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
	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%
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:

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 continuously.
2. Gradually add 1 teaspoon of flour and 50 g of butter. Continue stirring the mixture until smooth.
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 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 different types of cocoa-based products, as well as requirements for equipment and workshop. Despite the lack of registration and inspections, try to comply with the maximum requirements of the standard. The room must be ventilated, with artificial temperature conditions and low humidity levels. The optimal temperature for storing chocolate is up to 17 degrees.

Purchase of equipment and raw materials

You can open a home confectionery shop 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 oil and cocoa with carob, you risk the taste of the 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 photos of products and post advertisements. 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 home 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 your 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 buyers like white chocolate. “Chocolate boutiques” with exclusive varieties of your favorite product are gaining momentum.

Probable distribution channels for products:

• supermarkets;
• non-chain grocery stores;
• stalls, tents;
• coffee shops, cafes;
• fairs, exhibitions.

• shops, coffee shops;
• Internet, social networks;
• city ​​magazines;
• release of own catalogs;
• 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

Calculations are given using the example of a workshop with an area of ​​60 square meters. m., equipped with everything necessary and operating under a license.

Table: opening costs

Table: regular 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 underestimating consumer demands. 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 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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Opening your own production of chocolate and chocolate products can be a very interesting idea. There is no need for large investments in the business: most products can be made by hand and there is no need to purchase expensive lines.

Not only is the variety of products that can be made from chocolate impressive, but also the price of some products, reaching up to several thousand rubles per piece. Such products are often bought as souvenirs as gifts for birthdays, New Years, Valentine's Day, and so on.

You can sell products through retail stores, through wholesale buyers, as well as through your own points of sale (for example, a confectionery shop).

Investments and equipment

Investments in starting a business will depend on what production method you plan to use: automatic or manual. The purchase of an automated line (for example, a line using Shell technology) will cost at least 4 million rubles. Such equipment works using a simple technology: the chocolate shell is formed using a metal stamp, which is lowered into a plastic mold filled with chocolate. In this way, it is possible to produce chocolate in a continuous flow of various shapes: in the form of a bar, an egg, a ball, animal figures and the like.

A cheaper option is a manual line. For mini-production of chocolate manually, it is enough to purchase the following set of equipment:

• tempering machine designed for melting chocolate and icing. This is the most expensive equipment in the set. Minimum price – 300 thousand rubles;
• thermometer;
• shoulder blades;
• scrapers;
• forms for figures (figures of animals, cars, people, hearts, and so on);
• refrigeration equipment.

The total cost of purchasing such a kit will be 600 - 800 thousand rubles. It is worth considering one important point that makes the manual method not so attractive - high dependence on working personnel. If an automatic line can be serviced by only 1-2 people, then for manual production you will have to create a staff of 8-10 people. And even in this case, it will not be possible to catch up with automatic equipment in terms of production volume. Despite this, there are examples of organizing micro-production with 2 employees (forum www.chocolatier.ru). Apparently this is enough:

Room

For the production of chocolate and chocolate products, you can rent a premises with an area of ​​40 square meters. m. In this area, you will need to allocate space for the production workshop, where the main equipment and workbench are located. It is also necessary to allocate space for a warehouse for raw materials and finished products, a staff room (rest room), and a toilet room. When selecting premises, attention should be paid to compliance with legal requirements. Food producing enterprises are subject to a number of strict requirements from the SES. So, it is necessary to have hot and cold water supply, ventilation and heating systems. Walls in the production workshop up to 1.5 m in height should be covered with tiles, and the rest of the wall should be painted with non-toxic paint. We should also not forget that chocolate production cannot be started in an ordinary apartment (although some people have such ideas). The violation here occurs on several points at once:

• production cannot be opened in residential buildings,
• the apartment must be transferred to the appropriate type of permitted use, that is, removed from the housing stock.

What about the raw materials?

The real features of this business are such that 99% of all small enterprises buy ready-made chocolate for the production of chocolate products and candies. Getting real industrial chocolate is quite difficult. This requires large financial costs, as well as hiring highly qualified technologists to develop original and delicious chocolate.

Belgian chocolate Belcolade has proven itself well as a finished raw material. It not only has excellent taste, but also tempers very well. It is used for glazing, production of chocolates, chocolate decoration and cream fillings. Available in tablet form.

What other options are there for organizing a chocolate business?

The idea of ​​selling chocolate directly at the production site is also actively discussed on forums. Business involves opening a retail outlet in large shopping centers on an area of ​​25-40 square meters. m. In this case, production is organized in front of the buyers: figures, hearts, balls are cut out of the finished chocolate, and all this is sprinkled with icing or nuts. This adds interest and creates increased demand for the finished product.

Chocolate is a sought-after product that is popular all over the world. Both children and adults love him. After all, this is not only a delicacy, but also a healthy product that reduces stress, energizes and stimulates mental activity. A chocolate business is a pleasant investment. It features a significant initial investment and high profitability.

Prospects for the chocolate business

Russians love chocolate: not a single holiday is complete without it, and on weekdays, rarely does anyone refuse to treat themselves to this delicacy. In addition, chocolate is widely used as a gift - from ordinary bars to a set of elite sweets and handmade figurines. Therefore, the demand for chocolate is stable in any economic situation. During holidays, the demand for chocolate increases 3-4 times. Moreover, according to some data, sales increase by 1.5–2 times every year. All these factors make the production and sale of chocolate a promising business area.

The selection of chocolate sweets is huge

Business ideas

There are several options for organizing a chocolate business - from selling ready-made European chocolate to producing unusual chocolate bars.

Chocolate boutique

The simplest option is to open a chocolate shop where ready-made chocolate from foreign and Russian manufacturers will be sold. The simplicity of this business lies in the fact that you do not need to bear the costs of purchasing equipment, renting a workshop, or hiring confectioners and technologists. It is enough to rent a retail outlet in a place with a good flow of potential consumers (for example, in a shopping center or in the business part of the city), and hire several sales consultants. Of course, in this case you will have to invest in the purchase of chocolate (up to 1 million rubles).

The assortment of the chocolate boutique includes thousands of products

Typically, chocolate boutiques target consumers with above-average incomes, and they are in demand for elite chocolate. Among the Russian manufacturers are Korkunov, U Palycha, Konfael, but the brand is, of course, set by European manufacturers (Belgian, Swiss, German, Italian, American). These are world-famous brands Toblerone, Amedei, Wittamer, MoserRoth, Leonidas, Ghirardelli and others.

At the boutique, it is wise to open a small cafe with hot chocolate and various chocolate desserts. The aroma of hot chocolate in the boutique will encourage customers to buy sweets, and you can attract attention with the help of a chocolate fountain. Some cafes add a glass wall to the kitchen so customers can watch how the handmade delicacy is created.

To prepare a hot drink, melt chocolate pieces in milk

Chocolate production line

An automated chocolate production line is expensive equipment, but it allows you to produce large volumes of products and minimize human intervention in the production process. To set up such production, you will need an experienced technologist.

Handmade chocolates and sweets

Handmade chocolate is usually made from ready-made chocolate: it is tempered (melted), then nuts, fruits, spices and other ingredients are added, and then new bars are formed. Such chocolates look very attractive, so they are in demand as an original gift. The same goes for handmade sweets. Belgian chocolate is usually used as a starting material, as it has an amazing taste.

And you can even make chocolate bouquets from sweets.

A bouquet of chocolates looks very unusual

Fruits in chocolate

Fruits in chocolate are an excellent alternative to regular chocolates, in which the words “strawberry” and “cherry” most often mean fudge with added flavors. Citrus fruits and chocolate-covered bananas are a natural delicacy that will delight your loved ones and are suitable as a gift. The disadvantage of such products is their short shelf life. And the main advantage is that you don’t have to bother with making chocolate yourself; you just need to buy high-quality bars without additives and melt them.

Most often strawberries are covered with chocolate, but there are other options: cherries, tangerine and orange slices, kiwi

Chocolate figures

Chocolate figurines are often used as a romantic gift. They do not have a very long shelf life, and due to the fact that the figurines are usually made by hand, their cost is quite high. Small figures cost 80–200 rubles, and large compositions cost the consumer several thousand rubles. To sell them, you can open your own store or make products to order.

Chocolate hearts are usually chosen as a gift to a beloved girlfriend or wife, children like figurines of animals and cartoon characters, and a man who is a car enthusiast can be given the chocolate car of his dreams. There are also neutral topics. For example, a boss is presented with a horseshoe as a symbol of good luck or a chocolate million dollars. Chocolate paintings and medals are in demand. Corporate clients are in demand for chocolate figurines with a corporate brand, which are usually ordered in large quantities as gifts for clients and business partners, and company employees.

Large chocolate figures are usually made hollow

Chocolate cakes and pastries

Another chocolate product is chocolate cakes. The easiest way is to make them to order. Custom-made cakes with personalized greetings are a popular product that is purchased for birthdays of children and adults, corporate events, New Year's holidays, March 8, anniversaries, weddings, etc.

Chocolate cake with the name of the hero of the day is a great gift

Where to start: business registration

You can organize a chocolatier business in any form convenient for you. If you plan to start with a small amount of investment, register as an individual entrepreneur and choose one of the simplified taxation systems. If you plan to do business with partners, it is better to establish a limited liability company. Are you planning to sell chocolate wholesale to large customers? The LLC format would be preferable.

The registration procedure itself is simple; the tax office registers individual entrepreneurs and LLCs within three days. Provided that you prepare the documents correctly.

Documents for registration of individual entrepreneurs:

• application for state registration of individual entrepreneurs in form P21001 - completed by hand or in printed form;
• a copy of your passport (during a personal visit to the tax office, you must also provide the original so that the inspector can compare the data);
• a copy of the certificate of assignment of an individual tax number (TIN);
• original receipt for payment of state duty (800 rubles).

Documents for LLC registration:

• application in form P11001;
• the decision of the sole founder or the minutes of the general meeting of founders on the creation of an LLC;
• LLC charter (2 copies);
• receipt of payment of state duty (4 thousand rubles);
• documents confirming the presence of a legal address.

If you plan to make chocolate yourself, then choose the following classification codes for economic activities (OKVED):

• 15.84 - Production of cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery;
• 52.61 - Retail trade by orders;
• 52.62 - Retail trade in tents and markets;
• 52.63 - Other retail trade outside stores.

Permits

Since the production of chocolate belongs to the food industry, it is necessary to notify Rospotrebnadzor (which now serves as the sanitary and epidemiological station) about the start of activity. Rospotrebnadzor will be able to conduct a scheduled inspection only after three years, and an unscheduled inspection if a complaint is received against you. You must provide the recipe to Rospotrebnadzor to receive a certificate of conformity.

Another authority is the fire inspectorate. It issues a conclusion on the compliance of the working premises with standards (availability of communications, fire protection system, ventilation).

Chocolate production is regulated by the national standard GOST R 52821–2007, adopted in 2010. GOST contains general technical conditions: it determines the composition of various types of chocolate, its taste and smell, consistency, appearance, requirements for raw materials, labeling, packaging, etc.

Selecting a room

If you only plan to produce chocolate without opening a retail outlet, then the location of the workshop does not matter. You can even locate it in the suburbs, as rent is usually cheaper there. When opening a chocolate boutique, it is better to choose a location with high traffic - in the city center or a shopping center. It is best to place the store in a shopping center near gift shops.

This is what an equipped room for chocolate production looks like

As for the requirements for the workshop, they are standard - as for any food production: an area of ​​40 square meters, good ventilation, heating, hot and cold water. Walls up to a height of 1.5 meters must be tiled, and walls above a level of 1.5 meters must be covered with non-toxic paint.

The premises should be divided into several functional areas: the place of direct production, a warehouse for raw materials and finished products, a rest room for employees, and a toilet. The warehouse for raw materials and products must be at a constant temperature of 16 degrees. After all, if the temperature regime is not observed, the finished chocolate will melt and then harden, which will lead to the formation of an unsightly white coating.

Is it possible to make chocolate at home?

Unfortunately, when running a legal business, food production in an apartment or private house is prohibited. Even if you plan to produce a small volume with your own hands, it is necessary to remove the production premises from the housing stock. But it won’t be possible to do this for premises in a residential building.

Staff

For a chocolate workshop you will need a confectioner-technologist, workers, equipment maintenance personnel, a loader, a driver with a truck, a cleaner, an administrator, a sales manager, an accountant, and a manager. And if there is a store, then there are sales consultants. Of course, at first you can get by with little effort, but you will still need a technologist. You can perform the remaining functions yourself; it is better to outsource some things (for example, accounting, equipment maintenance and transportation services).

In order for chocolate products to be in demand among consumers, care should be taken to hire highly qualified personnel

In addition, the chocolate business often becomes a family business, so feel free to involve your wife (or husband), parents, and adult children. If you do not have experience in the field of chocolate production, it would be useful to take specialized courses (their cost is about 15 thousand rubles).

All employees working directly with chocolate must have health certificates.

Raw materials

You can use ready-made chocolate as a raw material - just melt it, add your ingredients, pour it into molds and cool. But if you plan to make chocolate from scratch, you'll need cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and powdered sugar.

The fruits of the chocolate tree are cocoa beans from which powder and butter are made.

They are inexpensive: cocoa powder - about 120 rubles, cocoa butter - 66 rubles, powdered sugar - 55 rubles per kilogram. GOST allows the addition of carob (carob) fruits to chocolate, which are half the price of cocoa powder - about 60 rubles per kilogram. And cocoa butter can be partially replaced with vegetable (palm) butter - it costs about 50 rubles per kilogram. Milk fat, peanut and coconut oil are also used as a cheaper substitute for cocoa butter. The use of such additives makes it possible to save up to 10% on raw materials.

But it is worth considering that the use of cheaper ingredients affects the taste of chocolate. So if you plan to produce elite chocolate and emphasize its high quality, use the classic recipe.

Chocolate is very diverse. The most popular types: black, milk, bitter, white, aerated chocolate. You can produce chocolate for diabetics, vegans, and those on a diet.

Aerated chocolate is saturated with air bubbles, and white chocolate is made using cocoa butter (without cocoa powder)

The composition of the main types of chocolate is regulated by GOST. Thus, dark chocolate must contain at least 55% cocoa powder and at least 33% cocoa butter, dark chocolate - 40 and 20%, respectively, milk chocolate - at least 25% cocoa products, at least 12% milk solids, at least 2 .5% milk fat.

Alcohol is sometimes used as a flavoring additive. And of course, chocolate with grated, crushed and whole nuts is very popular: hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, peeled pistachios, etc. Whole nuts must be roasted and fresh, otherwise a rancid nut will spoil the taste of the entire bar. Pieces of fruit, raisins, waffles, cinnamon, sesame seeds, puffed rice, marmalade and much more are added to chocolate. There are also completely unusual combinations: chocolate with figs, chili peppers, lemon zest, thyme, olives, ginger, dried tomatoes. The fillings for sweets and chocolate bars are also very diverse. In addition to nuts, these are various sweets, soufflés, jelly, nougat. Truffles and pralines are also popular among those with a sweet tooth.

It is important to consider that chocolate usually does not last long - 2–6 months.

Experiment, track which chocolate is in demand, come up with something new and unusual to interest the consumer.

Technological process and equipment

There are fully automated chocolate production lines that allow you to save on hiring employees. But this is expensive equipment. For example, the Russian-made automatic chocolate molding line AC 275 One Shot costs 6.65 million rubles in its basic configuration. An automated line can be operated by 1-2 people, while manual production will require 8-10 people.

Scheme of chocolate production on an automated line

To understand what equipment you need to make chocolate, you need to familiarize yourself with the production technology. It includes several stages:

1. Rolling - grinding components in a special mill.
2. Conching - thoroughly mixing all ingredients. First, cocoa powder and powdered sugar are mixed, then the liquid evaporates from the mixture, after which the dry mixture is mixed with cocoa butter. As a result, a homogeneous (homogenized) mass is formed. Conching rollers are made of granite, since steel and plastic are not suitable for mixing heated chocolate. Conching directly affects the taste of the chocolate - the longer it is conched, the better. Therefore, elite chocolate is conched for 5–15 days, regular chocolate for 1–3 days.
3. Tempering is the cooling (or heating) and crystallization of chocolate at a controlled temperature.
4. Molding - filling molds (special molds for chocolate) with the finished mass and hardening.
5. Wrapping - packaging chocolate in foil.

If you plan to make handmade chocolates and sweets from ready-made bars, the whole process comes down to three steps: melting the chocolate (tempering), adding filling and molding.

As you can see, the chocolate production technology is quite simple. However, it requires significant investment in equipment. You will need:

• fat boiler for melting cocoa butter;
• a ball mill for rolling, filled with steel balls similar to bearings;
• 3–4 conche machines (melanger) for continuous mixing;
• vertical refrigeration tunnel for cooling molded chocolate or candies.

For small production, conche machines with a capacity of 200 kg are suitable.

Additional equipment includes industrial air conditioning, hoods, thermostats, conveyor belts, heated piping, molds and stamping machines, wrapping machines (capable of wrapping up to 360 tiles per minute), spatulas, scrapers, etc.

To sell chocolate in a store, you will need refrigerated display cases that maintain a temperature of 15–20 degrees.

Table: cost of capital equipment for a chocolate production workshop

Distribution of chocolate products and marketing

The ways to market chocolate depend on what products you will produce and who you will target. If you have a workshop with large production volumes that boasts high-quality products, then you can offer them to other confectionery enterprises that produce desserts, candies and other sweets, as well as cafes and restaurants. If you are focused on end consumers, have developed attractive packaging and a memorable brand, then try to negotiate directly with stores and retail chains. It’s not easy to get on the shelves of large chains, but their turnover is high. You can negotiate with chocolate boutiques, which are found in almost all big cities.

Another option is to open your own store. This may be a point directly next to the workshop, but it is better to focus on shopping centers and city streets with a large flow of pedestrians.

An elite chocolate store can now be found in every major shopping center

Many small businesses, especially those with hand-made production, make chocolate only to order. You can promote it through your own website, social networks, local media, city portals and forums. This method avoids the risk of overproduction and spoilage of unclaimed chocolate.

Of course, at the initial stage you will have to invest in advertising. Use all the methods available to you - from distributing leaflets on the streets (they can be sprinkled with a special perfume with a chocolate scent) to advertising on television. If you are planning to open a chocolate boutique, arrange a grand opening with free tastings. In the future, tastings of new positions can be held once a month.

Franchise or own brand

The main advantage of a franchise is that you will work under an already promoted brand known to consumers. The franchisor will help you organize production and establish distribution channels. However, to become a franchisee (buy a franchise), you need to pay 50 thousand rubles. Some franchises require royalties - monthly payments from profits to the franchisor.

Frade handmade chocolate outlet

Most franchises on the Russian market are offers for the sale of finished products from popular brands. For example, you can become a franchisee of the Belgian company Baccarat, which offers handmade sweets. Of the Russian companies, Frade, a Kazan manufacturer of handmade chocolate, offers a franchise. You can sell Frade chocolate in your city by paying a lump-sum (entry) fee of 50-100 thousand rubles. The Konfael franchise costs from 150 thousand to 12 million rubles, Choconel - from 620 thousand rubles, Candy Shop - from 600 thousand rubles.

Financial plan

Below are the approximate costs of opening a chocolate shop.

Table: initial and ongoing costs for organizing chocolate production

Cost and profitability

Chocolate production is highly profitable - an average of 200%. Judge for yourself: the cost of 1 kg of chocolate is 400–600 rubles, a bar of chocolate in the retail chain (200 grams) is 100–200 rubles. This allows you to receive from 300 thousand to 2 million rubles of profit per month.

Considering the high cost of equipment, the average payback period for chocolate production is from 10 months to 2 years.

Video: how to run a chocolate business

Thus, if you decide to invest in chocolate production, it is better to focus on producing a high-quality product with unusual additives, because it is in constant demand. Although the equipment is quite expensive, the costs will quickly pay off. In this area you can earn up to 2 million rubles per month.

Manufacturing food products, delicacies and gifts are promising business ideas that work successfully in many countries around the world. One of the most popular is chocolate production as a small business.

Organization and costs of chocolate production

Like any manufacturing business, making chocolate and chocolate products will require significant investment. According to experts, the amount of start-up investment depends on the type of organization of the technological process: manual or automated, machine.

Automated line

The most common conveyor unit sold by well-known suppliers of this line is offered by the manufacturing company Shell. The equipment creates a single flow of processes: metal strains create a chocolate shell of the product, then allows you to obtain figures and bars of various shapes and sizes. The cost of the machine is at least 4 million rubles.

Manual line

Requires less investment. But you will have to select the machines yourself, taking into account the advantages and features of the work, the possibility of combining the technologies of each of them within a single process. You will need:

• machine for melting chocolate mass. The cost of such a device is minimal - 300,000 rubles;
• refrigerators for hardening finished products - from 100,000 rubles;
• inventory and auxiliary tools - scrapers, molds, spatulas - from RUR 50,000;
• measuring and control instruments - from 10,000 rubles.

In total, the manual method at the initial stage will spend about half a million rubles. investments.

But if one employee is enough to service the automation, then a non-automated factory means additional costs for wages, training of workers, and deductions from their payroll.

The minimum number of workers in a small workshop is 5 people, plus a technologist who controls the work and checks the quality of the finished product.

Total costs

Regardless of the technological features and method of the process, you need a room where chocolate production will take place. By law, its minimum area is 40 m2.

But these are far from the only legal requirements for premises in which food products are produced. The most stringent conditions and control are from Rospotrebnadzor:

1. Mandatory hot and cold water supply.
2. Heating and ventilation systems that meet SANPIN.
3. Up to one and a half meters from the floor, the wall should be lined with easy-to-clean ceramic tiles; above, up to the ceiling, it should be painted with paint that does not contain toxic elements.
4. The premises should not be residential if they are located on the lower floors of residential buildings; such areas must be necessarily removed from the housing stock, for which the owner is required to obtain an appropriate certificate.

What to do during a crisis: the best business ideas for the coming years

Where and what raw materials to buy

Almost all (more than 90%) chocolate factories use ready-made chocolate mass as raw material. Because independently producing a product that is suitable in all respects is expensive and requires a highly qualified chocolatier technologist on staff. The Belgian brand Belcolade is recognized as the most famous supplier of finished raw materials - tablet mass. It melts perfectly, is molded, and has excellent taste characteristics.

Other options for organizing chocolate production

There are several types of capacities and technologies for this type of business. Each of them has its own advantages, difficulties and prospects:

Mini-plant with a full cycle of technological process

If high starting investments, starting from several millions, are not scary, you can try to compete with global suppliers of this exquisite delicacy and delicacy. But you need to be prepared for tough competition, since most well-known manufacturers have been familiar to consumers for more than a hundred years.

If a professional chocolatier is found, and there is from 5 million rubles. for starting investments, you can create your own mini-factory. In this case, you will have to purchase (prices are given in RUB):

• Ball mill - 1,000,000.
• Kindling tank for connection and initial melting of components - 100,000.
• Conche, ensuring homogeneity and plasticity of the semi-finished mass - 500,000.
• Tempering unit - 1,000,000.
• Refrigeration tunnels - 2,000,000.
• Auxiliary units and structures - thermostats, laboratory analytical stations for evaluating finished products, molds and conveyors - from 500,000.

Raw materials should be purchased only of the highest quality. The greater the proportion of natural ingredients in a product, the higher the taste and demand.

The main components of the product are:

• chocolate mass (this is grated cocoa, in no case, not slag or powder, which contains very few flavoring components);
• cacao butter;
• sugar (powdered sugar);
• emulsifiers, the best is natural lecithin;
• flavorings. According to the traditional recipe, only natural vanilla is allowed.

Breeding crayfish at home for sale

To produce dairy and cream varieties, natural milk powder and cream are added. If the recipe involves herbal additives, dried fruits, nuts, berries, herbs and spices are added.

The average cost of one kilogram of finished chocolate is about 600 RUB. If the price of a tile (100 grams) is 120 RUB, simple calculations show us the profitability of this business - 200%. But in the conditions of existing manufacturing plants it is even higher - about 400-500 percent.

The only way to compete with the giants in the industry is to achieve excellent taste properties, diversify the output - in recipe, form, packaging. In factory varieties today, expensive cocoa butter is increasingly being replaced by cheap palm oil, and flavoring and aromatic additives and preservatives are also used. Therefore, the taste of such a tile (or figurine) is worse than that of a natural product created in a mini-factory. Another important point is the packaging. In order to increase the competitiveness of products, you should develop your own original design. As practice shows, buyers are attracted to analogues of ancient confectionery packaging. You can look for photos and images of antique boxes, wrappers, or recreate the theme of turn-of-the-century holiday cards. Images of children, animals, funny stories are good ideas for decoration and design. The developers recommend using muted, blurry colors, avoiding “acid shades.” The inner layer is foil, which facilitates better storage of chocolate, and can be of any interesting colors. The thin golden aluminum layer looks especially original and “tasty”.

Part 1. DEVELOPMENT OF A PRODUCT MARKETING PLAN

Section 1.1. Product Description

This paper discusses the creation of a chocolate production enterprise.

Chocolate (German Schokolade, Spanish chocolate, from the Aztec chocolatl - a drink made from cocoa seeds), a confectionery product obtained by processing cocoa beans with sugar and other food ingredients.
Chocolate in the form of a drink was used in Mexico, from where cocoa beans were brought to Europe by the Spaniards in the 16th century. The main contribution to the spread of chocolate in Europe was made by the daughter of the Spanish King Philip III, Anna of Austria. As the wife of Louis XIII, in 1616 she first brought a box of cocoa beans to Paris. And, having gained fame at the French royal court, chocolate very quickly conquered all of Europe.

In the middle of the 18th century, the first chocolate confectioneries opened in France, where everyone could enjoy their favorite drink. By 1798, there were already about 500 such establishments in Paris. And in England, the famous Chocolate Houses became so popular that they even eclipsed tea and coffee salons.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, chocolate was consumed only as a drink. For a long time, people could not obtain pure cocoa butter, which makes the chocolate bar retain its shape, but in the end they succeeded. This merit belongs to the Swiss Francois Louis Caillet, who in 1819 created the world's first bar of solid chocolate. A year after this event, a chocolate factory was built to produce it.

Soon similar chocolate factories began to open throughout Europe. Year after year, experts improved manufacturing technologies and changed the recipe for solid chocolate. They began to add nuts, candied fruits, various sweets, wine and even beer to it.

The triumphant march of chocolate around the world did not bypass Russia either. The first chocolate factories were opened in Moscow at approximately the same time as in other European cities - in the middle of the 19th century.

Our ungrateful fellow citizens sometimes completely wrongly underestimate domestic chocolate. To be fair, it is worth noting that in terms of quality, many brands that became famous during the Soviet period were in no way inferior to Swiss chocolate, and their low cost was explained by the fact that almost all cocoa supplying countries were allies of the USSR.

This is how chocolate traveled a long way before it came to Russia.

At the moment, the Russian market for chocolate producers is quite wide. But among the largest, only a few companies can be identified that are quite firmly established in the Russian market: Nestle, Kraft Foods International, United Confectioners (Babaevsky, Red October, Rot Front), Slad&K °", "Cadbury", "Russian Chocolate".

Today, for people all over the world, chocolate remains one of their favorite delicacies; it has long since become one of the most delicious and noble products. Democratic or elite, with nuts or fruits, bitter or milky, in bars or bars - modern chocolate can satisfy the tastes of the most demanding gourmets.

The popularity of chocolate is enormous - many different varieties are now produced, endowed with pleasant taste and healthy properties. Confectionery passions for chocolate only intensify over time - new flavors appear, bold design solutions know no limit to the perfection of chocolate packaging. The tastes, forms, and fillings of chocolate are so diverse that almost everyone can easily find a sweet to their liking.

Let us consider in more detail the consumer properties of chocolate produced by the designed enterprise.

Physical properties:

The shape is correct, without deformation, in the form of tiles, with a filling of grated and whole nuts (hazelnuts/peanuts/almonds) and without filling

Weight 100 grams

Color from light brown to dark brown (for milk and dark chocolate, respectively)

The taste and aroma are clearly expressed, characteristic of chocolate.

The front surface of the chocolate is shiny, without sugar or fat bloom; in chocolate with milk it is slightly dull; in chocolate with uncrushed additives the underside of the bar has an uneven surface.

Solid consistency

Homogeneous structure

Additives that are not introduced in finely ground form are evenly distributed in the chocolate mass.

Reliability is the ability of chocolate to maintain its functionality during storage and consumption within predetermined periods.

Rice. 1.1. Chocolate bar

Aesthetic properties satisfy the aesthetic needs of a person; indicators of the aesthetic properties of chocolate are: external (marketable) appearance, integrity, information expressiveness, perfection of production execution. All these indicators mainly relate to packaging and packaging materials for chocolate. The manufactured products will be packaged in eye-catching pink packaging, which will enhance the recognition of the designed enterprise.

Functional properties provide satisfaction of needs and reflect the purpose of the product and its usefulness. Chocolate should satisfy two basic needs: the need to replenish physical and mental energy and the need to relax and enjoy the taste of chocolate.

To describe the products we manufacture, we will consider its strengths and weaknesses.

Table 1.1.

Strengths and weaknesses of the “Product-service” factors

No.

Product Detail

Score in points

Product Detail

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1

Standard product

*

Product individual for the seller

2

Famous product idea

*

Seller-specific item

3

Minor differences for competition

*

Clear product differences

4

Many substitutes

*

There are no product substitutes

5

Lack of product image

*

Brand image

6

Old product on the market

*

New product on the market

7

Standard Reliability

*

Increased reliability

8

Standard Features

*

High performance

9

Not eco-friendly

*

Eco-friendly product

10

Expressive look

*

Expressive qualities: decoration, design, etc.

Maximum number = 100. Received number = 51.

Ratio expressed as a percentage = 51%

Low scores on some of the points are explained by the fact that the product is not new; there is a large selection of similar products on the market, but its other characteristics will allow the company to successfully promote its products.

The chocolate market in Russia is growing rapidly and has great growth potential. Thus, the consumption of chocolate products per capita over the past year has increased from 2.5 to 4 kg per year. However, this is two times lower than in Soviet times. For comparison, the average European eats more than 10 kilograms of chocolate products per year. With the growing prosperity of the population, the domestic chocolate market will triple.

Rice. 1.2. Change in chocolate consumption per capita over the past year

Rice. 1.3. Projected growth of the chocolate products market

Dozens of medium and small firms producing chocolate products operate and prosper in the West. They account for a third of the domestic market of their countries. The main competitive advantage of Western medium and small producers of chocolate products is the level of technical equipment, which is not inferior to the level of the largest monopolies.

Also, the competitive advantages of medium and small firms (including the enterprise being designed) in comparison with chocolate giants include the following:

1) medium and small firms focus on relatively small market sectors where monopolies cannot expand,

2) medium and small firms are much closer to the consumer and can take into account his specific needs,

3) medium and small firms are very flexible, today they make some products, tomorrow others.

To better understand the competitiveness of the future product, let's look at the following table.

Table 1.2.

Assessing the quality of a chocolate product

	Options	Points			Rank	Work
		reference	fact	"Nestle"		reference	fact	"Nestle"
1	Brown color *
2	Taste **
3	Smell
4	Shiny surface
5	Mass dispersion ***
6	No impurities of other oils except cocoa butter
7	Effective packaging
Total

* The brown color comes from cocoa powder. The color intensity depends on the percentage of cocoa powder, as well as the presence of milk fat in the product.