November 30, 2006 - Nestle in a cost cutting move may be closing three plants in Europe. One of the plants that maybe closing down is in
Dijon, France and produces that Nestle standard the Lion Bar. It's late in the year and that can only mean one thing. Vosges Haute
Chocolat has gotten a batch of Volcano island Honey which is a premium honey harvested in Hawaii. The honey is organic and mixed with
dark chocolate to produce an eagerly awaited item. Production is limited and you can order online or pick up a box at any of their stores.
Hoping to get ahead of the growth of the chocolate industry throughout Asia Cadbury has decided to expand their Dunedin, New Zealand,
factory and are investing $20,000,000 (New Zealand), $13,679,000 (US). They hope to have everything running smoothly by October , 2007.
They also plan to establish a global crumb research and development centre at the site with a grant from the government of New Zealand.
John & Kiras has announced that for a limited time they are offering free shipping on orders over $75 shipping to one address. They have
a nice assortment of items that are packaged nicely for the Holidays and everything we've ever tried by them has always been of the highest
quality and tasty to. The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has upgraded their estimate of this years cocoa crop from an initial 5,000
ton deficit to a 80,000 ton surplus. With good weather and an end to the strike in the Ivory Coast world cocoa production increased 6% with
Africa producing the bulk , 72%, of the world's supply. Scientists have identified a gene in peanuts , ara h 3-im, which they feel may be
usable in creating a new strain of peanuts that would be allergen free. Research that is being conducted at The University of Florida could
bring relief to peanut allergy sufferers. Scharffen Berger has posted a recipe for Chocolate Chili Cake which looks promising. We bumped
into the fine folks of DeBrand Fine Chocolates at the recent Chocolate Show here in New York City. This jogged our memory, we sampled
some of their product awhile back and haven't yet gotten around to write up a review. The chocolates were great and a definite must try for
any chocoholic. They have some great looking Holiday assortments and we love the way their chocolate stuffed gift tote looks.
November 28, 2006 - Ugly Mug Coffee and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE), have teamed up to launch the 2006 limited edition Elvis
Coffee Christmas Collection which includes two Elvis Hot Chocolate mixes. Read the Press Release here. The owner of Lake Forest
Confections, Bud Kolbrener has teamed up with Simon Katz, owner of Simons Jewelers to create a $1,500,000 box of chocolates and
jewels. The collection includes a variety of precious gems and a mixture of dark chocolates. If you would like to see pictures of the jewels
involved click here. An 'equitrade' agreement between Madagascar and a Preston, England based firm has led to the creation of two new
chocolate bars named Mora Mora after the word for 'relax' in Madagascar and Sambirano after a region in the island have started to be
available in England. Lake Champlain Chocolates has selected Bronto as the provider of it's email marketing tools. Read the Press
Release here. Translucent Chocolates has created Spring 2007 Fashion Colors a new line of chocolates. These are chocolate covered
nuts and fruits in vibrant colors that were on display during Fashion Week. They were part of the 2006 Emmy Awards Goodie Bags. You can
read their Press Release here. A positive review of "Ganong: A Sweet History of Chocolate" the story of the Ganong family who have been
making chocolates in Canada for well over 100 years. They produce the Delecto and "chicken bones" chocolate covered with a cinnamon
flavored pink coating. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people with allergies to peanut or almond proteins not to consume
certain Cafe Tasse Noir Praline chocolate bars. The bars are produced in Belgium and were mislabeled.
November 27, 2006 - Chocolove has partnered with Whole Foods to offer an exclusive product the Holiday "Fruits & Nuts" Chocolate Bar.
Inspired by the French Holiday mendiant bar it's a combination of currants, cherries, orange and ginger mixed with pecans, walnuts and
hazelnuts enrobed in dark chocolate. Read the Press Release here. We here at eChocolateNYC wish Scott Ward , co President Of Russell
Stover Candies who is currently hospitalized after having a metal rod pierce his head while he was assembling sports equipment. He and
his brother Tom have been co - Presidents of the company since 1993. Reuters presents a slide show of models wearing chocolate
based clothing from a Chocolate Festival taking place in Bucharest, Romania. A neat photo of actor Hugh Jackman on MTV using a
chocolate fountain as publicity for his new movie the Fountain. The 17th Annual Creede Chocolate Festival ran Novemebr 24th and 25th.
Located in Colorado nineteen local establishments offered their best chocolate items for sampling.
November 20, 2006 - A Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe worker was last Wednesday fined $2 000 for stealing a bar of chocolate. He pleaded
guilty to shoplifting the bar from KwikSpar Supermarket in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe. The sentence sounds harsh but that's not US $ so
actually the fine is less than one US dollar.
November 18, 2006 - The Canadian Hershey contaminated chocolate mystery has been solved. Hershey and the CFIA issued a recall for
25 Hershey products produced at the Smith Falls, Ontario plant for potential salmonella contamination. The recall was undertaken after soy
lecithin, used to aid the chocolates viscosity, tested positive for salmonella. No one has turned up sick. An Indiana couple Michael and
Alexis Brennan have filed a lawsuit on behalf of there daughter claiming that a child version hot chocolate (served at a lower and therefore
safer temperature than the adult hot chocolate) was actually the adult version and when their daughter spilled it, it burned her legs causing
damage that is still a problem two years later. Nontwenhle Mchunu has embarked on an interesting chocolate journey. Starting in a rural
area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa she went to Cape Town where she started her own company Ntwezinhle Creations. She forged a
relationship with The Protea Breakwater Lodge and supplies them with her homemade chocolates. She is going to London, England to
study English chocolate production and hopes to start teaching other women how to go about setting up their own chocolate making
businesses. Legacy Chocolates (2042 Marshall Av., St. Paul, Minnesota 651-646-0644) makes a chocolate sauce Potion No. 9 which is a
mixture of Hope Creamery butter from Hope, Minn., organic sugar cane juice and cocoa. A writer for the Minneapolis - St. Paul Star
Tribune loves the sauce. If you're wondering what the fine folks at echocolatenyc.com are hoping to get for Christmas may we suggest the
Michel Cluizel Brown Card. For $50,000 you get the card that gets you into 6 exclusive tastings, a meeting with Michel Cluizel, a private tour
of his French factory and lots of chocolate. Last month saw the opening of Pure Chocolate in Quincy, Massachusetts. Two sisters
Christina Bartkus and Lisa Trifone have put together a mix of products which include items from the Sweet Bliss line and dark fudge made
by local chef Gerie Trifone
November 17, 2006 - Four days after announcing the recall of twenty-five chocolate products due to salmonella contamination,
Hershey's and the Canadian food inspection agency (CFIA) still refuse to reveal the exact source and cause of the contamination. Days ago
it was announced an externally sourced ingredient was the cause of the contamination, but the ingredient or the source has yet to have
been publicly identified which makes one wonder if the ingredient is still being used by other manufacturers. John & Kiras has announced
their Holiday boxed sets. They have a 28 piece box that has every flavor they make for $39 and The Barn Raiser, a 3 box set, that has the 28
piece Every Flavor Box plus 15 pieces of fruit squares and 6 pieces of dipped apricots. With an estimated 90% of chocolate sold in China
consisting of cocoa butter substitutes instead of cocoa butter the government is stepping in with new regulations that should raise the
quality of chocolate sold in China. After December 1, 2006 any product with more than 5% cocoa butter substitutes will no longer be
allowed to be sold as chocolate. The Bridgemarket branch, under the 59th Street Bridge Manhattan side, of the Food Emporium has been
closed but is now reopening as an upscale, think Whole Foods, food store combined with a "regular' grocery stores inventory. Wow,
Frosted Flakes and Knipschildt Chocolates both under the same roof. It seems that getting acquired by Hershey hasn't slowed Dagoba
down as they are set to release a bunch of what appear to be unique and interesting products. It is called the Apothecary line and includes
Chocolate Bars and Elixirs that blend cacao with "beneficial" botanicals. There are five different bars each 74% cocoa, 1) Antioxidant: Dark
chocolate, Goji berries, cherries, blueberries, zante currants, Sambazon ® Acai, 2) Clarity: Dark chocolate, ginger, green lemon, 3) Energy:
Dark chocolate, nibs, Guayaki ® yerba mate, maca, guarana, 4) Eros: Dark chocolate, boysenberries and 5) Moon Cycle: Dark chocolate,
Zante currants. The elixirs come in bottles with droppers and are to be ingested by taking a few drops on the tongue. There are six elixirs 1)
Antioxidant: Cacao, elderberry, goji berry, rosehips, Montmorency cherries, bilberry . 2) Clarity: Cacao, gotu kola, gingko, hawthorne berry,
Ginger. 3) Energy: Cacao, guarana, gotu kola, rooibos, green tea 4) Eros: Cacao, muira pauma, catuaba, horny goat weed, yohimbe,
damiana, prickly ash 5) Moon Cycle: Cacao, red raspberry leaf, blessed thistle, damiana, rosebud leaf & petal, vitex berry 6) Cacao:
Uplifting energy & antioxidants. Cacao nib extract. Lake Champlain Chocolates has announced three limited edition gift boxes for the
upcoming holiday season. They are Chocolate Obsession an assortment of caramels, truffles, chocolate covered almonds, and pralines,
Truffle Obsession is an assortment of petite, high-cocoa-content ganache truffles infused with Madagascar vanilla beans and coated in
cocoa powder and Nut Obsession is an assortment of dark chocolate covered roasted almonds & caramelized almonds, and milk
chocolate covered macadamia nuts.The French ingredients firm Roquette is moving ahead with Maltitol the sugar replacer and now
claims it can replace 100% of the sugar in chocolate with no loss in taste. Maltitol could be a key product in the future as you don't have to
add fat to keep chocolate creamy when you replace the sugar with Maltitol.
November 15, 2006 - Scientists at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that cocoa can act in the same way as
aspirin to help prevent heart attacks. Apparently a few squares of chocolate a day leads to slower clotting platelets which makes it more
difficult for a blood vessel to be blocked from clots. The research was presented to the American Heart Association's annual Scientific
Sessions in Chicago on the 14th. Joseph Schmidt has announced his 2006 Holiday lineup and has done what appears to be some
masterful work. Some of the flavors his truffles come in this year include Eggnog, Toffee, Dark Peppermint and Tiramisu. The packaging
includes star and Christmas Tree shaped boxes as well as a
November 14, 2006 - Vosges Haut - Chocolat has two interesting new products for sale. One is the Nota Bene Gift Box. The gift box was
done in partnership with Nota Bene and Vosges. It's is Vosge's newest "Travel The World With Chocolate" item. Each box set includes:
Nota Bene's Napa Valley travel guide book paired with an Calindia exotic candy bar (organic California walnuts + Indian green cardamom +
dried plums + dark chocolate) and Nota Bene's Barcelona guide book paired with our Barcelona exotic candy bar (hickory smoked
almonds + grey sea salt + deep milk chocolate). The second item is a rerelease of The Marchesa Collection. The Marchesa Collection is
Black sea salt and caramel enrobed in 85% dark chocolate topped with pearl dust truffles. They come 9 to a box and is priced at $45. Lake
Champlain Chocolates (LCC), a the Vermont chocolate maker, has introduced four flavors of QAI-certified organic 1.25-oz chocolate bars
and 0.28-oz squares. The four flavors are Dark Spicy Aztec – 55% cocoa content with organic cayenne pepper, pumpkin seeds, and
cinnamon, Milk Sea Salt & Almonds – 38% cocoa content with grey sea salt and roasted organic almonds, Dark Chocolate – 55% cocoa
content and Milk Chocolate – 34% cocoa content.
November 13, 2006 - Deerfield Township, Ohio is the home of a new spa, Spa Chocolat, which will offer cocoa based spa treatments. The
owners Greg and Donna Dougherty own another spa, You Guys, next door. Schöller Ice Cream has added three new items to its
Erlenbacher pre-portioned cake range one of which is a White Chocolate Fudge Cake. With the organic and fairtrade market growing in
the United Kingdom Venture Foods has added to new bars to its lineup of fairtrade, organic chocolates. They are the Premium Organic
White Bar and Swiss Dark Chocolate with Mint Crisps bar. M&Ms are offering eight new flavors only available through the Internet. The
flavors are All That Razz , (Creamy white chocolate + milk chocolate + rasberry-flavored candy shell), AlmonDee-Licious, (Almond + creamy
white chocolate + candy shell), Eat, Drink and Be Cherry, (Creamy white chocolate + milk chocolate + black cherry-flavored candy shell),
Mint Condition, (Creamy white chocolate + milk chocolate + mint-flavored candy shell), A Day At The Peach, (Creamy white chocolate + milk
chocolate + peach-flavored candy shell), Nut What You Think, (Peanut + creamy white chocolate + candy shell), Orange-U-Glad, (Creamy
white chocolate + milk chocolate + orange-flavored candy shell) and Cookie Mintster, (Crispy center + dark chocolate + speckled mint-
flavored candy shell). The eight flavors come packed in a limited edition tin that sells for $49.99. Fox News dropped by the Chocolate Show
here in New York and covered the growing trend of infusing chocolate with alcohol based tastes such as wine. As you know by now
chocolate these days can be infused with everything from olive oil to tea. If you click here and then scroll down a bit you'll find a nice photo
montage from the Chocolate Show courtesy of Fox News. Yesterday we reported the closing of the Smiths Falls, Canada Hershey plant
for a few days. Now Hershey has announced a partial recall of Hershey product distributed in Canada as it may be contaminated with
salmonella. The recall is for Hershey products including OHenry bars and Reeses cups manufactured between October 15th and
November 10th. The recalled chocolate can be identified by date codes found on the back of each package. The affected date codes range
from 6417 to 6455. Anything between those two numbers should not be eaten.
November 12, 2006 - We apologize for not posting the last couple of days. With the Chocolate Show in town we've been quite busy and in
the next few days we will let you our readers in on what we have observed and tasted. In the meanwhile onto the regular news roundup.
Reuters dropped by the Chocolate Show where they put together a piece on the growth of the organic chocolate business. This year sales
are estimated at $70,000,000 and the big players in the business have been busy acquiring there way into the field. Hershey's has picked
up Dagoba and Cadbury now owns Green & Black. Chris Samuel, spokesman for Green & Black's USA Inc., claims the organic end of the
business is growing 40% a year with his firm controlling 20% of the market. Jeff Shepherd of Lillie Belle Farms talks about how his firm
has gone from $500 worth of business in the first year, 2002, to $400,000 in 2006. Fashion Wire Daily has a neat slide show posted with
24 great and I mean it when I write it great photos from The Chocolate Show's kick off Chocolate meets fashion event on Thursday. Today
Show, food editor, Phil Lempert, dropped by the Chocolate Show and lists his best bets for the show. His list is quite impressive and in the
next few days we will be posting ours. The article is accompanied by NBC footage of the Today Show regulars trying some of the
chocolate. Students at the Neary School in Southborough, Massachusetts pooled together 483 pounds of Halloween candy they
collected and are going to ship it off to our troops in Iraq. The soldiers will give the candy out to local youngsters and try to use it as small
bribes to encourage the kids to visit the Doctor etc. Workers at the Smiths Falls, Canada, Hershey Chocolate plant are waiting to go back
to work. They were sent home when the plant was closed by the company when some of the chocolate was found to be contaminated by an
outside source. The company is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the workers are hoping to get back to work early
next week.
November 9, 2006 - Scott Lund, owner and chef at Lula's Chocolates has an interesting history with chocolate. His Grandmother Lula
Lund learned to make chocolate early in life from a home economics teacher in Wyoming. She moved to Salt Lake City and started making
chocolates in her home. Five decades of chocolate making went on in her basement shop - her husband built the shop and she sold them
at the arms plant she worked at - . She finally closed down in 1996 but for six years her grandson Scott helped her and learned the
business. Scott went on to get an MBA from BYU and then entered the laundry business. The call of chocolate was to much though and he
partnered with his college friend Aaron Davidson and they have rented 5,000 square feet of production facility in Monterey, California and
have started Lula's Chocolates. They have a website in production and hope to open a retail store in Carmel. Klaus J. Jacobs, a German-
born billionaire who lives in England has returned to his hometown, Bremen, Germany to give $250 million to the International University
Bremen. German Universities are funded by the government so Mr. Jacobs gift is a rarity in the land of his birth. He hopes his gift will raise
the school to the upper level of European Universities. Among Mr. Jacobs holding is Callebaut AG. For a list of Mr. Jacobs holdings and
what they do in the chocolate industry click here. Zetar, the owner of Fakenham based chocolate manufacturer Kinnerton, has reported
excellent sales recently. They recently purchased confectionery manufacturer Salamanda for £2.25m, and are on the lookout for more
companies to acquire. Beware for in Huntingdon, Great Britain police are on the lookout for a thief who stole two tins of chocolate from the
local High Street Woolworths. The suspect is described as white, aged between 15 and 18, and wearing a dark beanie hat, a Nike top,
black tracksuit bottoms and dirty white trainers
November 8, 2006 - Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut is entering a new growing market by attempting to open a production plant in
the Suzhou area of China. Callebaut hopes the plant will service the growing Shanghai region market as well as be able to export to Korea
and japan, two more mature chocolate markets. Dr Hazel MacTavish left Australia to set up shop in the United Kingdom where she is
recognized as an expert in smells especially herbal. She has started her own business and she is releasing a line of bathing products.
One of the products is chocolate bathing chunks which contain chocolate extracts. The products are 100% natural. Donsuemor, creators of
The Original American Madeleine, have added a new flavor to their lineup of Madelines. Named the Rich Chocolate Madeleine it along with
Donsuemor's other Madelines will be available at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. A recipe for Milk Chocolate Pudding from CIA - The
Culinary Institute Of America. From The Boston Globe a recipe for Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread. An article from the New York
Sun recapping the upcoming NY Chocolate Show listing some of the exhibitors and events. Whole Foods is recalling Whole Treat Organic
Vanilla Ice Cream Bars Dipped in Chocolate with a best by date of August 2007. The time stamp is greater than 21:25. The bars may
contain undeclared almonds and pose an allergy threat.
November 7, 2006 - Jean Galler is launching his new creation "Kaori" in the United States. You open an attractive box where you find 6
chocolate sticks. The sticks are Vanilla & Coconut , Saffron, Strawberry & Balsamic, Cardamom, Yuzu ( a Japanese citrus fruit ) and Ginger.
The box also includes three different spices Calamansi juice ( another Japanese citrus fruit ), Orange Powder and Green Powder ( Green
Tea with Poppy ). Dip the sticks in the spices and your ready to go. Read the Press Release here. A simple to use recipe for Almost
Flourless Chocolate Cake, from San Francisco baker and writer Fran Gage, co-author with San Francisco chocolatier Michael Recchiuti, of
"Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor" . The article has some good material on Fran Gage and her baking.
The second annual Wine & Chocolate Fundraiser was held Oct. 20 at Locust Grove, New York the Samuel Morse Historic Site. Clinton
Vineyards co-owner Phyllis Feder shared five wines with the guests who also sampled chocolate desserts donated by Desserticus in
Stanfordville, LaGrande Confections in Wappingers Falls, Calico Patisserie in Rhinebeck, The Lollipop Tree Flower Shop in Poughkeepsie
and Pastry Garden in Poughkeepsie. CocoaVia® has issued a Press Release extolling a study from researchers at the University of
California-Davis that found a diet that includes CocoaVia® bars helps to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) without affecting the bodies
production of good cholesterol.
November 5, 2006 - CNN has an interesting article about off beat jobs and they feature chocolatier Mary Loomas of Saratoga Chocolates
located in Saratoga, California. A few years back Ms. Loomas was a comptroller at Intel when she took up chocolate making as a hobby.
She took classes at École Chocolat in Tain l'Hermitage, France and then opened up her shop in November 2005. From Thanksgiving to
Valentine's Day Ms. Loomas and her 5 employees make chocolates and the rest of the year they produce chocolates and Ms. Loomas
teaches classes in truffle making. More than 2,000 people attended the 22nd annual Fantasies in Chocolate fundraiser Friday night at the
Reno-Sparks Convention Center. "A Taste of Art" was this years theme and among the 18 vendors who participated were Ethel M
Chocolates and Chocolate Walrus. Tickets were $65. The Samaritan Inn, the only homeless shelter in Collin County, Texas has found a
novel approach to raising money. They started Samaritan Inn-Dustries and have started making truffles, under strict sanitary conditions,
under the name "Greater Goodies". The truffles sell for one dollar each and they have sold 10,000 since June. If you'd like to try them you
can order them online. Ann Czaja, the Lindt master chocolatier, recently introduced customers at the Lindt Shop, located at the Chicago
Premium Outlets mall in Aurora, to the "5 Senses Chocolate Tasting Experience". She was teaching customers how to feel, smell and
taste chocolate. A neat little article from The Kennesaw State University newspaper tells the history of lollipops, gummy bears and candy
corn. A nice looking recipe for Hot Fudge Cake. Yet another article recapping the growth in the dark chocolate world. The article has some
interesting quotes from John Doyle of John & Kiras. Lindsay Watts is bringing imported chocolate to the Charlottesville Fashion Square
mall in West Virginia by opening her Chocolatier kiosk. Some of the brands she will be carrying are Dolfin, Bruyerre and Nirvana.
November 4, 2006 - Today Pierre Marcolini will be holding a tasting of their new Confit Lait spread at their 485 Park Avenue store, located
between 58th and 59th street. Their will also be a tasting of their fruit jams which are less than 10% sugar. Vosges Chocolates, 132
Spring Street, is holding the Groove Collection Launch Party on November 16th from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. They will have a DJ, a tasting of the
new truffles and a book signing. Call 212 625 - 2929 for more information. They will also be holding a similar event in their Chicago and
Las Vegas shops November 15th. Newsday has a good article about the different health benefits of cocoa. Out of New Zealand an article
on the city of Bruges, Belgium with a bit about the cities connection to chocolate, they hold an annual festival and are the home of the
Choco-Story museum on Sint Jansplein. Dr. Steve Markus a dentist from Haddon, New Jersey started collecting candy to send to our
troops in Iraq. Last year he collected 40 pounds of candy but this year with some local media attention as of Friday he was over 300 pounds
and people were still bringing him candy. How's this for a Halloween moment. Cindy Pappas of Tinley Park, Illinois was sorting through
her child's Halloween bag and came across a gold and diamond wedding band that had fallen off someone's finger as they dispensed
candy. She has turned the band over to the local police in the hope they can find the owner. Hooray a happy ending to the previous story as
the ring was returned to its rightful owner. Holl's Chocolates Inc. has retail outlets located in Vienna and Charleston, West Virginia. Started
by Fritz Holl who had worked at Broughton Food Company until his retirement in 1986 the company is currently in the hands Fritz's son,
Dominique. The family produces 200 - 400 pounds of chocolate a day and Dominique is the third generation of Holl's in the business.
Wilmington, North Carolina is the home to South 'N France where they hold classes in bonbon making. The evening starts with a cocktail
and then gets down to some serious bonbon making.
November 3, 2006 - The National Confectioners Association announced that the 2007 All Candy Expo, that takes place, September 17–
19, 2007, at McCormick Place in Chicago, will have a new display area "The Gourmet Marketplace". The Marketplace will have tastings,
pairings and other events as well as a Chocolate Lounge. You must be an industry professional to attend The 2007 All Candy Expo. The
Lodi, California branch of The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was burglarized late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The thief or thieves
took no merchandise but they did break into a filing cabinet and steal 46 credit card receipts which have card numbers, expiration dates etc
on them. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an article about chocolate martinis and rates those available in St. Louis. The winner was found
at Lafayette Square's Chocolate Bar. The Chocolate Bar offers 15 different versions of the chocolate martini. The Emmanuel Episcopal
Church in Kailua, Hawaii is holding its annual Chocolate Extravaganza November 11th. Their is a recipe contest and plenty of chocolate
items to try. Admission is a reasonable $15, kids under 6 free and the proceeds go to charity. Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut has
posted a 17.4% increase in profit for the fiscal year that ended August 31, 2006. Although it was a hot summer in Europe making for
decreased sales for some Callebaut was able to lower costs and increase margins allowing them to do so well. The North Tahoe
Conference Center in Kings Beach, Nevada will be the home for the 18th Annual Chocolate Festival which will benefit Tahoe Women's
Services. Local chocolatiers will provide the wares and the event takes place Saturday night November 4th. Tickets are $40 in advance or
$50 at the door. Kettle Foods' third annual People's Choice campaign: Passport to Flavor is starting and you can vote online for your
favorite potato chip flavor. The five flavors you can vote on are as follows, Aztec Chocolate, Island Jerk, Royal Indian Curry, Dragon 5 Spice
and Twisted Chili Lime. You can read the Press Release here. Whitney Shuman is the winner of the NordicWare "Bundts Across America"
recipe contest. Her cake represented her city, New Orleans and was named Chocolate City. The cake was spicy and included coffee,
cayenne, New Orleans cane rum and a topping of nuts. Rafael Rizzello, head bartender at Miami Beach's Pelican Hotel, has reinvented the
Chocotini. He's gotten rid of the cream liqueur and replaced it with white creme de cacao. Then instead of garnishing with chocolate
shavings he uses a mint stick creating a clear drink that is not as thick as a classic Chocolate Martini. His recipe is in the article.
November 2, 2006 - Singapore-based cocoa bean supplier Olam has jointly acquired the Cameroon cocoa processor Usicam with Archer
Daniels Midland. Each company will own 50% of the plant which will become one of the countries largest plants handling all aspects of
cocoa bean processing including drying, cleaning and grading. Cameroon produced 160,000 metric tons last season down a bit from the
year before. Cameroon's cocoa is currently used by Cargill, ADM and Barry Callebaut. A very interesting article from Beverage Daily about
the need for an International body to regulate Fairtrade goods including cocoa. The author brings up many good points that are worth
thinking about.
November 1, 2006 - The Essence of Chocolate is a new book by Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger. The authors explain cacoa
and all about Scharffen Berger chocolate. The book also includes 100 recipes. Their is a limited book tour where you can get your copy of
the book signed and meet the authors. To see if they will be appearing near you click here. M&M's has a neat item out for the holiday
season, Christmas that is. A collectible tin full of green and red M&M's and 4 bags of custom printed milk chocolate M&M's and a
customized Christmas card all for $54.99 . This looks like an entertaining gift for someone who enjoys chocolate and likes M&M's. A study
undertaken by the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in collaboration with the University of California-Davis and the University of
Padova in Italy has found that hamsters on a high walnut diet have lower levels of the protein endothelin. Endothelin can contribute to
cardiovascular disease as it clogs arteries. A previous study showed that walnuts lowered LDL, bad cholesterol. I'll have my walnuts
coated in chocolate please. About 10 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio is Galerie, a company in Hebron, Kentucky who have changed the face
of humble candy corn with their Gourmat Candy Corn. Candy corn as we know it was originally conceived in the late 19th century and is a
Halloween staple. Galerie has created three new flavors, green apple is lime on the bottom, yellow in the middle and orange at the tip.
Cherry is red, pink and yellow, Tangerine is orange, yellow and purple. They claim they will be releasing some new flavors in the future.
Dijon, France and produces that Nestle standard the Lion Bar. It's late in the year and that can only mean one thing. Vosges Haute
Chocolat has gotten a batch of Volcano island Honey which is a premium honey harvested in Hawaii. The honey is organic and mixed with
dark chocolate to produce an eagerly awaited item. Production is limited and you can order online or pick up a box at any of their stores.
Hoping to get ahead of the growth of the chocolate industry throughout Asia Cadbury has decided to expand their Dunedin, New Zealand,
factory and are investing $20,000,000 (New Zealand), $13,679,000 (US). They hope to have everything running smoothly by October , 2007.
They also plan to establish a global crumb research and development centre at the site with a grant from the government of New Zealand.
John & Kiras has announced that for a limited time they are offering free shipping on orders over $75 shipping to one address. They have
a nice assortment of items that are packaged nicely for the Holidays and everything we've ever tried by them has always been of the highest
quality and tasty to. The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has upgraded their estimate of this years cocoa crop from an initial 5,000
ton deficit to a 80,000 ton surplus. With good weather and an end to the strike in the Ivory Coast world cocoa production increased 6% with
Africa producing the bulk , 72%, of the world's supply. Scientists have identified a gene in peanuts , ara h 3-im, which they feel may be
usable in creating a new strain of peanuts that would be allergen free. Research that is being conducted at The University of Florida could
bring relief to peanut allergy sufferers. Scharffen Berger has posted a recipe for Chocolate Chili Cake which looks promising. We bumped
into the fine folks of DeBrand Fine Chocolates at the recent Chocolate Show here in New York City. This jogged our memory, we sampled
some of their product awhile back and haven't yet gotten around to write up a review. The chocolates were great and a definite must try for
any chocoholic. They have some great looking Holiday assortments and we love the way their chocolate stuffed gift tote looks.
November 28, 2006 - Ugly Mug Coffee and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE), have teamed up to launch the 2006 limited edition Elvis
Coffee Christmas Collection which includes two Elvis Hot Chocolate mixes. Read the Press Release here. The owner of Lake Forest
Confections, Bud Kolbrener has teamed up with Simon Katz, owner of Simons Jewelers to create a $1,500,000 box of chocolates and
jewels. The collection includes a variety of precious gems and a mixture of dark chocolates. If you would like to see pictures of the jewels
involved click here. An 'equitrade' agreement between Madagascar and a Preston, England based firm has led to the creation of two new
chocolate bars named Mora Mora after the word for 'relax' in Madagascar and Sambirano after a region in the island have started to be
available in England. Lake Champlain Chocolates has selected Bronto as the provider of it's email marketing tools. Read the Press
Release here. Translucent Chocolates has created Spring 2007 Fashion Colors a new line of chocolates. These are chocolate covered
nuts and fruits in vibrant colors that were on display during Fashion Week. They were part of the 2006 Emmy Awards Goodie Bags. You can
read their Press Release here. A positive review of "Ganong: A Sweet History of Chocolate" the story of the Ganong family who have been
making chocolates in Canada for well over 100 years. They produce the Delecto and "chicken bones" chocolate covered with a cinnamon
flavored pink coating. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people with allergies to peanut or almond proteins not to consume
certain Cafe Tasse Noir Praline chocolate bars. The bars are produced in Belgium and were mislabeled.
November 27, 2006 - Chocolove has partnered with Whole Foods to offer an exclusive product the Holiday "Fruits & Nuts" Chocolate Bar.
Inspired by the French Holiday mendiant bar it's a combination of currants, cherries, orange and ginger mixed with pecans, walnuts and
hazelnuts enrobed in dark chocolate. Read the Press Release here. We here at eChocolateNYC wish Scott Ward , co President Of Russell
Stover Candies who is currently hospitalized after having a metal rod pierce his head while he was assembling sports equipment. He and
his brother Tom have been co - Presidents of the company since 1993. Reuters presents a slide show of models wearing chocolate
based clothing from a Chocolate Festival taking place in Bucharest, Romania. A neat photo of actor Hugh Jackman on MTV using a
chocolate fountain as publicity for his new movie the Fountain. The 17th Annual Creede Chocolate Festival ran Novemebr 24th and 25th.
Located in Colorado nineteen local establishments offered their best chocolate items for sampling.
November 20, 2006 - A Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe worker was last Wednesday fined $2 000 for stealing a bar of chocolate. He pleaded
guilty to shoplifting the bar from KwikSpar Supermarket in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe. The sentence sounds harsh but that's not US $ so
actually the fine is less than one US dollar.
November 18, 2006 - The Canadian Hershey contaminated chocolate mystery has been solved. Hershey and the CFIA issued a recall for
25 Hershey products produced at the Smith Falls, Ontario plant for potential salmonella contamination. The recall was undertaken after soy
lecithin, used to aid the chocolates viscosity, tested positive for salmonella. No one has turned up sick. An Indiana couple Michael and
Alexis Brennan have filed a lawsuit on behalf of there daughter claiming that a child version hot chocolate (served at a lower and therefore
safer temperature than the adult hot chocolate) was actually the adult version and when their daughter spilled it, it burned her legs causing
damage that is still a problem two years later. Nontwenhle Mchunu has embarked on an interesting chocolate journey. Starting in a rural
area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa she went to Cape Town where she started her own company Ntwezinhle Creations. She forged a
relationship with The Protea Breakwater Lodge and supplies them with her homemade chocolates. She is going to London, England to
study English chocolate production and hopes to start teaching other women how to go about setting up their own chocolate making
businesses. Legacy Chocolates (2042 Marshall Av., St. Paul, Minnesota 651-646-0644) makes a chocolate sauce Potion No. 9 which is a
mixture of Hope Creamery butter from Hope, Minn., organic sugar cane juice and cocoa. A writer for the Minneapolis - St. Paul Star
Tribune loves the sauce. If you're wondering what the fine folks at echocolatenyc.com are hoping to get for Christmas may we suggest the
Michel Cluizel Brown Card. For $50,000 you get the card that gets you into 6 exclusive tastings, a meeting with Michel Cluizel, a private tour
of his French factory and lots of chocolate. Last month saw the opening of Pure Chocolate in Quincy, Massachusetts. Two sisters
Christina Bartkus and Lisa Trifone have put together a mix of products which include items from the Sweet Bliss line and dark fudge made
by local chef Gerie Trifone
November 17, 2006 - Four days after announcing the recall of twenty-five chocolate products due to salmonella contamination,
Hershey's and the Canadian food inspection agency (CFIA) still refuse to reveal the exact source and cause of the contamination. Days ago
it was announced an externally sourced ingredient was the cause of the contamination, but the ingredient or the source has yet to have
been publicly identified which makes one wonder if the ingredient is still being used by other manufacturers. John & Kiras has announced
their Holiday boxed sets. They have a 28 piece box that has every flavor they make for $39 and The Barn Raiser, a 3 box set, that has the 28
piece Every Flavor Box plus 15 pieces of fruit squares and 6 pieces of dipped apricots. With an estimated 90% of chocolate sold in China
consisting of cocoa butter substitutes instead of cocoa butter the government is stepping in with new regulations that should raise the
quality of chocolate sold in China. After December 1, 2006 any product with more than 5% cocoa butter substitutes will no longer be
allowed to be sold as chocolate. The Bridgemarket branch, under the 59th Street Bridge Manhattan side, of the Food Emporium has been
closed but is now reopening as an upscale, think Whole Foods, food store combined with a "regular' grocery stores inventory. Wow,
Frosted Flakes and Knipschildt Chocolates both under the same roof. It seems that getting acquired by Hershey hasn't slowed Dagoba
down as they are set to release a bunch of what appear to be unique and interesting products. It is called the Apothecary line and includes
Chocolate Bars and Elixirs that blend cacao with "beneficial" botanicals. There are five different bars each 74% cocoa, 1) Antioxidant: Dark
chocolate, Goji berries, cherries, blueberries, zante currants, Sambazon ® Acai, 2) Clarity: Dark chocolate, ginger, green lemon, 3) Energy:
Dark chocolate, nibs, Guayaki ® yerba mate, maca, guarana, 4) Eros: Dark chocolate, boysenberries and 5) Moon Cycle: Dark chocolate,
Zante currants. The elixirs come in bottles with droppers and are to be ingested by taking a few drops on the tongue. There are six elixirs 1)
Antioxidant: Cacao, elderberry, goji berry, rosehips, Montmorency cherries, bilberry . 2) Clarity: Cacao, gotu kola, gingko, hawthorne berry,
Ginger. 3) Energy: Cacao, guarana, gotu kola, rooibos, green tea 4) Eros: Cacao, muira pauma, catuaba, horny goat weed, yohimbe,
damiana, prickly ash 5) Moon Cycle: Cacao, red raspberry leaf, blessed thistle, damiana, rosebud leaf & petal, vitex berry 6) Cacao:
Uplifting energy & antioxidants. Cacao nib extract. Lake Champlain Chocolates has announced three limited edition gift boxes for the
upcoming holiday season. They are Chocolate Obsession an assortment of caramels, truffles, chocolate covered almonds, and pralines,
Truffle Obsession is an assortment of petite, high-cocoa-content ganache truffles infused with Madagascar vanilla beans and coated in
cocoa powder and Nut Obsession is an assortment of dark chocolate covered roasted almonds & caramelized almonds, and milk
chocolate covered macadamia nuts.The French ingredients firm Roquette is moving ahead with Maltitol the sugar replacer and now
claims it can replace 100% of the sugar in chocolate with no loss in taste. Maltitol could be a key product in the future as you don't have to
add fat to keep chocolate creamy when you replace the sugar with Maltitol.
November 15, 2006 - Scientists at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that cocoa can act in the same way as
aspirin to help prevent heart attacks. Apparently a few squares of chocolate a day leads to slower clotting platelets which makes it more
difficult for a blood vessel to be blocked from clots. The research was presented to the American Heart Association's annual Scientific
Sessions in Chicago on the 14th. Joseph Schmidt has announced his 2006 Holiday lineup and has done what appears to be some
masterful work. Some of the flavors his truffles come in this year include Eggnog, Toffee, Dark Peppermint and Tiramisu. The packaging
includes star and Christmas Tree shaped boxes as well as a
November 14, 2006 - Vosges Haut - Chocolat has two interesting new products for sale. One is the Nota Bene Gift Box. The gift box was
done in partnership with Nota Bene and Vosges. It's is Vosge's newest "Travel The World With Chocolate" item. Each box set includes:
Nota Bene's Napa Valley travel guide book paired with an Calindia exotic candy bar (organic California walnuts + Indian green cardamom +
dried plums + dark chocolate) and Nota Bene's Barcelona guide book paired with our Barcelona exotic candy bar (hickory smoked
almonds + grey sea salt + deep milk chocolate). The second item is a rerelease of The Marchesa Collection. The Marchesa Collection is
Black sea salt and caramel enrobed in 85% dark chocolate topped with pearl dust truffles. They come 9 to a box and is priced at $45. Lake
Champlain Chocolates (LCC), a the Vermont chocolate maker, has introduced four flavors of QAI-certified organic 1.25-oz chocolate bars
and 0.28-oz squares. The four flavors are Dark Spicy Aztec – 55% cocoa content with organic cayenne pepper, pumpkin seeds, and
cinnamon, Milk Sea Salt & Almonds – 38% cocoa content with grey sea salt and roasted organic almonds, Dark Chocolate – 55% cocoa
content and Milk Chocolate – 34% cocoa content.
November 13, 2006 - Deerfield Township, Ohio is the home of a new spa, Spa Chocolat, which will offer cocoa based spa treatments. The
owners Greg and Donna Dougherty own another spa, You Guys, next door. Schöller Ice Cream has added three new items to its
Erlenbacher pre-portioned cake range one of which is a White Chocolate Fudge Cake. With the organic and fairtrade market growing in
the United Kingdom Venture Foods has added to new bars to its lineup of fairtrade, organic chocolates. They are the Premium Organic
White Bar and Swiss Dark Chocolate with Mint Crisps bar. M&Ms are offering eight new flavors only available through the Internet. The
flavors are All That Razz , (Creamy white chocolate + milk chocolate + rasberry-flavored candy shell), AlmonDee-Licious, (Almond + creamy
white chocolate + candy shell), Eat, Drink and Be Cherry, (Creamy white chocolate + milk chocolate + black cherry-flavored candy shell),
Mint Condition, (Creamy white chocolate + milk chocolate + mint-flavored candy shell), A Day At The Peach, (Creamy white chocolate + milk
chocolate + peach-flavored candy shell), Nut What You Think, (Peanut + creamy white chocolate + candy shell), Orange-U-Glad, (Creamy
white chocolate + milk chocolate + orange-flavored candy shell) and Cookie Mintster, (Crispy center + dark chocolate + speckled mint-
flavored candy shell). The eight flavors come packed in a limited edition tin that sells for $49.99. Fox News dropped by the Chocolate Show
here in New York and covered the growing trend of infusing chocolate with alcohol based tastes such as wine. As you know by now
chocolate these days can be infused with everything from olive oil to tea. If you click here and then scroll down a bit you'll find a nice photo
montage from the Chocolate Show courtesy of Fox News. Yesterday we reported the closing of the Smiths Falls, Canada Hershey plant
for a few days. Now Hershey has announced a partial recall of Hershey product distributed in Canada as it may be contaminated with
salmonella. The recall is for Hershey products including OHenry bars and Reeses cups manufactured between October 15th and
November 10th. The recalled chocolate can be identified by date codes found on the back of each package. The affected date codes range
from 6417 to 6455. Anything between those two numbers should not be eaten.
November 12, 2006 - We apologize for not posting the last couple of days. With the Chocolate Show in town we've been quite busy and in
the next few days we will let you our readers in on what we have observed and tasted. In the meanwhile onto the regular news roundup.
Reuters dropped by the Chocolate Show where they put together a piece on the growth of the organic chocolate business. This year sales
are estimated at $70,000,000 and the big players in the business have been busy acquiring there way into the field. Hershey's has picked
up Dagoba and Cadbury now owns Green & Black. Chris Samuel, spokesman for Green & Black's USA Inc., claims the organic end of the
business is growing 40% a year with his firm controlling 20% of the market. Jeff Shepherd of Lillie Belle Farms talks about how his firm
has gone from $500 worth of business in the first year, 2002, to $400,000 in 2006. Fashion Wire Daily has a neat slide show posted with
24 great and I mean it when I write it great photos from The Chocolate Show's kick off Chocolate meets fashion event on Thursday. Today
Show, food editor, Phil Lempert, dropped by the Chocolate Show and lists his best bets for the show. His list is quite impressive and in the
next few days we will be posting ours. The article is accompanied by NBC footage of the Today Show regulars trying some of the
chocolate. Students at the Neary School in Southborough, Massachusetts pooled together 483 pounds of Halloween candy they
collected and are going to ship it off to our troops in Iraq. The soldiers will give the candy out to local youngsters and try to use it as small
bribes to encourage the kids to visit the Doctor etc. Workers at the Smiths Falls, Canada, Hershey Chocolate plant are waiting to go back
to work. They were sent home when the plant was closed by the company when some of the chocolate was found to be contaminated by an
outside source. The company is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the workers are hoping to get back to work early
next week.
November 9, 2006 - Scott Lund, owner and chef at Lula's Chocolates has an interesting history with chocolate. His Grandmother Lula
Lund learned to make chocolate early in life from a home economics teacher in Wyoming. She moved to Salt Lake City and started making
chocolates in her home. Five decades of chocolate making went on in her basement shop - her husband built the shop and she sold them
at the arms plant she worked at - . She finally closed down in 1996 but for six years her grandson Scott helped her and learned the
business. Scott went on to get an MBA from BYU and then entered the laundry business. The call of chocolate was to much though and he
partnered with his college friend Aaron Davidson and they have rented 5,000 square feet of production facility in Monterey, California and
have started Lula's Chocolates. They have a website in production and hope to open a retail store in Carmel. Klaus J. Jacobs, a German-
born billionaire who lives in England has returned to his hometown, Bremen, Germany to give $250 million to the International University
Bremen. German Universities are funded by the government so Mr. Jacobs gift is a rarity in the land of his birth. He hopes his gift will raise
the school to the upper level of European Universities. Among Mr. Jacobs holding is Callebaut AG. For a list of Mr. Jacobs holdings and
what they do in the chocolate industry click here. Zetar, the owner of Fakenham based chocolate manufacturer Kinnerton, has reported
excellent sales recently. They recently purchased confectionery manufacturer Salamanda for £2.25m, and are on the lookout for more
companies to acquire. Beware for in Huntingdon, Great Britain police are on the lookout for a thief who stole two tins of chocolate from the
local High Street Woolworths. The suspect is described as white, aged between 15 and 18, and wearing a dark beanie hat, a Nike top,
black tracksuit bottoms and dirty white trainers
November 8, 2006 - Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut is entering a new growing market by attempting to open a production plant in
the Suzhou area of China. Callebaut hopes the plant will service the growing Shanghai region market as well as be able to export to Korea
and japan, two more mature chocolate markets. Dr Hazel MacTavish left Australia to set up shop in the United Kingdom where she is
recognized as an expert in smells especially herbal. She has started her own business and she is releasing a line of bathing products.
One of the products is chocolate bathing chunks which contain chocolate extracts. The products are 100% natural. Donsuemor, creators of
The Original American Madeleine, have added a new flavor to their lineup of Madelines. Named the Rich Chocolate Madeleine it along with
Donsuemor's other Madelines will be available at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. A recipe for Milk Chocolate Pudding from CIA - The
Culinary Institute Of America. From The Boston Globe a recipe for Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread. An article from the New York
Sun recapping the upcoming NY Chocolate Show listing some of the exhibitors and events. Whole Foods is recalling Whole Treat Organic
Vanilla Ice Cream Bars Dipped in Chocolate with a best by date of August 2007. The time stamp is greater than 21:25. The bars may
contain undeclared almonds and pose an allergy threat.
November 7, 2006 - Jean Galler is launching his new creation "Kaori" in the United States. You open an attractive box where you find 6
chocolate sticks. The sticks are Vanilla & Coconut , Saffron, Strawberry & Balsamic, Cardamom, Yuzu ( a Japanese citrus fruit ) and Ginger.
The box also includes three different spices Calamansi juice ( another Japanese citrus fruit ), Orange Powder and Green Powder ( Green
Tea with Poppy ). Dip the sticks in the spices and your ready to go. Read the Press Release here. A simple to use recipe for Almost
Flourless Chocolate Cake, from San Francisco baker and writer Fran Gage, co-author with San Francisco chocolatier Michael Recchiuti, of
"Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor" . The article has some good material on Fran Gage and her baking.
The second annual Wine & Chocolate Fundraiser was held Oct. 20 at Locust Grove, New York the Samuel Morse Historic Site. Clinton
Vineyards co-owner Phyllis Feder shared five wines with the guests who also sampled chocolate desserts donated by Desserticus in
Stanfordville, LaGrande Confections in Wappingers Falls, Calico Patisserie in Rhinebeck, The Lollipop Tree Flower Shop in Poughkeepsie
and Pastry Garden in Poughkeepsie. CocoaVia® has issued a Press Release extolling a study from researchers at the University of
California-Davis that found a diet that includes CocoaVia® bars helps to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) without affecting the bodies
production of good cholesterol.
November 5, 2006 - CNN has an interesting article about off beat jobs and they feature chocolatier Mary Loomas of Saratoga Chocolates
located in Saratoga, California. A few years back Ms. Loomas was a comptroller at Intel when she took up chocolate making as a hobby.
She took classes at École Chocolat in Tain l'Hermitage, France and then opened up her shop in November 2005. From Thanksgiving to
Valentine's Day Ms. Loomas and her 5 employees make chocolates and the rest of the year they produce chocolates and Ms. Loomas
teaches classes in truffle making. More than 2,000 people attended the 22nd annual Fantasies in Chocolate fundraiser Friday night at the
Reno-Sparks Convention Center. "A Taste of Art" was this years theme and among the 18 vendors who participated were Ethel M
Chocolates and Chocolate Walrus. Tickets were $65. The Samaritan Inn, the only homeless shelter in Collin County, Texas has found a
novel approach to raising money. They started Samaritan Inn-Dustries and have started making truffles, under strict sanitary conditions,
under the name "Greater Goodies". The truffles sell for one dollar each and they have sold 10,000 since June. If you'd like to try them you
can order them online. Ann Czaja, the Lindt master chocolatier, recently introduced customers at the Lindt Shop, located at the Chicago
Premium Outlets mall in Aurora, to the "5 Senses Chocolate Tasting Experience". She was teaching customers how to feel, smell and
taste chocolate. A neat little article from The Kennesaw State University newspaper tells the history of lollipops, gummy bears and candy
corn. A nice looking recipe for Hot Fudge Cake. Yet another article recapping the growth in the dark chocolate world. The article has some
interesting quotes from John Doyle of John & Kiras. Lindsay Watts is bringing imported chocolate to the Charlottesville Fashion Square
mall in West Virginia by opening her Chocolatier kiosk. Some of the brands she will be carrying are Dolfin, Bruyerre and Nirvana.
November 4, 2006 - Today Pierre Marcolini will be holding a tasting of their new Confit Lait spread at their 485 Park Avenue store, located
between 58th and 59th street. Their will also be a tasting of their fruit jams which are less than 10% sugar. Vosges Chocolates, 132
Spring Street, is holding the Groove Collection Launch Party on November 16th from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. They will have a DJ, a tasting of the
new truffles and a book signing. Call 212 625 - 2929 for more information. They will also be holding a similar event in their Chicago and
Las Vegas shops November 15th. Newsday has a good article about the different health benefits of cocoa. Out of New Zealand an article
on the city of Bruges, Belgium with a bit about the cities connection to chocolate, they hold an annual festival and are the home of the
Choco-Story museum on Sint Jansplein. Dr. Steve Markus a dentist from Haddon, New Jersey started collecting candy to send to our
troops in Iraq. Last year he collected 40 pounds of candy but this year with some local media attention as of Friday he was over 300 pounds
and people were still bringing him candy. How's this for a Halloween moment. Cindy Pappas of Tinley Park, Illinois was sorting through
her child's Halloween bag and came across a gold and diamond wedding band that had fallen off someone's finger as they dispensed
candy. She has turned the band over to the local police in the hope they can find the owner. Hooray a happy ending to the previous story as
the ring was returned to its rightful owner. Holl's Chocolates Inc. has retail outlets located in Vienna and Charleston, West Virginia. Started
by Fritz Holl who had worked at Broughton Food Company until his retirement in 1986 the company is currently in the hands Fritz's son,
Dominique. The family produces 200 - 400 pounds of chocolate a day and Dominique is the third generation of Holl's in the business.
Wilmington, North Carolina is the home to South 'N France where they hold classes in bonbon making. The evening starts with a cocktail
and then gets down to some serious bonbon making.
November 3, 2006 - The National Confectioners Association announced that the 2007 All Candy Expo, that takes place, September 17–
19, 2007, at McCormick Place in Chicago, will have a new display area "The Gourmet Marketplace". The Marketplace will have tastings,
pairings and other events as well as a Chocolate Lounge. You must be an industry professional to attend The 2007 All Candy Expo. The
Lodi, California branch of The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was burglarized late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The thief or thieves
took no merchandise but they did break into a filing cabinet and steal 46 credit card receipts which have card numbers, expiration dates etc
on them. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an article about chocolate martinis and rates those available in St. Louis. The winner was found
at Lafayette Square's Chocolate Bar. The Chocolate Bar offers 15 different versions of the chocolate martini. The Emmanuel Episcopal
Church in Kailua, Hawaii is holding its annual Chocolate Extravaganza November 11th. Their is a recipe contest and plenty of chocolate
items to try. Admission is a reasonable $15, kids under 6 free and the proceeds go to charity. Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut has
posted a 17.4% increase in profit for the fiscal year that ended August 31, 2006. Although it was a hot summer in Europe making for
decreased sales for some Callebaut was able to lower costs and increase margins allowing them to do so well. The North Tahoe
Conference Center in Kings Beach, Nevada will be the home for the 18th Annual Chocolate Festival which will benefit Tahoe Women's
Services. Local chocolatiers will provide the wares and the event takes place Saturday night November 4th. Tickets are $40 in advance or
$50 at the door. Kettle Foods' third annual People's Choice campaign: Passport to Flavor is starting and you can vote online for your
favorite potato chip flavor. The five flavors you can vote on are as follows, Aztec Chocolate, Island Jerk, Royal Indian Curry, Dragon 5 Spice
and Twisted Chili Lime. You can read the Press Release here. Whitney Shuman is the winner of the NordicWare "Bundts Across America"
recipe contest. Her cake represented her city, New Orleans and was named Chocolate City. The cake was spicy and included coffee,
cayenne, New Orleans cane rum and a topping of nuts. Rafael Rizzello, head bartender at Miami Beach's Pelican Hotel, has reinvented the
Chocotini. He's gotten rid of the cream liqueur and replaced it with white creme de cacao. Then instead of garnishing with chocolate
shavings he uses a mint stick creating a clear drink that is not as thick as a classic Chocolate Martini. His recipe is in the article.
November 2, 2006 - Singapore-based cocoa bean supplier Olam has jointly acquired the Cameroon cocoa processor Usicam with Archer
Daniels Midland. Each company will own 50% of the plant which will become one of the countries largest plants handling all aspects of
cocoa bean processing including drying, cleaning and grading. Cameroon produced 160,000 metric tons last season down a bit from the
year before. Cameroon's cocoa is currently used by Cargill, ADM and Barry Callebaut. A very interesting article from Beverage Daily about
the need for an International body to regulate Fairtrade goods including cocoa. The author brings up many good points that are worth
thinking about.
November 1, 2006 - The Essence of Chocolate is a new book by Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger. The authors explain cacoa
and all about Scharffen Berger chocolate. The book also includes 100 recipes. Their is a limited book tour where you can get your copy of
the book signed and meet the authors. To see if they will be appearing near you click here. M&M's has a neat item out for the holiday
season, Christmas that is. A collectible tin full of green and red M&M's and 4 bags of custom printed milk chocolate M&M's and a
customized Christmas card all for $54.99 . This looks like an entertaining gift for someone who enjoys chocolate and likes M&M's. A study
undertaken by the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in collaboration with the University of California-Davis and the University of
Padova in Italy has found that hamsters on a high walnut diet have lower levels of the protein endothelin. Endothelin can contribute to
cardiovascular disease as it clogs arteries. A previous study showed that walnuts lowered LDL, bad cholesterol. I'll have my walnuts
coated in chocolate please. About 10 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio is Galerie, a company in Hebron, Kentucky who have changed the face
of humble candy corn with their Gourmat Candy Corn. Candy corn as we know it was originally conceived in the late 19th century and is a
Halloween staple. Galerie has created three new flavors, green apple is lime on the bottom, yellow in the middle and orange at the tip.
Cherry is red, pink and yellow, Tangerine is orange, yellow and purple. They claim they will be releasing some new flavors in the future.
| November 2006 News |
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