SITUATION
An Australian drinking chocolate and pastry manufacturer with branded retail locations was interested in manufacturing their own proprietary chocolate.

PROBLEM
The client had no knowledge of or previous experience with chocolate making/manufacture.

SOLUTION
Over the course of three full days at our facility, we hosted the client and covered key points related to chocolate organoleptic assessment, ingredient sourcing and assessment, cacao and chocolate processing, machinery choices, product formulation, and process optimization.

BENEFITS
After completion, our client started a chocolate manufacturing division based upon efficient decision making, leading to significant savings in both time and money, and true peace of mind.

SITUATION
A coffee roaster was interested in expanding their brand exposure by partnering with specialty food manufacturers/copackers to feature their own roasted coffee in chocolate bars, a hot mocha beverage, and a beer.

PROBLEM
The roaster did not have the product formulation experience necessary to develop this full range of products.

SOLUTION
We formulated two unique chocolate bars and a proprietary chocolate ingredient for use in the hot mocha beverage—all produced by a copacker–and worked together with the roaster and a regional brewery to develop a special seasonal beer with the roaster’s coffee included.

BENEFITS
Our work led to multiple new revenue streams for the roaster, and grew their brand significantly, well beyond the constraints of the specialty coffee industry.

SITUATION
A food science professor at an American university had an interest in developing a course for her students based upon Asian fermented foods (e.g., shoyu, miso, etc.).

PROBLEM
The professor had academic understanding of the processes involved, but no real hands-on experience.

SOLUTION
We suggested specific formulations for potential products that could be used in the course, advised on the approaches required to make them given equipment constraints, suggested potential experimental variables that could be altered, helped to develop the course laboratory protocol, and provided real-time phone support during the course.

BENEFITS
Our course exposed a new generation of American food science students to the intricacies of Asian fermented food products and practices, one of the faster growing segments of the American food market.

SITUATION
An ice-cream maker was interested in developing an exclusive, never-before-seen flavor that it hoped would become a huge crowd favorite.

PROBLEM
Countless ice-cream flavors had already been developed and marketed by this company and its many competitors, making it difficult for the ice-cream maker to conceive of a product that would be both new and popular.

SOLUTION
Drawing from a list of popular ice-cream ingredients and inclusions, we traced them back to their foundations to create an exciting new chocolate flavor concept. First, we sourced and custom-roasted cocoa beans and developed a special sea-salt-spiked butter toffee. We then combined it all into a butter-toffee-coated cocoa-nib crunch to be incorporated into the ice-cream company’s luscious vanilla base.

BENEFITS
This fresh and exciting new flavor included several beloved characteristics (crunchy, chocolaty, and caramelly), and was a true study in the power of dynamic contrast. And the ice cream quickly rose in popularity to become one of the brands top 3 selling flavors.

SITUATION
A chocolate and confectionary company needed several types of baked goods for a new market, and fast!

PROBLEM
The company had not previously developed such baked good products for its business.

SOLUTION
In a matter of weeks, we developed gooey chocolate-espresso brownies, chewy peanut-butter chocolate-chip cookie bars, and moist double-chocolate muffins for the market using a variety of the company’s own delectable chocolates.

BENEFITS
Customers immediately began to purchase these new baked goods with abandon, the sales of which then became a significant driver for increased chocolate bar sales in the same market, boosting overall sales by >40%.