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Welcome to Ecole Chocolat's blog bean2bonbon - Tales from our Chocolate Laboratory! Here you'll find posts related to all things fine chocolate - from cacao farming and sustainability, to chocolate making techniques and understanding ingredients, to inspiring stories of chocolate business success, and issues related to the fine chocolate and cacao industry. Whether you are a chocolatier, a chocolate maker, or a chocolate enthusiast, we hope you enjoy learning more about the world of fine chocolate!

For Mother's Day, the connection between chocolate making and motherhood

Did you know that chocolate making and motherhood have a few things in common? For Mother's Day, here is are some of the ways chocolate making is a lot like motherhood.

BLOG POSTS

Tempering Chocolate Troubleshooting

Having trouble tempering chocolate? Our tips and tricks will help you troubleshoot common chocolate tempering problems and learn how to temper chocolate.

Meeting Chocolate Consumers Where They Are

If we want chocolate consumers to become fine chocolate consumers, maybe we need to meet them where they are, with familiar flavors and products.

Shipping Chocolate Part 2: The continuing story of Carl the Snowman

Kate Weiser of Kate Weiser Chocolate shares an updated post on the packaging and shipping of her beloved Carl the Snowman.

Tips for better chocolate photography for social media

Tips and tricks to make your chocolate photography for social media the best it can be. We talk about photo set up, composition and editing.

Hot Chocolate Bombs

Hot chocolate bombs exploded (literally) in popularity in 2020 and is a delicious and fun way to make hot chocolate.

Why fine chocolate ISN’T like fine wine, specialty coffee or craft beer

The fine chocolate industry is simlar to beer, wine and coffee and looks to these industries to understand our future. But there is one critical difference.

Moving my chocolate business to a retail location

Ecole Chocolat graduate and entrepreneur Brooke Willis from B Cocoa Artisan Chocolate on moving her chocolate business to a brick and mortar retail location.

Fantastic holiday chocolate is sure to delight your guests

It wouldn't be the holiday season with out chocolate! See what fine chocolatiers and chocolate makers have created!

Valentine's Chocolate

A gift of chocolate on Valentine's Day is the perfect way to show someone special how much you care about them, or treat yourself! We share some of the best bars, bonbons and confections.

Chocolate and Cannabis

Elevating fine chocolate edibles with Woodblock Chocolate. An interview with Charley Wheelock about developing a line of cannabis chocolate bars.

Chocolate Zoom Backgrounds

I'm missing travel for chocolate and thought it would be great to use some of the images we've taken on our chocolate journeys as zoom backgrounds.

Costa Rica loses a major source of organic cacao

Cacao farmers face economic realities that can lead to tough decisions, including the decision to sell their farms. This is one such story from Costa Rica.

Chocolatier versus Chocolate maker – what’s the difference?

What is the difference between a chocolatier and a chocolate maker? They are very different professions with different knowledge and skills.

Shipping Chocolate: The Story of Carl the Snowman

Shipping is a huge challenge in the chocolate business. Kate Weiser of Kate Weiser Chocolate tells us about developing packaging & shipping Carl the Snowman.

The Life and Times of Chocolate

Learn more about our new collaboration with Megan Giller of Chocolate Noise on a series of chocolate infographics - The Life and Times of Chocolate!

Hawaii: The North Pole of Cacao

The Hawaii cacao industry grows each year. Read more about this amazing industry and Ecole Chocolat's Hawaii Masterclass program!

The Story of Ecole Chocolat

Ecole Chocolat is celebrating its 18th anniversary! Ecole Chocolat's Founder & Lead Instructor Pam Williams tells the story of creating a chocolate school.

Making Marshmallows from Scratch

Have you ever made your own marshmallows from scratch? It's easy and they taste so much better than the ones that come in the package. Try this recipe!

Building a Chocolate Brand Part 1

Series Part 1 about building a chocolate brand for your business. Ecole Chocolat graduate Brooke Willis of B Cocoa Artisan Chocolate shares her advice!

Building a Chocolate Brand Part 2

The second post by Ecole Chocolate graduate Brooke Willis of B Cocoa Artisan Chocolates about building a chocolate brand and designing her logo.

Building a Chocolate Brand Part 3

In this final post in the series, Ecole Chocolat graduate Brooke Willis shares her tips for developing a website for her business!

Chocolate Ice cream and Gelato!

Learn about ice cream and gelato - are they the same thing? And we share a recipe for a dark chocolate gelato with sea salt!

Liquid Sugars Part 1: Liquid Glucose

Understanding the role of liquid glucose in chocolate & confection recipes and a recipe for Milk Chocolate Caramel Ganache.

Liquid Sugars Part 2: Invert Sugar

How to make invert sugar and use it in your chocolate and confection recipes for smoother texture and longer shelf life.

Liquid Sugars Part 3: Maple Syrup

Liquid Sugars - Part 3 Exploring the use of maple syrup in your chocolate and confection creations! And a recipe for gorgeous maple syrup glazed pecans!

Liquid Sugars Part 4: Honey

Using honey and sugar in your chocolate and confectionery recipes. A recipe for amazing sesame snacks!

Boost Summer Chocolate Sales

Summer can be a slower sales time for chocolate businesses. We've written a blog post with 5 great tips to boost your summer chocolate sales! And if you can make connections with customers over the summer, you'll be top of mind during the fall, winter and spring chocolate holidays.

10 chocolate Instagram accounts you need to follow

Are you following these 10 chocolate Instagram accounts? You should, for your daily dose of all things chocolate!

Making beautiful bean to bar chocolate together

Many bean to bar chocolate business partners that are also couples! We talked to Nibble Chocolate and Harper Macaw about how they make it work!

Mast Brothers controversy – It’s about more than chocolate

A retrospective on the Mast Brothers chocolate expose and the impact on the fine chocolate industry.

Where will your chocolate 'pop-up' next?

Learn about pop-up shops as a retail strategy for the chocolate business from two professionals - Amy Jo Pedone & Romeo Garcia - with great tips to share!

Judging the International Chocolate Awards

Ever wondered what it's like to judge a chocolate competition? Read on to learn about judging the International Chocolate Awards Canadian Competiton.

After EC: A Chocolate Conversation with Joanne Burns

Catch up with Ecole Chocolat graduate Joanne Burns and hear about her business Chocolate Beach.

Exploring Sugars: Part One

Exploring the use of sugars in chocolate and confectionery, beginning with the different types of sugar available.

Sugars Part Two: Granulated Sugar & Hibiscus Caramel Recipe

In Part 2 of our series on sugar, we explore granulated sugar and crystallization, and share a delicious hibiscus caramel recipe.

Sugars Part Three: Using Brown Sugar & Browned Butter Fudge Recipe

Part Three in our series on Sugar delves into brown sugar, and we share a recipe for browned butter and brown sugar fudge!

Sugars Part 4: Using Jaggery in Coconut Ginger Drops

In Part Four in our series on sugars, learn more about jaggery, a fine, moist brown sugar used in many Caribbean and Indian desserts.

Sugars Part 5: Powdered Glucose in Strawberry Balsamic Pâte de Fruit Recipe

Learn about using powered glucose in your chocolate and confection recipes, and try this recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Pâte de Fruit.

March 14th: Celebrate White Day

In many countries, White Day is celebrated on March 14th for men to give chocolate to women in reciprocation for gifts they were given on Valentine's Day.

Mary Collazo of Chocollazo

Read the inspiring story of Mary Collazo from Chocollazo and how this mompreneur created her chocolate trolley.

Easter Chocolate

What are you hoping for in your basket? Here are some great examples of Easter chocolate from chocolatiers and chocolate makers, and tips for choosing fine chocolate.

Boost Summer Sales: Recipe for Key Lime Cheesecake Ganache

Need to boost your summer chocolate sales? Why not try a new recipe! Here is one for Key Lime Cheesecake Ganache.

Butter: Part One

An exploration of the role of butter in chocolates and confections.

Butter: Part Two

How to choose the right type of butter for your chocolate recipe.

Butter Part Three: Is there any substitute?

Part Three in our series of posts on butter focuses on butter substitutions.

A Butter Experiment

Butter chocolate ganaches made with various fats.

Elaine Hsieh of EH Chocolatier.

Read more about the amazing story of Elaine Hsieh of EHChocolatier, the doctor who became a chocolatier! Learn more about how she started her business.

NOT another chocolate shortage article

Learn more about the real issues behind the chocolate shortage and ensuring sustainability of the chocolate and cacao industries.

Photography by Jessica Washburn, Bliss Chocolatier and Ecole Chocolat