I've run into that situation with my business, Chiammaya Custom
Crafted Chocolate.
After visiting Oaxaca Mexico on vacation several years ago I saw
chocolate being made in it's original form; stone ground , minimally
processed and delicious.
I decided I should bring this back to the USA. My plan was to locate
small kiosks in up scale grocery stores and make fresh chocolate for
the customers on a demand basis.
When I called on prospective sites and told them I make chocolate the
assumed I made chocolateS. No I had to explain, I grind cacao, sugar,
cinnamon and almonds in the Mexican tradition to make chocolate, good
for hot chocolate, baking, deserts etc. Though it CAN be eaten as a
candy bar it will surprise most because of its rustic texture.
You can see it being made on my web site
http://www.chiammaya.com
or, if you are in the Huntington WV area, give me a call and I'll
invite you over to make some chocolate just for you.
I do have a setup that will allow me to take this on the road, and do
attend select fairs, festivals and events, I AM very selective.
Hope that helps,
Walt
Chiammaya
On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:04:47 -0700 (PDT), Farrel >
wrote:
>A few years ago I and my family enthusiastically signed up for a tour
>of a "chocolate factory." I was expecting to see roasted cocoa beans
>on one side of the factory and chocolate on the other. Instead I saw
>that the factory started with 5 kg or 10 kg slabs of chocolate
>purchased from chocolate wholesalers. Slabs were tossed into a giant
>cauldron of molten chocolate in the middle of the factory. Molten
>chocolate was then taken from there to make a huge variety of
>chocolate candies some of which were specifically designed for the
>local market.
>
>I told the owner of my surprise about not seeing chocolate being made.
>He explained that there were only about 12 chocolate makers in the
>whole world. Companies such as Hershey, Cadbury, Nestle, Mars and
>Ghirardelli fit into that category. However, companies such as Godiva,
>Sees and thousands of others make chocolate products but do not make
>chocolate itself.
>
>I thought the readers of this group would be interested in this
>knowledge. Can those of you in the know confirm it?
>
>Which other companies make chocolate as opposed to create and market
>chocolate products?
>
>So if one is a chocoholic who enjoys all chocolate products but
>particularly likes plain, neat unadulterated chocolate, wouldn't one
>only buy chocolate bars from the chocolate makers.
>
>By the way the the factory I visited was Sherm Edwards Candies in
>Trafford, PA. The tour was lots of fun and the owner was friendly and
>enthusiastic.
>
>Where does one go to tour a chocolate factory that makes chocolate. A
>few years ago we went to Hershey, PA but that factory tour was not a
>factory tour instead it was a simulated factory a la Disney style -
>nice, very nice but not the real deal.