The toughest production challenge - getting an extremely stiff chocolate mixture into a Mold.

Cris –

The problem is there’s not enough fat in what you’re making, as an overall percentage, to make the chocolate fluid.

Do you know the fat content of the chocolate itself? You don’t say what the cocoa content of the chocolate you’re using. Assuming 50% bean fat content (center of the range) and no added cocoa butter, a 60% cocoa content chocolate will have 30% fat. The other 70% is dry ingredients.

That’s your problem with respect to getting the product into a mold efficiently. As near as I know there’s no simple answer for this at such a low overall fat content.

Ok I didn’t realise there isn’t a separate title / post.

I have a product I’m looking to bring to market, I’ve made some successful prototypes and people seem really thrilled with the product. My challenge is production and scalability.

The product is an approximately 50/50 mix of Dark Chocolate and various powdered spices. This needs to be pressed into a chocolate mould.

I am using a seeding process to temper the chocolate. I use 66% of the dark chocolate, melted, mixed with the dry powder and then mix in the remaining 34% and stir it till it’s fully combined. This mixture is more or less as far removed from “molten chocolate” as it gets, HOWEVER, when I press it into a chocolate bar mould, and smooth it, and push it so it fills all nooks and crannies, it then sets -JUST- like chocolate. Smooth and glossy, it snaps, it’s all good.

My problem is the time it takes to get it into the mould. It needs to be forced in. It will not flow at all. It’s like frozen ice cream – it’ll move, but only if forced to.

I have no idea how I can solve this problem. Once I get the mixture into the mould (takes 5-10 minutes for 3 or 6 bars) it does exactly what I want. But getting it to that stage is a really difficult challenge.

I AM WILLING TO PAY A REWARD TO WHOMEVER CAN HELP ME FIND A SOLUTION

So far I have considered using a vibration plate to shake it into place, but I am doubtful this will work as the product mixture is so dry and crumbly. For some reason once it is pressed down tightly into the polycarbonate mould it does seem to set perfectly and act like a normal chocolate bar – stable at room temperature etc etc.

I’m a humble chocolatier, trying to start my own business with various hurdles infront of me but this one seems almost insurmountable. I would love to hear any and all advice on getting this stiff chocolate / powder mixture reliably and quickly into a mould so I can really ramp up production.

Thank you!

• Chris