Hi There!

Thanks for checking in on the blog. I felt compelled to write something- a few things that have been on my mind wrt Zimt and life.

Here they are:

"It's like I have ESPN or something.": Sometimes, I wish my phone had ESP- not the sports network (no N), but the mind reading capability, so that it might text the people I want to text.  Nearly the entire time I am making chocolate, including getting things ready to make chocolate, I just can't talk or text. And I keep thinking about all the people I want to communicate with, people I want to get in touch with again, and I really cannot. And I think about this often. So, if I haven't called or texted you in a while, it is because I am always either making chocolate, driving, typing, talking with retail clients, etc. but that does not mean I do not think about you. 

Hiring Oompa Loompas: I really want to hire people. I know I have been saying that for a good while, but it is a very tricky balance to fulfill. There need to be enough retail locations, with enough demand, to make it at all worth it. Otherwise, what profit could be going to supplies, marketing, etc. is going to a wonderful person who probably does deserve to work in a chocolate factory, but one with more consistent hours. So, that is the main hurdle- balancing demand for chocolate with supply of chocolate, and the supply of chocolate is very much affected by labour. 

Upping Demand: I want there to be more demand for Zimt. And I would really like the price of Zimt to be a little less scary. But I run the numbers and.... hm. There isn't a ton I can do about the price. Unless I order raw product in huge quantities, pallets, and increase manufacturing efficiency (working on it!), and- the packaging! It is the bane of my existence. for sure. I really think the only good thing about it is, that it gets a lot of important information across to consumers, and keeps the chocolate from being maimed. Other than those very vital aspects, it is expensive, time consuming to apply, and does not really look all too professional. But that is about to change- new packaging is coming up. I think this is version.... 1,2,3,4,5. Version 5. In less than a year. Anyway, I am not sure what the material costs are going to be- could be lots because of small production runs, because of small (initial) demand. But this may balance out with reduced labour time. But then there's the capital investment of the heat sealer. That's ok. 

So, I want more people to buy Zimt and love it- long story short!

Easter Bunnies: It is time to order Easter chocolate molds. I have to have everything made, basically, before I jet to Taiwan, so that I can have it all packaged and ready to go for retailers by the first of April, at the very latest. The only problem is, I don't know if some of my larger retailers would want these, and if they do, I would most certainly need to register for more UPCs, and this would cost me $500. 
In total, the molds (including shipping), will cost 104.83 EUR. That is approximately 136.70 CAD. So, I would need to make 136.71 CAD from this investment for it to financially be worth it, including labour costs and the appropriate amount of overhead. 

I could also use the molds I got last year, back when I really had no clue what I was doing. But these are not polycarbonate, so the chocolate will be more difficult to remove, and they are really not the right shape. 

Do you think that Zimt should offer Easter Bunny chocolate? Please comment below or tell me in person, which seems to be the popular go. 

Seattle: I went to Seattle! It is an amazing, magical place. Pure bliss!

And crazy omelettes (vegan, of course- thank you Wayward Vegan Cafe!):










There is a lot more to blog about, but this is really long enough. If you disagree please explore the links below. 

Special Features: I am going to include these at the end of each post, so that we can carry through with them and all become better people =)
Eat your growing food!  A tasty recipe that is entirely cruelty free.  This one is from Jess at Cupcakes and Kale. My friends invited me over last night for a dish, I imagine would have been similar to this one. I could not go, though, because I had to do HST summaries and pack up my room because I am moving out. Looks delicious- thank you, Jess!

Simply "click" to save animals!  All you need to do is to click on the button that says "Click here to give- it's FREE" and voila- you helped save animals! Almost as easy as going vegan, though not as delicious =) 


Thank you for reading! 

Enjoy your weekend 

=)

Emma