Zimt for Everybody!

Hi Everyone,

Tomorrow is the long awaited day- Zimt Artisan Chocolates chocolate bars will be available in retail stores! Two to start:  Nice Shoes (on Fraser, between 19th and 20th) and Greens Natural and Organic Market (on West Broadway, near Maple Street). 

I can't believe it- this is the start of something very exciting. 

A couple of things... maybe I'll just give a brief update on how the day went.

So on Wednesday, I was feeling pretty beat. I made a solemn vow to myself that I would stay in my house all day on Friday, maybe even in my room, and avoid the rest of humanity, and just recoup. Needless to say, that definitely did not happen. I was running around today like crazy, as is my custom, and spent an unexpected 4 hours in the kitchen. While I was driving (to what was supposed to be with the end-goal of home), I was thinking about some of the Meine Minze bars I had been packaging earlier that day. I wasn't happy with them.   A couple of them had been broken- not badly, just once between the pieces, but they really weren't as perfect as I wanted them to be. I was tired. I didn't have any extras. I didn't want to make any more. I tried to tell myself that, hey, the ingredients are fantastic- so what if they're a little broken? That's how they are going to end up anyway... (unless people eat gourmet chocolate bars in one bite. Doubtful.). 

But I just couldn't convince myself. 

What if the person buying that bar had been on a cleanse or something, deprived of really good chocolate, and had been so looking forward to a peppermint ganache filled bar, only to get something that would not be totally perfect? Or, what if, a mom were buying a Meine Minze for her health-food loving kid, only to find out that it was broken way after she bought it? What if a skeptic bought it, saw the quality was less than supreme, and then became only more skeptical? What if people are spending their hard-earned money on what has been described as being the highest quality product, and it is just not up to standards?

... that wouldn't do. 

So, it was off to the kitchen. To make 4 more Meine Minze bars. And, I thought, a few more of the other varieties  just in case they were not perfect enough either. 

I can't really believe that making 16 chocolate bars took 4 hours, but I look at it this way- it is an investment. It isn't like I do this on a regular basis, and it isn't like I will need to do this on a regular basis. This is a new product line- it's time to set the standard for what will be offered in the future. 

Anyway.... none of the Meine Minze bars should be broken now. I realized that I am two short of the Chocolate Coconut Fudge bars, so I will be heading to the kitchen at the church tomorrow morning to work on those two (I hope it does not take that long.) before I head to Greens and Nice. 

Lots more to mention, but I will just have to close with this- check whichever bar you get carefully- because you may just win another Zimt Artisan Chocolates bar! (Kind of like a golden ticket from Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but I can't offer that yet, because if I were to give people a tour of my chocolate factory, it would go something like this:

"So, this is the corner where I store my ingredients and small equipment. The storage containers are made of recycled plastic. I bought them in the States after finding them listed on the Office Depot website, and finding that the location in Richmond that went out of business did not have any more. Instead of a massive chocolate water fall, I have a chocolate melter I spent my life savings on which can melt up to 6 kg of chocolate- both the waterfall and the melter are equally impressive, I'm sure. I was my dishes in that sink before putting them through that dish washer. And over here is where I put my laptop- I try to watch foreign movies or videos on technical analysis while I make the chocolate and fillings, but the industrial refrigerators are usually too loud for me to hear what's going on, because this is an HP, and, well, the speaker quality is inferior. I just bought it because they mentioned ethical labour practices on their website. I don't have any full-time Oompa Loompas. but my mom sometimes stops in on her way home from work to say hello and help with dishes. ... there is no glass elevator, and don't try licking the walls, please- it's regular paint, not flavoured wall paper. Questions?")

Hope you can stop by Greens and/or Nice! Lots of locations are yet to come.... and do I ever need to plan for that!

Happy Saturday =)

emma

Aaaaaand face-plant.

Hello!

So, a really quick update:

- I made a lot of chocolate yesterday. Kitty helped me, as did my Mom, and it was a great experience for everyone, in my opinion. I'm sure Kitty feels the same way, as there's nothing more wonderful than spending a sunny Saturday afternoon in a commercial kitchen space. Hahahah- I owe so many people so much chocolate.

- I just realized that the UPC codes are the same on two of the labels. I'm figuring out how to fix this issue.

- Working out more pricing... had a small freak-out this evening, when I miscalculated raw materials costs as being about 2.5 as much as they should be. For a second there, I thought I was a bit doomed. I love the numbers, though- 8-)

- The price of coconut oil has skyrocketed. I just checked my records from a month ago to the current price and e-mailed the supplier. How it can increase by 63% is a little frightening, but I think I have found a solution. Hopefully.

- Karl sent me a charger for my BlackBerry! Now I can check my e-mail at all times and take more pictures of my chocolate. Thank you for the very unexpected gift, Karl! ... the pink flip phone just wasn't cutting it.

- My food processor is playing dead more and more frequently. I think it's trying to tell me something... (but what????).

- The church kitchen I operate out of is fantastic and, although I usually really don't like cooking or baking or anything domestic, I really don't mind making chocolate there- it's really peaceful and less of a gong show than whatever goes on at my house. I try to make a conscious effort to be really peaceful when I am making the chocolate- good vibes.

- Somewhat unrelated to Zimt, but a funny story none-the-less: my neighbours go out of town every August, and if I'm around, they ask me to take care of the house (watering plants, feeding fish, etc.). And every August I'm around, I say, "Sure- would love to.". And every August, I water the plants and feed the fish and set off the alarm and the apathetic alarm guy (AAG) calls and it sounds a bit like this:

Me: "Hi- um, I'm really sorry, but the alarm keeps going off- I'm just watering the plants and feeding the fish- ummm... sorry, it's so loud. I forgot the code. I didn't even write it down. Isn't that ridiculous? I'm the neighbour- could you please just tell me the code? I know it's something like ---- but I think I am messing up the last number-"

AAG: "Nah, can't do that."

Me: "... no?"

AAG: "Don't have their code."

Me: ".... actually? Well... could you just make it be quiet anyway?"

AAG: ....

And this happens several times, and then the neighbours call, I get the code, vow not to forget it, and am kind of late getting to the kitchen, because I also had to vacuum our house, too, which takes a lot of time, and I think back to when I was living in Germany and all I had to vacuum was a few square meters and be done with it.

And then I go make chocolate.

... these are never quick updates.


Enjoy your Monday!

Emma 

They really love me. And by me, I mean my chocolate.

Hello!

Hmmm- it seems to be after midnight again and I still have not dedicated enough time to learning about technical analysis today, but I sure did live, eat, and breathe Zimt!

A couple of updates:

Yesterday I went to IGA to get my barcodes checked, to see if they would scan. I ended up chatting with the manager, who programmed the codes into their system, and he actually seemed interested in carrying my hand-made, fair trade, vegan, organic, raw chocolate at his IGA branch. Hm. I think that is flattering! It really shows that people are becoming more interested in this type of product and lifestyle, which is fantastic. It's a good thing to support.

The barcodes work, by the by (!!!!!!!!).

I had a good long chat with one organic certification company- it seems like it would be quite do-able to get done, if there were three of me. The process is not hard and it sounds like I'm ahead of the game in some respects anyway. The woman I spoke with was talking of manufacturers who don't use proper cleaner (mine is commercial kitchen approved, and also all-natural, vegan, and smells like oregano =) ), or who grease pans with non-organic olive oil (just because it isn't a big part of the recipe.... does not mean it is not there.). These things puzzle me.
Anyway, the process seems fairly long, and I am debating whether or not to go through with it. I think I should, just because people appreciate certification of the final product. I mean, all of my ingredients are organic (every. single. one.)- but that little symbol on the front of a wrapper can make a big difference.  And this is the symbol I may not have until my products are certified.

In other news, I made some exceptionally delicious chocolate yesterday. I don't know what made it so good. But when I got to the kitchen this morning, it hadn't set properly. I pried it out of the molds anyway, because I had tweaked some recipes and wanted to see how they'd turned out (I gave some to the kind staff of the church whose kitchen I get to use), and... wow. Wowowowowowowow. It was chocolate coma time! Not to brag or anything, but I made some really phenomenal chocolate. (Just sayin'.). Even the plain chocolate was off the charts. I am going to experiment a bit more tomorrow... but really, ridiculously good. I usually don't even like my plane chocolate, but there you go- this was beyond amazing.

My new favourite, though... is the kaffee- you can taste the sophistication. I experimented with two different types of beans: the first one was very, very good. When I tried it, I was a bit floored.

But then the second one happened. And that was just... I don't think there are words to describe. So that bean is the winner, yay!

Aside from the recipes, other exciting retail news: Zimt Artisan Chocolates will have bars available in Greens Organic and Natural Market on Broadway starting next week! 6 SKUs- I'm honoured and very, very happy (though only slightly worried about being able to churn out that much chocolate with two hands that also have to spend a lot of time working on the books.). So Greens joins the list of where Zimt chocolate bars will soon call "home". Others include....

Nice Shoes  Vancouver's vegan shoe store, also selling vegan bags and accessories, as well as some pretty spiffy lip balm and umbrellas made of recycled materials that has a penguin picture on it- amazing! This weekend, Nice Shoes will donate 10% of their sales to the Battered Women's Support Services- a very worthy cause, and you do deserve some nice shoes anyway... some very, very nice shoes.)
Karmavore  all vegan amazing store! Complete with a deli to satisfy your nacho and chick'n nugget cravings.
Divine Elements  wonderful naturopathic clinic. If you're not feeling 100%... well, they make sure you will.

I sat down and had a chat with the owner and a very kind manager as well, and.... they kind of went nuts for the chocolate- that makes me happy. I brought them one of each to sample and I'm pleased with the feedback!

I will study techincal analysis tomorrow- repeat! I try to watch some Youtube videos of it while I am making chocolate, but the internet peaces out a lot and my speakers are not so excellent, making learning a little bit difficult. (Cry me a river). Tomorrow (as in, officially today, I guess...) is another day.

I feel I got a decent amount of items ticked off my To-Do list, all things considered.


Better get some sleep- a prospective tenant is coming by tomorrow. As in, in 8 hours. Oh my.


Emma

In yet more news-

When life gives you bureaucracy...

... it'll also give you a picnic with a two-year old to make things all better!

Yesterday (or... technically day-before yesterday, as this post is starting after midnight) I was out in White Rock at the home of Vanessa, RHN and founder of Get Real Nutrition https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Real-Nutrition/159356250804335.  Our friend Chloe and her two-year-old son, Gage, graced us with their presence and Gage also happened to make my day.

I know that the chocolate I make is pretty intense- especially the three nib'd varieties. Dark chocolate with cacao bean nibs does not seem like your typical "kid-approved" treat. ... but that is exactly what it became yesterday, when Gage's first go at dessert was a chocolate nib'd heart. He totally devoured it! And kept asking for more "chawkowate" and once I explained to Chloe the type of sweetener I use in the chocolate, she was very pro-toddler-eating-more-chocolate. And did he ever- I think he'll have to become an official taste-tester one day.... soon =)

It always makes me happy to know that kids get good healthy things to eat, and that what they eat didn't cause any less fortunate kids in other countries any harm. Lots of cocoa products are produced using child labour- how is it fair for kids, or anyone, more financially well-off to reap the benefits of other's unreasonable work?  That's one reason why I am hoping to provide Zimt Artisan Chocolates as special Halloween treats to trick-or-treaters - a big goal for this year, but it could happen!

Anyway, it was a nice perk to the day that seemed to be drown-out by website content restrictions- lots and lots of regulations are in effect to prevent people from making certain nutrient claims, if they have not been "scientifically" proven.
I'd really like to get into this more, because it is an important topic,  but it's an early morning with a long to-do list ahead, so I'll call it quits for now.

Wow- we made it to Wednesday!

emma

... they didn't teach me this in business school.

Hello =)

Not entirely sure where to begin this one, but a slight update could be a good idea.

I don't quite remember what I did since leaving off- I'll give it my best shot.

Social obligations are both a blessing and a major source of stress for the young entrepreneur. On the one hand, I love seeing my friends and getting to know people. On the other hand, my mind is unfortunately only half there while I am spending time with my friends and getting to know people. The other half (or, realistically, three quarters.... unfortunately) of my mind is thinking about how I didn't finish recording my inventory, how I need to come up with a better system for recording my inventory, my lack of understanding of tax laws, how I need to modify ingredient quantities in recipes to make things more efficient, and a great many other things.

Much of where my mind wanders is to areas that I really shouldn't worry about. Or, shouldn't have to worry about. I have spent a lot (a lot) of time behind the books, in lectures, and even at conferences, all for business school, but I've noticed a common trend: None of this taught me how to start a business.  Did Econ101, International Business, Commercial Law, or Business Statistics teach me how to approach retailers, effectively price my product, and do my taxes? Unfortunately not. These courses gave me the opportunity to learn a lot of really interesting things, many of which I'm sure would be useful in other careers, but they just couldn't teach me some of the things I really have had to adapt to and deal with.  And so, the learning curve is still steep.

... but I did approach a major (in my opinion), retailer today. It was a big, scary step, but continuing to put it off wasn't going to get me anywhere. I think that the wisest thing to do at this point is to learn from those who have figured this all out before me- the seasoned pros. I feel very blessed to have such willingly-helpful connections to look to, and will just have to take advantage of their help. It is on tomorrow's to-do list, as well as:

1. writing the cheque to my commercial kitchen (a bit tricky, since it is in a church and they are very kindly flexible- "Just make a donation"- I don't want it to be a skimpy one, though, and I can't pay them in chocolate. At least not entirely.)
2. Set up online ordering on my site (and figure out how to do that Google version of PayPal on it. So confused.)
3. Order eco-friendly shipping materials
4. Fix my website content to comply with CFIA standards- I am not allowed to tell anybody that the coconut nectar used is low glycemic and can be enjoyed by those with diabetes, nor that raw cacao has the highest anti-oxidant level on the ORAC scores. (So, don't tell anybody now.)
5. How am I supposed to ship chocolate to people? (I can ask a prof of mine about this- no problem.)
6. Change ingredient quantities based on frame sizes. Oh boy.
7. ... figure out the tax system used in British Columbia.
8. I have an import number. I need an export number.
9. Keep looking for a food-processor and find a good one before my current one blows a fuse.


Here is an important bit of wisdom for the day: Networking can happen in unlikely places, and opportunities present themselves when you do not expect them. I've sold chocolate at different events around town where I did not anticipate a great deal of initial interest. Often, I've been right. But then there is the ripple effect- people try my chocolate, pick up a business card, and next thing I know, I get an e-mail asking if I do catering for large events. ... of course I do! (Let me just get a new food processor that won't keel over any second first.). Word of mouth is a great thing- it's cheap, it's efficient, it gets you places.

... good luck with Monday!

emma

The Barcode: This week's final frontier.

Hello =)

It's so funny- there are a million things that I would never have ever thought of before starting this business that now, seem to somewhat haunt me! Think about barcodes, for example: who makes sure that they all scan properly? How do you even get a barcode? Does GS1 Canada send you several formats of barcode options, which you can choose from depending on your packaging specifications, or do they just send you numbers and a booklet of instructions a week after your application is processed? (... it was the latter, fyi.).

This is one unforeseen hurdle I've encountered since December, when "I know.... I'll start a chocolate company!" first popped into my mind. And one that I would never, ever have anticipated to be a problem. They're lines- lines- how difficult can that be?!

Well, more difficult than expected, apparently. But I've gotten most of the steps crossed off the list:
1. register for codes with GS1 Ca
2. call GS1 Ca to figure out what to do with the list of numbers they sent me ("... so... where are the line-y bits, please?")
3. Spend way too much time google-ing barcode generator programs, to get said line-y bits
4. Found a program!
5. ... why is it so low res?
6. ... Kitty, could you please try fixing it?
7. Ummm... actually, it's okay. But thank you! Life is busy, I hear.
8. Exhaust my own resources. Word. Paint. Word. Picassa. Wait, Picassa does nothing for me here. ... Paint? Word? ... pixlr.com? ... Word!
9. Print samples....
10. Well that looks different in real life. Maybe it'll scan anyway.
11. Go to IGA "Your barcodes don't work."
12. Go to Chevron: "Yeah, is not in system. You want Chevron to sell your chocolate?" ... desperately. 
13. Find professional.
14. Spend life savings for professional.
15. Repeat steps 11 and 12.
16. Professional was not entirely aware of GS1's standards.
16. Send newly received GS1 Ca standards to professional.
18. Wait in nervous expectation for new quote.
19. "You should really have a splash of colour for each different flavour!" ... ahhhhhhIknowthat!!! "Yes, I was thinking that could be great as well- just trying to sort out the different shades of brown for the Nib'd vs. Kaffee vs. Chocolate Ganache."
20. Present: pixlr.com will help me sort out the different shades for the different flavours. Please.


Today I went to an open house party for my friend Katie Kitson's business, Juicy Juice Bar. She was so kind as to suggest I sell my chocolates there, which I did (... so what if she bought and ate most of them herself? Appreciation is appreciation!). Anyway, the chocolate looked phenomenal, if I may say so myself.  And it was lovely to hear all the positive feedback! I wish I could have brought more flavours, but I didn't get out of the kitchen until after 4pm, then rushed home, then tried to package the last little bit up, decided there wasn't time for that, was questioned if I planned on brushing my hair before trying to represent my company or if looking like a bag lady was a better approach for selling chocolate, successfully brushed hair (it was a very good day. Indeed.), found out that I was insured for the courtesy car (no way I was allowed to drive the SUV I just backed into the neighbour's brand-new, grass-coloured, parked vehicle. ... oops. Increased insurance premiums can count for my grad present...), and successfully made it to Juicy Juice Bar without hitting anything!

Told you it was a good day =)

emma

Getting There! And explaining the inexplicable.

Very tired- but a few things of note:

1. the eco-friendly cling wrap came in the post today. Very excited about this- I felt terribly guilty for using the regular stuff.

2. I need to go collect my date stamp in Blaine. It's the eco-friendly model, and not available in Canada, so thank you USofA for being so close by! Anyway, I am not sure when I will have the opportunity to do this.

3. I recently re-discouvered this site: http://www.globeguardproducts.com/Box_Sealing_Tapes_s/42.htm This is fantastic for two main reasons:

   a) I now have access to eco-friendly shipping materials and will be able to ship my product around the world (note to self- make sure I've got that export number...)
   b) They have eco-friendly tape! No more using sticky notes made of recycled materials wherever I could avoid using tape. Not quite the same thing!


Explaining the inexplicable. Well, I would really love to delve into this a bit deeper, but for now, I will say that unless one has begun his or her own small business, I don't care how many business plans you've made up, if you've gone to business school, or any such thing- and especially nothing of any sort of those things- this is tough work, goes way  beyond nine to five (hence, my blogging at 24 past midnight) and.... patience is greatly appreciated. It isn't like I find having Excel Parties ideal, nor do I really enjoy dragging friends along to run errands, just so that I can chat a bit with them and they will not have to watch me type (the other option. Yeah, errands are preferable for sure.) but it is how it is for now and I do reckon it'll get a tad more stressful before it gets any easier.

Another similar topic- being a people pleaser and start-up starter-upper can be a disastrous combination. I often find myself convincing myself of really cutting out Zimt time so that I can go make my friends happy by doing what they want to do. Again, I would love to have time to go sit on the beach and go shopping and then go back to the beach and then get dinner and then go see a movie, but, honestly... are you kidding me?! Neither time nor money are particularly... ample- not at this stage of the game. It is something I am working towards, though. As is gently letting people know (especially those I have not known for all too long) that I can't drop everything and go hang out. Especially after friends I have known for years are getting too little of my attention. But this is all a matter of gaining a new perspective- most people just don't have to think about rationing time like that (... I may be slightly jealous of them at times.). One day, I will have tons of time (hopefully), to give to all the wonderful people whose path cross mine.

But before that day comes, I will have to make (and sell), a lot a lot a lot of chocolate.

Website building time.


emma