AUGUST 2012 Vol. 92, No. 8 MANUFACTURING CONFECTIONER GLOBAL SOURCE FOR , AND BISCUIT INFORMATION

SWEETS & SNACKS NEW PRODUCTS GERMAN CONFECTIONERY MARKET

HEIRLOOM CACAO PRESERVATION SOCIAL AUDIT RCI Canadian Chocolate Tour Schedule as of 7/13/12 Retail Confectioners International will host its fall regional event in and near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 18 –21. www.retailconfectioners.org Event Hosts: Rhéo Thompson Ltd. (Marc Johnstone and Kristene Steed)

Tuesday, September 18 SOMA Chocolatemaker is a bean-to-bar artisan choco- Arrival Day and Welcome Reception latemaker, making chocolate in small batches directly from the cacao bean. We will see the workings of this micro- Optional Tour Day — Arrive early and enjoy area activities chocolate factory as well as their production of truffles, tra- with family. See options at retailconfectioners.org/regionals. ditional Italian cookies and drinking chocolate. Meals on one’s own Visit CN Tower in Toronto, the tallest tower in the world 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm and Toronto’s most popular tourist attraction. Registration Desk Open Lunch provided on tour Afternoon Committee Meetings SOMA Chocolatemaker Roasting Facility —Attendees will enjoy a tour of this 1800 sq ft warehouse factory set- 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ting where SOMA Chocolatemaker roasts their cocoa Tour Bus Captain Orientation Meeting beans for production using a roaster, winnower and other 3:00 pm equipment. Executive Board Meeting 4:00 pm 5:00 pm Education Session— Welcome Reception and Suppliers’ Tell-n-Sell with Tour Chocolate Connoisseur Peter Higgins, president of R. C. Orientation Purdy , Ltd., will share the highlights of their 9:00 pm chocolate connoisseur program for their staff. Within the Next Generation Event for RCI members in their twenties first three months at the company, the staff must master a and thirties for a fun mixer at SPiN Toronto. (rsvp on regis- standard base of knowledge about chocolate. By using tration form) videos, written information and classroom-style instruc- Overnight at the Hyatt Regency Toronto Downtown, 370 tion, this formal learning program has developed knowl- King Street West edgeable staff at each of the Purdy’s stores. No hotel reservation needed! All attendee guest rooms are Dinner on one’s own included in the full registration package. Free time in downtown Toronto Wednesday, September 19 5:00pm 2013 –2014 Board of Directors’ Meeting with working Tour Day of Toronto dinner 7:00 am – 8:00 am Overnight at the Hyatt Regency Toronto Downtown, 370 Breakfast King Street West 8:00 am No hotel reservation needed. All attendee guest rooms are Board Buses at the hotel for tours included in the full registration package. ➤

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Thursday, September 20 No hotel reservation needed. All attendee guest rooms are Tour Day of Toronto Area included in the full registration package. All attendees to bring luggage to the bus before breakfast 7:00 am – 7:45 am Friday, September 21 Breakfast Tour Day of Stratford 8:00 am Board Buses at the hotel for tours All attendees to bring luggage to the bus before breakfast 7:00 am – 7:45 am Walker’s Chocolates Burlington Factory Outlet (Produc- Breakfast tion Facility and Retail Store) — Harry Walker and his wife, 8:00 am Anne, opened their own chocolate business in 1983 in Board Buses at the hotel for tours Burlington, Ontario. Since then, the business has grown Costume Warehouse —The warehouse is one of the into a large factory space with its own retail outlet along largest repositories of costumes in the world. Not only with a larger flagship store in Burlington and a store in does it supply the costumes and props for the annual Hamilton. RCI will tour the Walker’s Chocolates production Stratford Shakespeare Festival, but it also rents to theater facility as well as their retail shop in Burlington. and movie companies across North America. There are R.C. Purdy’s Chocolates, Ltd., Oakville Place Mall — more than 50,000 costumes in the warehouse and several Richard Carmon Purdy opened his first chocolate shop in racks of costumes that visitors can try on. 1907 on Robson Street in Vancouver. The Flavelle family Rhéo Thompson Candies —The story of Rhéo Thompson has run Purdy’s Chocolates since 1963. Candies, Ltd., began in 1969 when Rhéo Thompson ap- Today, Purdy’s Chocolates, a Canadian-owned and prenticed in the production of at Olin Brown Can- family-operated business, is the largest chocolate re- dies, Stratford. Later, Rhéo began his own candymaking tailer in western Canada and the second largest in facility. Rhéo and Sally Thompson worked hard over the Canada, with 57 stores in British Columbia, Alberta and years to brand their confection while concentrating on the Ontario. We will tour their 1,000 sq ft retail store. Al- company adage We make but one thing, and we do that though there is no manufacturing onsite, there will be a well, candy. formal product-tasting time. Kristene Steed and Marc Johnstone, the current owners Lunch provided on tour of Rhéo Thompson Candies Limited, make over 150 differ- Reid Candy & Nut Shop — In 1971 Tom and Kathy ent confections. Drew-Smith took over ownership of Reid Candy which Lunch provided on the tour had been primarily a nut shop since the 1940s. Over the 3:30 pm years they expanded their product line and started pro- Arrive at the Toronto International Airport for drop-offs; ducing a range of chocolates and candies in the late ’70s. remaining guests will return to Hyatt Regency Toronto Downtown. 3:00 pm Overnight accommodations for Friday night, September 21, are not included Arrive at Arden Park Hotel, Stratford in the tour package and need to be made by individuals based on need. Con- Optional tour experiences — Attendees may sign up for tact the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency Toronto Downtown, 370 King Street optional experiences at time of registration. Pricing details West, at (888) 421 1442 and ask for the RCI group room rate. will follow on the optional tour day form. Dinner on own if you are extending your stay. 4:30 pm • ❖ • Scotch and Chocolate Tasting Check and pack your passport! Has your passport expired or do you need OR a new one? U.S. citizens start at usa.gov/NXOIG to learn about the pass- 4:30 pm port process. Tea and Chocolate Tasting 5:30 pm International flights require 2 to 3 hours to go through Canadian Dinner on one’s own and U.S. customs offices. Do not schedule your flight home be- fore 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 21, or you may miss it. 7:15 pm Leave for optional evening performance of 42nd Street at the Festival Theatre. RCI’s Next Convention and Industry Expo Overnight at the Arden Park Hotel, 552 Ontario Street, June 24 –28, 2013 • Cincinnati, Ohio Stratford, Ontario.

38 August 2012 • The Manufacturing Confectioner RCI Annual Convention 2012

he Retail Confectionery International conven- different types of boxing for open assortments, display Ttion in California toured eight retail chocolate counters, corporate sales and external retail sales. As he shops, two chocolate supplier factories and a whole- reviewed the target customers for each type of market, sale confectionery manufacturer. In addition, educa- he presented examples of the packaging and why those tional sessions, peer sharing and the annual industry choices apply. exposition filled the week. What Does Natural Mean to You? featured RCI events always include networking opportuni- chocolate experts Joe Sofia, Cargill, and Dennis ties, whether it be at the educational forums, recep- Witzel, retired, who both reviewed common indus- tions or informal chatting between activities. try standards and controversial ingredients, as well as the right questions to ask when talking with cus- EDUCATION tomers. When customers ask for a natural chocolate Beginning with Wine’s Secret Crush on Chocolate or confection, there is no clear definition of this by Rose Potts, Blommer Chocolate, the sessions term. The FDA viewpoint, the USDA viewpoint addressed many trends for those in the retail confec- and the customer viewpoint can all be very different. tionery business. Potts spoke about the parallels It may be easier to ask customers what they don’t found between wine and chocolate — in their con- want in your product. Consumers are becoming sumption patterns, territory notes and sensory much more aware of ingredients in the food supply. descriptors. Since the convention was held near wine Manufacturers, however, have quite a challenge to country in California, Potts discussed cross-promo- use ingredients that can be described as natural while tional marketing and pairings of the two products. achieving the same consistent taste and quality as the Practical HACCP for Food Processors by Heena former formula. Patel, Scientific Certification Systems, reviewed the necessity for a specific hazard analysis critical control TOURS point (HACCP) plan and the importance of good Tour hosts supplied warm welcomes and goodies manufacturing practices. A good plan helps ensure during the behind-the-scene views of their busi- the safety of the food during manufacture. nesses. RCI participants could observe each com- Juan Carlos Arroyave, CasaLuker, spoke on Cacao pany’s attention to food safety, quality and, in the Fino de Aroma: A Model for Quality and Sustain- case of retail shops particularly, attractive marketing. ability, first presenting the different types of cocoa (Amazon/forastero, criollo, trinitario). Cacao fino de aroma is an ICCO (International Cocoa Organiza- tion) classification. Its flavor can be described as fruity and flowery with nutty malt notes. Between 6 and 7 percent of the cocoa produced in the world is cacao fino de aroma. Most fino de aroma is grown in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru. Dan Dermer, Sweet Packaging, discussed the neces- sity of topnotch customer service for the wholesale market in his talk Packaging and Marketing for the Wholesale Segment. An attitude of what’s best for the customer will determine the packaging and distribu- Charles Flavelle of R.C. Purdy Chocolate shared a moment looking at tion of the confections. Dermer then pointed out the pictures with Herm Rowland of Jelly Belly in Rowland’s office

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Jelly Belly Candy Co. the food being manufactured. Hairnets, labcoats, A feeling of excitement and enthusiasm permeated the hand sanitizer and antibacterial spray on shoes tour of Jelly Belly even though the plant was in shut- were provided for each visitor before touring the down mode. Public tours were continuing and the gift plant. There were explanations from each depart- shop was active. While Jelly Belly was in the midst of ment about the process from the cacao bean to its annual, regularly scheduled two-week shutdown large bars, liquid chocolate or chips. for maintenance, they kept a robotic packaging line operating for the RCI tour. The tour through the facil- Ghirardelli Factory Outlet Store ity featured key employees explaining each part of the Ghirardelli’s factory outlet store demonstrated the confectionery manufacturing, packaging and distribu- idea of buying chocolates as close to original produc- tion process. In addition, there were videos through- tion as possible. This skips distribution hassles and out the plant to show processing. handling delays for manufacturers and could offer Throughout the factory, bar coding is used to products at lower prices for consumers. monitor all products, electronically scanning a 4×6 This particular discount store featured Ghirardelli “license plate” of info relating to each box. First-in, products such as , chocolate by the first-out is the policy of their warehouse. case, and sauces, and holiday overstocks. A special highlight was visiting the creative serv- ices center, where a team of Jelly Belly workers devel- Guittard Chocolate Co. ops all the graphics for packages, labels, posters, A red carpet welcomed the RCI busload on its arrival point-of-sale displays and boxes. at Guittard. Gary Guittard, president and CEO of the Additionally, participants on the RCI tour were family business, explained the importance of quality welcomed into the “chairman of the bean” Herman at Guittard and how every employee pays constant Rowland’s office. He and his daughter, executive vice attention to the flavor. chairman Lisa Rowland Brasher, talked about how There are important family is, extending that attitude to differing encompass all employees. They also discussed the processes for challenges of prices and taxes while keeping fermenting their business in the United States. beans throughout Hicklin) Terry by (photo Blommer Chocolate Co. the world — some cultures As preparations were made to tour this chocolate use baskets, facility, each attendee gained a heightened aware- some use ness of the steps necessary to assure the safety of Frina Nemchenok from Guittard shared about the boxes, and extensive quality tests that occur throughout some pile the process cocoa beans on the ground. This means that the same type of beans might produce different flavors depending on what happens before the shipment gets to Guittard. Appropriate blending assures con- sistent quality. Ken Givich, Guittard’s director of microbiology, further explained what occurs in the Guittard labs during the chocolate production process, including several quality assurance tests. Rose Potts (green shirt, facing camera) spoke about the many steps in the process of making chocolate prior to RCI’s tour of Employees throughout the factory explained the Blommer Chocolate process and reinforced the notion that making choco-

42 August 2012 • The Manufacturing Confectioner RCI annual convention 2012 late is a mechanized, mostly automated process, but a hometown of Para- human being is needed throughout for making adjust- dise. This chocolate ments — producing chocolate truly is an art. features a bit of Listening to the 10 employees who shared about golden cocoa their departments, it was obvious that there is pas- on the mould and sion in their tasks. Whether it was Joe, Hector, Frina the application of or Thalia, they all spoke directly about their commit- gold luster dust ment to quality and their part in producing it. One after demoulding. Black Gold truffles from Joy Lyn’s Candies was quoted as saying, “We put our heart and soul into the chocolate!” Coblentz Chocolate Co. (Walnut Creek, OH) Chocolate Tasting Tour offers three chocolate- San Francisco, covered Oreos pack- like many cities, aged together. Each is offers a gourmet dipped in either , walking tour, and white or dark choco- the RCI walk was late, then drizzled with focused solely on contrasting chocolate chocolate shops or decorated with sprinkles. Chocolate-covered Oreos from for the candy- Coblentz making visitors. Although the tour was con- sumer-focused, the RCI partici- pants observed Leonidas “fresh ” unusual flavors, shop in San Francisco sampling sugges- tions and various presentation techniques. At each stop the guide would explain what was unique about that shop and why a particular sample was offered. Stops on the Gourmet Chocolate Walking Tour were at Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, Rec- chiuti Confections, Neo Cocoa, Fog City News, Leonidas, Teuscher and Cocoa Bella.

CANDY CLINIC Presentations voted by peers as best in each category are noted first.

Best New Piece Joy Lyn’s Candies (Paradise, CA) developed the Black Gold truffle in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate bridge with a nod to the largest gold nugget (54 lbs) found in 1859 near their

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Merchandising and Promotions Packaging ent designs, including Thank You, category (continued) Happy Birthday and Get Well. family surprised him with a cele- bration of his 40 years in business. First-timers The Mayor of Burnaby cut the rib- bon opening the new chocolate river in their store and issued a Proclamation of Oct. 22 as Char- lie’s Chocolate Day. Events and the Colorful new Walker’s Chocolates packaging anniversary were noted in many on the left compared with older on the right. local papers. Walker’s Chocolates (Burling- ton, ON) after 29 years using the same packaging, hired a designer Snyd Pops from Bruce’s Candy Kitchen for new packaging and they’ve Bruce’s Candy Kitchen (Cannon heard a great response to the Beach, OR) offers many variations final product. of the Snyd Pop, named for a friend of the family business. These caramel-dipped Rice Krispie treats on a stick are dipped in R.C. Purdy Chocolates helped to raise funds for children with heart problems. chocolate. Depending on the sea- R.C. Purdy Chocolates (Vancou- son and the decorations or shapes, ver, BC) partnered with a global Valen-Snyd; Luck-O-the-Snyd; TV program called Helping Snyd & Stripes; Frank N Snyd; Hearts to raise charity funds for Turk N Snyd and Jolly Ol’ St. Snyd kids with heart problems. At extend the possibilities of this sim- Oval containers help sell ple confection on a stick. $8.95 per package, the box of spe- Asher’s Chocolates items cially marked Purdy’s delights Asher’s Chocolates (Souderton, AWARDS BANQUET would raise $2 for the charity. PA) challenges confectioners to At a celebratory evening banquet, More than $9,000 was raised for think outside the box. Packaging tour hosts, sponsors, convention charity in addition to the good- their products in ice cream tub- hosts and Candy Clinic winners will in the community. shaped containers, the colors help were recognized. In addition, the to distinguish the items inside. Whetstone Chocolates (St. annual Presidents Award from Augustine, FL) shared that group outgoing RCI president Terry photos taken after each of their Hicklin of Candy House Gourmet chocolate-tasting tours can be Chocolates was given to three merged seamlessly into social immediate past presidents for media sites such as Facebook their help and comradery over the through the use of an iPad and past several years of change in the Eye-Fi memory cards with built- organization — David Jones in Wifi. The app they use allows (Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen), further promotion after the con- Mike Koch (Morley Candy Mak- sumer leaves the tour. In addition, Golden Turtle occasion boxes ers/Sanders Candy) and Fran Cox the company can film the produc- Golden Turtle Chocolate Factory (Dorothy Cox’s Candies). Then tion process in the factory on an (Lebanon, OH) offers two sizes of Kelly Brinkmann, RCI’s executive iPad and link it with social media. special custom boxes with differ- director, presented Hicklin with a

48 August 2012 • The Manufacturing Confectioner RCI annual convention 2012 plaque recognizing that there is truly “something bai. Their clientele are willing about Terry” with his ingenious marketing ideas, to pay for quality confec- menu approach to education and intense involve- tions. Because the owner ment in the community. The organization has been shares profits with employees fortunate to have had his leadership, she said. there are many motivated, Outgoing board members were acknowledged at longtime workers at Hawai- this gathering: John Zima (Merckens/ADM Cocoa), ian King. One just recently Jerry Swain (Jer’s Handmade Chocolates), Susan retired at the age of 84. The

Palkon (Reily’s Candy) and Jeff Birnn (Birnn Choco- factory includes a panning Patrick Haddad hosted the lates of Vermont). room and a moulding line. RCI Reconnect group at Hawaiian King Candies. His Incoming president Jason Coblentz (Coblentz son owns the company. Chocolate Company) also shared about the excite- Waialua Cacao Orchard ment of seeing the association becoming better and and Sugar Mill better with the recent completion of a strategic plan A highlight of the event for was the active and increased communication options in place. He cacao plantation. Waialua Estates Hawaiian Cacao highlighted the option of participating in online dis- began as an experimental crop, part of Dole food com- cussion emailing list (three categories — marketing, pany’s diversified agriculture program in 1996. The 18 business owners or chocolate production) to ask acres on the North Shore of Oahu are home to a small questions of peers in the industry. Coblentz also but thriving orchard. The field had been neglected for encouraged RCI members to share their knowledge and experience.

Bornhofft Award RCI Reconnect in Hawaii — Oahu Retail Confectioners Interna- Approximately 50 RCI members continued the con- tional (RCI) presented the vention experience with a trip to Hawaii immediately 2012 Henry J. Bornhofft following the San Francisco event. Several confec- Memorial Award to Dennis tionery-related tours were enhanced by visits to places Witzel at the convention. that few tourists would find. Witzel has been in the chocolate business for more Menehune Mac Dennis Witzel at a cacao Founded in 1939, Menehune Mac is now operated by than 40 years. He has worked orchard during RCI’s Reconnect in Hawaii. siblings Neal Arakaki and Susan Morita. Systems are in for the Nestlé Chocolate place in the facility to incorporate 11 hand-dippers, Division, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate and Lin- Hawaiian-grown macadamia nuts and a box-wrapping nea’s & Candy Supplies. He is a retired machine. Samples are on offer throughout their retail member of RCI and has been associated with the space, in addition to other products from Hawaii. Western Candy Conference, the West Coast chapter of AACT and has attended the French Hawaiian King Candies Pastry School. He has also served on the instruc- Hawaiian King Candies was founded in 1978 by tion team for RCI’s Chocolate Boot Camp and Duty Free Shoppers to provide Hawaiian-grown served a term on the RCI Board of Directors. macadamia nut-based chocolates and cookies to Each year, the RCI board selects a supplier retail operations throughout the Pacific basin. In member of the confectionery industry to receive 2010 Bric-A-Brac became the new owner of Hawai- the Henry J. Bornhofft Memorial Award at the ian King Candies. The company’s products are avail- annual convention in June. The recipient is a per- able at DFS shops located in Pacific-region airports son who has made numerous contributions to the such as Hawaii, Guam, Singapore, Sai Pai and Mum- confectionery industry.

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several years but in 2005 its Selected Confectionery Books restoration began and sam- Chocolates & Confections ples from the first harvest By Peter P. Greweling were sent to Guittard Fundamental information for the Chocolate Company for confectioner includes ingredient function and use, chocolate pro- assessment. This partner- cessing, and artisan production ship has combined the techniques. 388 pgs. US$65 knowledge of a long-stand- ing chocolate supplier with The Art of the Derek Lanter showing some of by Ewald Notter the different types of cacao the fresh approach of a rela- This book provides informa- pods at Waialua Estates. tively new grower. tion on the basics of choco- late and ingredients used; a Oahu is on the northern edge of cacao’s typical list and explanation of growing area, so there are some challenges. The sun is essential equipment need- intense in Hawaii but not in the same way as on the ed; a thorough description of basic techniques; recipes and instructions equator. Single-origin chocolate from Hawaii is for producing chocolate pieces, from simple expensive but there is high demand for it. Gary Guit- to chocolate flowers and assem- bling three-dimensional figures. Amazing tard has urgently advised Waialua Estates to “Plant photos for almost every recipe. more trees.” 407 pages $65/copy The RCI visitors were able to tour the former Fine Chocolates, Great Experience sugar mill area where now cacao is brought to be By Jean-Pierre Wybauw More than 100 original chocolate processed: cut open, fermented and dried. recipes are described in detail and illustrated with superb pho- tographs. 228 pgs. US$105

Fine Chocolates 2, Great Ganache Experience By Jean-Pierre Wybauw A myriad of applications, tech- niques, tips and recipes to creative- ly process ganache into , all illustrated with photographs. 205 pgs. US$105

Fine Chocolates, Great Experience 3, Taking turns, half of the RCI Reconnect group at Waialua Extending Shelf Life Estates while the other half sampled Boudar’s chocolates. By Jean-Pierre Wybauw This book deals with the most fre- of Sweet Paradise Chocolatier quently used raw materials and Melanie Boudar explains how they impact the Melanie Boudar is a founding member of the Fine quality and shelf life of pralines. Chocolate Industry Association. She prepared and 223 pgs. US$105 shared samples of her chocolate confections in coop- Chocolate Decorations eration with Guittard and Waialua Cacao Orchard. By Jean-Pierre Wybauw Boudar considers Hawaii blessed with this specialty More than 100 original chocolate decoration techniques, explained product (cacao) that is locally grown and easily mar- with clear action images. keted. Her former career was in gems and jewelry so 200 pgs. US$105 when she became a chocolatier she added bling to her products, sometimes with transfer sheets, sometimes MC Publishing Company with fingerpainting colored and some- www.gomc.com/books.html • 711 W Water St, Princeton, WI 54968 USA Tel: +1 (920) 295 6969 • Fax: +1 (920) 295 6843 times with add-ons such as sea salt. n

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