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How to start your gourmet chocolate business

You may like it dark, but the business of chocolate can certainly be sweet. There is a lot of scope to make money in selling gourmet chocolates, be it through a small home business or a store of your own. But making chocolates as a hobby is a lot different than doing it as a business. You need careful planning and perfect execution to make your chocolate business a reality.
Here are some crucial first steps to take for starting your own gourmet chocolate business.

Learn about local permits and licenses for new businesses. If you plan to make and sell your gourmet chocolates at home, find out about the registration process and insurance policies available for the same.

Purchase the ingredients and equipment depending on the scale and scope of your business. For commercial purposes, your need for equipment may differ from what may already be available in your kitchen.

Decide on your product offering and list ingredients for each of your options. In the initial stages, it is better to begin with a limited product line to not only streamline your business, but make it easier for you to establish a new venture. Make really unique products with the very best of ingredients to justify your chocolates as a gourmet offering. Take your time in creating and testing your products with family and friends.

Calculate your capital need depending upon your initial purchases and operational costs.

Make a solid business plan. Leave nothing out when crafting the route for your entrepreneurial journey.

Print out flyers to distribute among your local grocery stores. Make small samples of your gourmet chocolate for both the store owners/managers and their customers. Consider this step a very crucial cost in establishing your new business. If the customers like your chocolates, the grocery store owners are likely to ask for more to sell. Similarly, approach cafs, restaurants and gift shops.

Create a social media page or a website or both depending on your time and budget. Use your social pages to promote your gourmet chocolate products through creative promotional strategies. Utilize special occasions like Valentine’s Day to push a gourmet product in the market. Add pictures of your creations to raise interest in your chocolates. Advertise special products and discounts for birthday parties. You can create separate packaging for chocolates targeted at different age groups.

Attend state fairs, exhibitions and farmers’ markets to sell and promote your business. Always carry some samples and pamphlets to industry events.

Keep introducing new gourmet chocolates every now and then to attract new customers. You can also heed to customers’ demands for a particular ingredient or flavor and create a chocolate based on their inputs.

Review your business periodically not only in terms of revenues, but also in terms of customer base, products, competition and changing industry trends.
Starting a new business can be overwhelming. But with each carefully-planned small step, you can easily make it big as an entrepreneur selling gourmet chocolates.

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