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in article , Linus at
wrote on 2/8/04 3:34 PM:

> My wife and I are in the early stages of opening a retail location
> that will feature quality chocolates and candy.
>
> Can anyone recommend some wholesalers and particular brands of
> chocolate that are of excellent quality and also value.
>
> I am in the SouthEast region and am concerned with chocolate melting
> during summer months, especially during shipping. How is the problem
> combatted?
> -Linus
>

Linus:

The questions are so vague as to be almost meaningless. Alex Rast, as usual,
ha done a great job in responding with very specific comments about
particular chocolate recommendations, but before you start debating the
merits of Cluizel vs Guittard it is very important to step back and take a
bigger picture look:

1) Who is your market? What's the demographic? Are people going to expect to
pay $15/lb or $50? Is the market kids, adults - how old? What's the closest
competition -- locally and conceptually. Who are you going to be like? Who
are you NOT going to be like?

2) Are you selling chocolates (i.e., confections) or chocolate (bars)? Very
few companies that manufacture chocolate also make confections or candy.

3) Are you going to be selling well-known brands or artisanal brands?
European or American?

4) What else is in the product mix? Hot and cold beverages? Pastries?
Anything hand-made on premises or repackaged?

5) The old cliché is fast, cheap, good - pick any two. Excellent quality and
value are very subjective terms. At $90+/lb the Amedei Porcelana is
excellent quality and value to people who know that they are eating (I know,
there are people on this list who purchased quite of bit of it from me a
couple of months ago). Knowing what's a great value at $15 pound is harder -
you have to rely on your own taste sensibility and be true to the image you
are trying to project.

6) The Chocolate Show, while good, is too narrow a venue to get a true
feeling for the market and what's available. You need to visit the Fancy
Food Show. End of June, New York City.

7) Someone mentioned that you should hire {Alex Rast} as a consultant. Not a
bad idea. One of my clients started selling their hand-made truffles about
last Thanksgiving and just opened up their first retail location -- today as
a matter of fact, in Tennessee. One of the services I provided was a walking
tour of the Fancy Food Show last June. I like to think that I helped them
avoid a number of costly mistakes as well as get to market much faster.

You're probably hiring other consultants (e.g., an architect) and it makes a
huge amount of sense to hire someone to help you with this.

My 33%,
Clay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clay Gordon
President, pureorigin
www.chocophile.com