Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa!
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Andy Ciordia
- Male
- Charlotte, NC
- United States
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Andy Ciordia's Groups
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Classifieds - For Sale o…
156 members
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Kitchen Confectionery
83 members
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Startup Central
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Andy Ciordia's Discussions
The Secret Chocolatier's Diary
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CKproducts.com also does custom molds. They are cheaper than Tomric and the sight is in English.
Thanks Cheebs, we love using Tomric--good to know their costs for custom, we hadn't traveled that far with them yet. The other company has a good price point but it'll take me some translating time.
I've used Tomric for some 30g logo bars, pretty quick turnaround. Not cheap but pretty decent vacuum-formed polycarbonate. $595 for the initial setup and $18.25 each 16-cavity mold.
I've also dealt with Moldes Intermex when I need cheap plastic mol…
We've had a few requests of late that have been looking for their own designs both in small shapes and bar ideas. I've run across a few sites that do custom work but I like suggestions.
Who are you using for custom mold making, and any caveats to l…
Additional ideas, we ran out of church kitchens for quite a while. Knights of Columbus banquet halls. We've also been able to use other bakers kitchens. If you work out at the markets you'll meet lots of people who will have local suggestions and be…
Congrats! Good job! Always nice to get a spot on TV! Free advertisement! Happy for you!
We've got a brewery who has been itching for us to do something with them but we haven't had the mental bandwidth to really do this. My fear is that a reduction will bring out way too many bitters--learned only from the few beer reduction sauces I'v…
Profile Information
- Dark, Milk, White?
- Dark
- Most memorable chocolate experience:
- I love room temperature chocolate truffles. If the coating is hardy enough it will hold runny inside together long enough for a flavor explosion upon devouring. Favorite of the summer was our own orange infused truffles.
- My favorite chocolate is:
- Dark 70%ish, TCHO has me hooked currently on their quality.
The Secret Chocolatier
It's great being a part of a family you cherish, it's even better if you can start a good business too. Almost a year ago we formed The Secret Chocolatier. My father inlaw has been a pastry chef for decades and when his current employ was untimely closed we decided to do something different, something creative, something we could all enjoy.
Well if you're here you know we all love chocolate.
We're working on finding more retail outlets in our area and beyond and trying to grow as organically as we can. We also support the local farming community and the principles behind "Slow Food" so we work towards seasonal ingredients.
We also started a blog not too long ago and are filling it with information, family memories, and some of our adventures in homemade chocolate.
Well if you're here you know we all love chocolate.
We're working on finding more retail outlets in our area and beyond and trying to grow as organically as we can. We also support the local farming community and the principles behind "Slow Food" so we work towards seasonal ingredients.
We also started a blog not too long ago and are filling it with information, family memories, and some of our adventures in homemade chocolate.
Andy Ciordia's Photos
Andy Ciordia's Blog
The Beginning of Our Chocolate Travels
To enrich this community I've been asked to bring over some of the content we've published on our chocolatier "diary". To give a bit more about who we are what a better place to begin than the beginning. We're having a lot of fun in the Charlotte, NC area and we hope this inspires you to either participate more locally, or try your own thing. :)
Where do we begin on this epic tale of homemade chocolate insanity. Do we start at the very begin… Continue
Where do we begin on this epic tale of homemade chocolate insanity. Do we start at the very begin… Continue
Posted on December 17, 2008 at 10:27am —
Comment Wall (8 comments)
- At 7:32pm on April 24, 2010,
Pierre (Pete) Trinque said… - Andy,
Would love to talk with you aswe both go through the process. We have finally recieved the lease documents and are going over them this weekend. Will review with attorney this week. Want to get together with builder and architect ASAP sothat we can start getting the surprises that will come.
Look forward to communicating with you further.
Pierre
- At 3:27am on January 4, 2010,
Arun Bhargava said… - Hi Andy,
Thanks fro your messge. We have customers within India, and in many countries, and price are to be given in different currencies.
So, that is why there are no prices on our website (www.ipfco.com)
( we are working on to create updated website, where in customers can log in and then they will be able to get prices, but, we may be 5 to 7 months away from that time).
It would be nice if you can tell me what items you find interesting, and we will give you prices.
Small orders are quite welcome, any time.
Please reach me on sales@ipfco.com (if it is ok with you and this website rules).
Regards,
Arun.
- At 11:26am on April 28, 2009,
Laurie Douglass said… - Thanks Andy - I appreciate the tips!
- At 10:08pm on January 20, 2009,
Amber S. said… - Hi Andy,
I guess I looked at your website after posting and realized you are hosting lots of local events. I always leap before I look. I am trying not to do that with my own start-up so thats why Im spewing unsolicited advice. I live in a small 'mill town' in Canada where the mill is in danger of closing. I only moved here a year ago, to get away from the 'big city' so one of the (many) challenges Im facing is marketing to a cash poor population. I stumbled upon this book by accident and spent the day reading about local history. I guess I just wanted to share...
- At 9:49pm on January 20, 2009,
Amber S. said…
- Hi Andy. Ive just joined (formally) and was interested in your posts in Start-Up Central. I was at the library today trying to further my own endeavours and read the first chapter of a book called (I think) Small Town Survival Guide or something similar. It is a book about how the economy of small towns operates and is challenged by today's economical system. The first chapter had some really interesting thoughts about marketing to local communities and shaping your goals to meet a community 'vision'.
I think this is timely in light of the north american 'local' movement. I wish I had actually checked this book out to be able to give you more details, but maybe you are past this dilemma you had previously mentioned. As well I don't know how big a town you live in, but no matter I think community minded angle to your purchasing and marketing is a must for start ups... Is that a no brainer?
- At 12:53pm on January 16, 2009,
katiebobus said… - I LOVE the spherical one, but I had mixed results with the flat squares one - the first ganache I tried in it was too soft, and even freezing it didn't stop it from adhering to the sides. I had to scoop all the ganache out of the holes, which was not cool. A pate de fruit worked great, though, so I think it was just the consistency of the ganache that was the problem. I haven't tried caramel as originally planned, but I will! Thanks for asking.
- At 12:45pm on December 16, 2008,
Clay Gordon said… - Andy:
One of the reasons I founded TheChocolateLife was to create a place where people who are passionate about chocolate can share their passion - and learn from - others. Not sure that all life's lessons need to be painful, but I do know that chocolate can take the sting out of many of them.
I see the link to your site (which I encourage) and the link to your personal blog. I don't do link shares, so I encourage you to share some of those stories as blog posts here on TheChocolateLife for members who may not visit your profile page.
- At 12:27pm on December 16, 2008,
Clay Gordon said…
- Andy:
Welcome to TheChocolateLife. From LinkedIn I know that you operate a chocolate business, and I want to point out that there are a number of groups here that may be of assistance to you in growing your business. I am looking forward to learning more about you and your business.
:: Clay
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