at Tue, 10 Feb 2004 02:36:51 GMT in
>,
(Linus) wrote :

>On Mon, 09 Feb 2004 15:56:35 GMT, "Tea" > wrote:
>
>
>>>
>>I must admit that I'm surprised. Wouldn't most potential retailers
>>know something about the kinds of products they want to sell?
>>Nevertheless, my two cents- Valrhona, Callebaut and Scharffen-Berger
>>are all very good, and they make large bars. Scharffen-Berger and
>>Michel Cluizel also make excellent chocolate. I would suggest that you
>>come to the next annual Chocolate Show in New York (it's in November,
>>and it has a website) so you can meet with some of the world's top
>>chocolate makers and get some answers to your questions.
>>
>I can understand your surprise. This is a new venture and I am not a
>chocolate afficiando at this point. ...
>
What's given you an interest in starting up a chocolate store? Knowing what
your focus and direction is would help a lot for me and other people to
give you advice.

As to chocolatiers, the ones mentioned above are among some of the good
starting points. Each of them is fairly well-known and widely distributed.
Among quality chocolates, there are, roughly, 3 groups, the "premium
consumer", the "high-end" and the "elite". In the first group are generally
larger industrial companies that nonetheless produce first-rate chocolate,
such as Ghirardelli, Callebaut, and recently, Lindt to a certain extent. In
the second group are smaller companies, aiming for a more exclusive group
of chocolate-lovers, but who may not necessarily be out to produce the best
chocolate possible at any price. Now, this by no means implies that they're
making compromises, or that their chocolate isn't great, it simply means
that ultimate quality isn't necessarily the only priority for them.
Companies like Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, and El Rey are arguably in this
group. Finally, the third group represents chocolatiers who pursue the best
chocolate with fanatical obsession and stop at nothing, regardless of cost.
Cluizel is perhaps in this group (it must be said that he is decidedly
larger and more commercially-oriented than anyone else in this class) along
with other companies like Domori, Amedei, and Bonnat. Generally speaking, a
premium consumer bar will be about $2.50/100g bar, a high-end $4.00/100g,
and an elite $5.50/100g or more.

You have to be careful, though, because the target market segment doesn't
have a direct relation to actual quality - in other words, there are
"premium consumer" companies that tend to be better than specific "elite"
companies. The other thing is that different companies have different
signature flavours. For instance, Scharffen Berger and Valrhona are
strongly fruity, Cluizel and Domori tend towards milder fruitiness mixed
with spicy overtones, and Pralus is very, very dark and coffee-like.
Valrhona and Cluizel are ultra-smooth, while Bonnat is rougher and more
rustic. Etc. etc.

If I were starting out, I'd want to get a cross-section of different styles
and market segments, without so many brands that it's overwhelming to the
consumer or impossible to manage from a business perspective. A good
selection might be Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Cluizel, Guittard, El Rey,
and Domori.

As to distributors, Van Rex (http://www.vanrex.com) distributes multiple
brands including Valrhona and Guittard, Vintage Chocolates
(http://www.echocolates.com) distributes several more, including Cluizel
(they're the exclusive distributor for them, in fact), and Dairyland
(http://www.dairylandusa.com) has others, including Domori. The easiest way
to get a distributor list is usually to ask the manufacturer directly, from
whom you can also generally get samples so you can evaluate them before
taking on their line. Be aware that some distributors and manufacturers are
easy to work with, while others can be difficult, or idiosyncratic. You'll
find out as you go along who they are - generally people in the industry
are all pretty familiar with the easy and the difficult companies.

That's a start - do let me know what your purpose and plans are and then I
can direct you further.


--
Alex Rast

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