Confectioners offered trip to Cargill choc-school

Cargill says that efficient chocolate making and other industry start up challenges will be the order of the day for participants of its chocolate workshop taking place this November.

The ingredients group claims that the three-day event taking place in from 10 to 12 of the month will offer twelve qualified participants, hoping to enter confectionery production invaluable expertise on how to do so. Training will come from both Cargill itself and other industry experts, the group said.

With confectioners having to live up to strict nutritional and legal requirements, while also meeting consumer’s expectations for product innovation and taste, Cargill says that the workshop can be a vital tool in meeting these challenges.

Courtney LeDrew, a marketing specialist for the company’s Cocoa & Chocolate operations, said the workshop was a new way for Cargill to offer its customers practical business tools for confectionery manufacturing.

LeDrew told ConfectioneryNews.com that the workshop was the first of its kind for Cargill’s chocolate division and was designed to support the industry by providing qualified confectioners with technical expertise.

The Workshop

In an attempt to provide industry-wide training for confectioners, Cargill says it has split the workshop into both practical and more theoretical modules.

The first two days will aim to take the confectioners back to school dealing with issues such as site selection, the importance of product mix, equipment needs in the plant and branding, packaging and marketing, according to the company.

The third day will offer participants more hands on experience of making chocolate, particularly in tempering and producing their own individual confections.