regime during storage of finished products within 15-180C. The split system and refrigerators do an excellent job with this.
2. Compliance with the terms of product implementation - no more than 2-6 months. So that chocolate does not lose its taste and presentation, it should be stored refrigerated.
3. Transportation of chocolate is carried out in specially equipped vehicles.
4. Use for business premises with an area of ​​at least 60 sq.m. It allocates 2 premises for a warehouse for storing raw materials and finished products, a place for a production workshop, and a sink.

Advice. It is very important to purchase good equipment when making chocolate yourself, since the taste of sweets depends on it.

True, in 99% of cases, small businesses do not produce their own chocolate, but buy a ready-made product, process it and produce delicious sweets.

Assortment of handmade chocolate products

To attract as many customers as possible, it is desirable to diversify the assortment of chocolates.

Current offers include:

• Gift Baskets.
• Chocolate figurines, postcards, portraits, sculptures.
• Truffles.
• Praline.
• Milk, black, white chocolate.
• Chocolate fountains.
• Diet chocolate and more.

Recently, one of the fashion trends among culinary specialists is a non-standard mixture of tastes and aromas. So, for example, the taste of chili peppers, olives, ginger and other spices is increasingly manifested in chocolate. Confectioners offer chocolate-covered bacon, sweets with dried tomatoes, candied fruit, thyme. Sweets filled with fragrant aromas of coffee, roasted sesame and grated nuts activate the senses. The original packaging further enhances the pleasure of the exquisite taste of sweets.

In this case, the size of one candy should not be too large. To enhance the taste, it must be completely in the mouth. For example, the most common weight of truffles, loved by many, does not exceed 3-7 g.

Where to sell homemade chocolate products: chocolate candy market

There will be no problems with the sale of manufactured products if you agree in advance with retail outlets, cafes and restaurants on the supply of chocolate. True, given the fact that homemade sweets have a short shelf life, it is better to produce them on order.

You can offer chocolate delicacies or organize holidays. If things go well, then opening your own store will only increase turnover.

How much will it cost a beginner to organize a chocolate business: an approximate business plan for the production of chocolates at home

We offer an approximate business plan for the production of chocolate at home with the opening of your own store.

Start-up costs

If an entrepreneur does not understand the intricacies of chocolate production, then a specialist will have to be sent to chocolatier courses, and these are additional expenses of 15,300 rubles.

Summing up, the calculation is given for the production of dark chocolate bars:

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 a gift for the holidays. The chocolate production business pays off in a matter of months and brings stable profits to the owners.

Chocolate Making Business Ideas

There are two models of the organization of the technological process: home or industrial production of chocolate.

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 registration with the Federal Tax Service and paying taxes will lie with you.

In the second case, you will have to comply with the requirements of the inspection authorities, rent and prepare a workshop, hire employees and set up a streaming 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 products, yielding to large workshops in production volumes.

The range of chocolate boutique includes:

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

Customers can order custom sets, chocolate fountains and even engraved sweets.

The fashion trend of gourmet boutiques is a combination of incongruous tastes. High-end chocolate manufacturers offer ginger, chili, candied fruit, and even bacon as fillings. They sell fragrant sweets 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. Combined with chocolate, they form a unique delicacy. The advantage of the fruit-covered chocolate business is the minimal competition in the Russian market. The disadvantage is a pronounced seasonality. In winter, the cost of fruit increases, and the demand of buyers falls.

A possible way out of the situation is to rent an area in a city shopping center in order to work even in the cold season, in a place with maximum traffic. In advertising, you can focus on the saturation of products with vitamins.

There is nothing tastier than fruits in chocolate: neither children nor adults can resist this delicacy

Making figurines from chocolate

The technology for making chocolate figures is simple - hot chocolate is poured into the molds, then cooled until hardened and the halves are taken out. The edges of each are carefully heated and glued together. Cakes and pastries are decorated with figurines, they are given for holidays to children and adults.

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, stacks, spoons, paper sheets and others. Combining different types of chocolate and adding food coloring, confectioners give the figurines 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: registering a business

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

Advantages of the status of an individual entrepreneur:

• registration within 5 working days;
• minimum state duty when registering a business;
• minimum documents.

The main disadvantage of IP is the responsibility to creditors with all property. If you own an apartment, and your business has accumulated debts, be prepared for the property to be put up for sale.

Advantages of opening an LLC:

• financial responsibility within the authorized capital;
• a participant in a legal entity can withdraw from it by alienating a share of the company;
• 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 deposit an authorized capital of 10 thousand rubles, as well as a state duty of 4 thousand rubles. for setting up a company.

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

Table: comparison of tax regimes

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

Organization of home production of chocolate

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

Recipe and manufacturing technology

Follow the recipe and the technological process in the manufacture of chocolate - the taste and shelf life of the finished product depends on this.

The simplest chocolate recipe at home:

1. 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 constantly.
2. Gradually add 1 teaspoon flour and 50 g butter. Continue to stir the composition until a homogeneous mass.
3. 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 the appearance and taste.

Once the chocolate has cooled, it can be eaten. You can store homemade sweets for 2-6 months at temperatures up to 17 degrees. Transportation of chocolate is allowed only in vehicles equipped with cooling systems.

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

Requirements for the premises

Technical conditions for the production of chocolate 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 optimum 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;
• grinder to remove excess moisture;
• tamper 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 candy 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 the business and open a kitchen outside the home, having received permits from the SES, negotiate with retail chains and coffee houses that do not have cooking and supply sweets for sale. The main thing is to comply with the terms of delivery and storage of goods.

Financial calculations

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

Table: business start-up costs

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, 200 tiles can be sold per month, the total income is 40 thousand rubles. Net profit per month - 15 thousand rubles, the payback period for a home business is 5 months.

Business plan for the production of 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 attract employees. Equipment for a full-fledged workshop costs dozens of times more, and manufacturing technology is more complicated than homemade.

First of all, hire a technologist for the enterprise. He will be responsible for the process of making chocolate and working out recipes. Buy 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 up to 3 days;
• heating the chocolate mass to 50 degrees;
• filling in forms;
• cooling to 33 degrees and holding for 40 minutes;

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

Room selection

To organize a chocolate shop, a room with an area of ​​60 sq. m. Requirements for the workshop:

• 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 tiles and sweets perfectly even, buy a molding machine in the workshop

Indoors, equip a place for a product warehouse with an optimal temperature, as well as an office and a workshop with equipment directly.

Purchase of equipment

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

• ball mill for mixing ingredients;
• boiler for kindling oil;
• conche mixing machine;
• refrigeration equipment;
• tamper for crystallization of chocolate.

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

Auxiliary equipment:

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

Purchase of raw materials

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

• "Creole" - selected beans of the highest class;
• "Foreigner" - medium 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 husks;
• grinding into powder.

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

Do not save on ingredients: the more natural ingredients, the higher the quality of chocolate

Recruitment

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

Composition of employees:

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

Sign non-disclosure agreements with the company's recipes with employees.

Formation of the assortment

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

Together with the technologist, evaluate the possibilities of production, calculate the expected volumes of output. Develop your own specifications. Based on the planned purchases of raw materials, make a menu. Design them and post them on the company's website or in a group in social networks.

The range of high-end chocolate boutiques usually includes handmade sweets 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 they buy other goods. At the same time, 21% of them are ready to specifically go to the store for chocolate. More often than others, milk tiles are chosen, less often - bitter ones. Only 4% of consumers love white chocolate. Gaining momentum "chocolate boutiques" with exclusive varieties of your favorite product.

Possible distribution channels for products:

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

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

So that your product does not get lost on the shelves of the store, do not skimp on the original packaging and catchy advertising.

Business calculations

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 making it is 20–35 rubles. On average, only through retail chains per month you can sell 5200 tiles, the total income is 520 thousand rubles. Net profit per month - 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 an impressive amount of capital to start your chocolate business from scratch. There is an exit. If you doubt your abilities, buy a franchise. Notable franchised chocolate factories:

• "Chantimel";
• Podarilli;
• Frade.

Franchise Benefits:

• work under a well-known brand;
• proven production technology;
• the opportunity to buy equipment at a discount/leasing;
• consulting assistance;
• business mechanics;
• feeling of teamwork.

Franchising Disadvantages:

• the need to pay the franchise seller a monthly remuneration - royalties;
• high cost of business;
• excessive requirements for the incoming partner;
• the need to comply with the conditions of the franchisor.

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

Franchise "Konfael" allows you to ensure stable turnover and gives you the opportunity to get higher profitability compared to a business created from scratch

Rookie 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, not paying attention to consumer qualities. As a result, the client receives an exclusive candy in an expensive package, but it turns out to be obscene in taste. Naturally, the client does not come again. In general, in provincial towns, people make excessive demands on the quality of food products, compliance with which is the key task of an entrepreneur.

Having decided to start a chocolate production business and having enough funds, do not 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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As you know, at present there are a sufficient number of chocolate manufacturers on the Russian confectionery market (including chocolate sweets, bars, bars, etc.). However, this situation is far from being an obstacle for new manufacturers to enter the market.

Moreover, despite the apparent abundance of confectionery (and in particular, chocolate) products, the emergence of new manufacturers, especially those producing high-quality and so-called. "premium" brands are strongly welcomed.

Many novice businessmen are reluctant to start a business with food, and even more so confectionery production. Chocolate and other sweets are not considered essential goods, releasing which can quickly turn around the invested capital, and the food and light industries in general are traditionally considered not very profitable.

In addition, many are confused by the need for repeated sanitary and epidemiological checks, both of the products themselves and of production facilities, because the relevant authorities always pay increased attention to food manufacturers.

However, having considered the arguments and counterarguments in some detail, it is easy to see that they are untenable.

Chocolate, although formally not a commodity, does not lose significantly in sales even during a crisis. It is one of the favorite products of the population: children, like any sweet, love it, and adults, by and large, are only big children in this regard - they consume chocolate very actively, for example, with tea or coffee, instead of a full meal or just for fun.

A box of chocolates is the most common "bribe", ie. a thing given in gratitude to petty officials, kindergarten teachers, school and university teachers, doctors and (or) nurses in a polyclinic, etc., not to mention chocolates as one of the attributes of a romantic date.

So the fears of a novice entrepreneur regarding finding a sales market and payback are in vain.

As for the increased attention from the authorities that control the quality of products and their compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards, many people forget that any production (even not only food production) is still considered by them in this regard.

So attention is paid to everyone without exception: for example, manufacturers of many building materials (paint and varnish products, any products related to woodworking, etc.) are subject to increased fire safety requirements. Do not be afraid of the excessive captiousness of sanitary officials - if everything is really all right with you, no one will do anything to you.

Summing up all of the above, we can safely say that the production of chocolate and chocolate products is one of the most interesting and profitable business areas.

Description of technology and specifics of chocolate production

By and large, there is nothing complicated in the technology of chocolate production. Yes, raw materials - cocoa beans require a carefully selected warehouse: a well-ventilated, but dry room with an artificially maintained temperature of 16 ° C. But this is where the special requirements for chocolate production are limited. The rest - the workshop, the availability of sanitary books for the staff, etc. comply with normal food production requirements.

The main stage of chocolate production is conching. It is a continuous mixing of the heated chocolate mass until it turns into a homogeneous (homogenized) mass. Conching is done in special conches (or, as they are also called, conche machines).

Pre-mixed chocolate mass (consisting of cocoa liquor, powdered sugar, cocoa butter and additives), subjected to rolling - preliminary grinding in special mills.

The main secret of conching is the duration of mixing. It has been found that prolonged mixing significantly improves the quality of the chocolate mass. Therefore, many elite varieties of chocolate are subjected to conching for 360 hours, or 5 days.

The duration of this process is about 72 hours (3 days). For cheaper varieties, one day of conching is enough.

The conching itself is carried out in three stages: first, the dry mixture (cocoa powder and powdered sugar) is mixed, in the second, excess moisture is evaporated from the mixture, and in the third, cocoa butter (or its substitute) is added to the dry mixture.

Of course, the taste and quality of chocolate is influenced by various flavoring and aromatic additives (flavorings, alcohol, wines, and the like), and the percentage of natural ingredients (for example, palm, coconut, peanut, milk fat is often added instead of rather expensive cocoa butter). or combine these components with each other; instead of cocoa powder, carob, carob powder, is sometimes used). But ultimately, the recipe for the resulting chocolate is usually a company secret.

The second most important stage in the production of chocolate is molding, i.e. giving the chocolate mass an appropriate shape (slabs, sweets, bars, etc.) and filling (if, of course, it is provided by the manufacturer) with crushed nuts, candied fruits, wafers, etc.

The prepared chocolate mass with a temperature of +40 to +45 ° C is poured into special molds (moulds). Then it is quickly cooled to 33°C, and kept at this temperature for 30-40 minutes, constantly mixed. This allows the cocoa butter to crystallize properly. This process is called tempering.

Cost of equipment and profitability of chocolate production

Of course, the list of equipment for the production of chocolate is not limited to a conche machine and a set of molds. For the normal functioning of the line for the production of chocolate, much more different equipment is required.

For example, to kindle fat (cocoa butter), a special fat-burning boiler is required (at a price of about a third of a million rubles - for a boiler with a capacity, i.e. a working volume of 200 kg of butter); the primary mixing of the components (rolling) is carried out in ball mills filled with special steel balls like bearings, with the help of which the mixing process takes place.

Such a mill costs about one and a half million rubles. It comes with 1 conche, but taking into account the technology - the chocolate mass should be mixed for at least a day - you will have to purchase additional conches (each of which costs about 8000-9000 €) so as not to stop the conveyor.

In addition, you will also need a tempering machine (about 1 million rubles) and a vertical refrigeration tunnel that produces rapid cooling of molded products, which is required according to the technology. Such a tunnel will cost about 2.5 million rubles.

This is just the basic technique needed to make chocolate. Additional - hoods and thermostats for the warehouse of finished products, conveyor belts, aeration plants, special planetary pumps and heated pipelines for moving liquid chocolate mass from unit to unit, molds and a stamping machine for their manufacture, packaging and other machines will not pull in total less than 4-5 million rubles.

As you can see, the total costs are not too high - something around 10 million rubles, but quite sensitive for a novice businessman.

But these costs pay off very quickly if we consider in more detail the ratio of the cost of chocolate and its selling price, i.e. calculate profitability.

If we consider ordinary - bitter - chocolate, without the addition of soy, palm oil and other cheap substitutes (namely, it is the least profitable), then it consists of approximately 60% (by weight) of cocoa powder (about $ 1870-2010 for 1 t), and 40% from powdered sugar (about $ 1000 per 1 ton), we get the cost of 1 ton of chocolate (taking into account a small percentage of cocoa butter) at about $ 1500-1600, or $ 15-16 (less than 500 rubles) for 1 kg.

Even considering, for simplicity, 1 kg of dark chocolate equal in cost to 500 rubles. (with labor costs, taxes, depreciation and other costs), and the price of a bar of such chocolate equal to 100 rubles, we get a minimum profitability of 200%.

This is the lowest limit. Adding various additives that reduce the cost of the cost to the chocolate recipe leads to an increase in profitability literally at times.

Compare: carob, carob powder costs about 50-67 rubles. for 1 kg against $18.7-20.1 (565-608 rubles) of real cocoa powder. Adding even 5% carob will help save about 8-10% ($120-160$) per ton of chocolate.

Chocolate production video

Confectionery, especially chocolate, is 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 for many aspiring 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 the production of chocolate, which would present the technology, recipe and economic benefits of the future enterprise.

Our business valuation:

Starting investments - from 1,500,000 rubles.

Market saturation is average.

The complexity of starting a business is 6/10.

What should a businessman think over when launching his own "sweet" business?

Relevance of the chocolate business

The market for chocolate products in Russia is developing rapidly. And even despite the fact that many today prefer a healthy lifestyle, it is unlikely that anyone will refuse to treat themselves or their children to sweets from time to time. Let's say more - a chocolate manufacturing enterprise on pre-holiday and holidays 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 there are a lot of products on store shelves produced by small little-known brands.

The small business of chocolate production is slowly gaining momentum, largely due to the fact that it is very “fashionable” today to use everything natural and, let's not be afraid of this word, unique. And such products, in general, can be provided to customers by small companies that do not pursue quantity - quality is more important to them. Therefore, in this business, in order to "taste" all the charm of the chocolate business, it is better to start with the organization of a small workshop.
It is hardly worth being afraid of large 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 business of making chocolate 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 manufacturing company. That is why the organization of a mini chocolate production will not bring the expected profit if you do not thoroughly think through all the “designer” nuances.

How 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, large-scale marketing research is unlikely to be deployed, but some surveys can be organized.

The technological process of making chocolate is simple, but it is necessary to learn at least the basics of production! To help the entrepreneur - lectures of teachers, master classes, consultations of specialists.

In order for the chocolate mini-factory to bring the expected profit, you need to work on the assortment. A wide variety of chocolate is presented on the domestic market - bitter, porous, white, milk, with and without filler, with and 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 ourselves to the production of only one type of product. The variety of products will attract more buyers.

Features of production and equipment are such that a variety of types of chocolate confectionery products can be produced on one line.

Next, you need to register your business. This stage of business formation is sometimes very delayed and adds a headache 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 treasured "paper", you will need to prepare a project plan for the workshop and prescribe sanitary standards in it. Here it is also necessary to provide a list of products planned for manufacture and methods for the production of chocolate, confirmed by technological maps.

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

Samples of products are then submitted to the laboratory for research in order to obtain a license.

What raw materials will need to be purchased?

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

• cocoa powder,
• cocoa oil,
• powdered sugar.

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

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

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

chocolate manufacturing technology

Process flow diagram for chocolate production

The technological scheme of chocolate production is quite simple - in the presence of 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 a 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 (moulds).
• Tempering chocolate - aging in molds with stirring.
• Packaging of finished products.

Conching is considered the main step in the manufacture of chocolate. 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 porous chocolate is accompanied by the saturation of the chocolate mass with air bubbles - at the stage before tempering.

What equipment should be purchased?

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

Chocolate production line

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

• Ball mill - from 1,000,000 rubles.
• Capacity 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 the analysis of finished products - all this is at least 500,000 rubles. It turns out that at least 5,000,000 rubles will be required to prepare the workshop for work.

But the price of chocolate production equipment varies widely. And therefore, without having such an impressive investment, you can not buy an automated line, but limit yourself to 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 the organization of the workshop. All costs with established distribution channels pay off very quickly.

Let's take a simple calculation as an example. 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 for organizing a chocolate business are possible?

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

A franchise opens up great opportunities for an entrepreneur to own a business whose brand is already known to consumers. On specialized sites 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 truly unique sweet products can be obtained at home. Household appliances 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, the sale of chocolate right 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 quickly pays off.

To open a chocolate business, you need to rent the right premises, since cocoa beans - a raw product - are very demanding in terms of conditions. Therefore, the room for chocolate production should be very well ventilated and always dry - chocolate does not like moisture, and the temperature in this room should not exceed 17 degrees.

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

Chocolate production equipment

In order to open the production of chocolate, it is necessary to purchase special equipment. First of all, it is a boiler in which fat will be melted. 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 the production to be continuous, there must be several konches, each worth at least half a million. Cooling the mold will require a special cooling tunnel, the cost of which is from two and a half million.

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

Raw materials

Raw materials for the production of chocolate 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, as it costs only 60 rubles per kilogram.

As a result, the quality of the chocolate deteriorates accordingly. And cocoa butter can be replaced with milk fat or palm oil.

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