Go on, try my delicious handcrafted chocolate

Mwikali Ndambo is the embodiment of creativity; she has been a teacher, a creative director, copywriter, radio presenter, a chef and is now CEO and founder of Chocolate Culture, a Chocolate making and Chocolatier Startup.

On graduation from Daystar University with a degree in communications, Mwikali worked as an English support teacher for a year, a job she enjoyed, but left, she felt it was time to try something new.

She got a job in advertising at Radio Africa as a radio copywriter for a year-and-a-half, and then moved to Nation FM (then Easy FM) in a similar position.

In 2010, she took a year-long sabbatical off work and travelled to Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, Canada to study traditional French cuisine. “I thought cuisine was easier, but I was wrong,” she chuckles. She had considered studying pastry, but thought the process was more complex than cuisine, which she realised isn’t necessarily the case; each crafts have their own complexities.

After graduation, she got a job at two restaurants concurrently, Juniper and Le CordonBleu Bistro @ Signatures in Ottawa.

“It was multi-tasking, but it was worth it. I really enjoyed myself and learned a lot,” she says.

In 2011, Mwikali returned home, her intention to set up her own business, but fear held her back. She worked in two other organisations in creative capacities, still unfulfilled and fighting the inevitable. In April 2015, she finally faced the fear of the unknown and took the leap of faith.

“I told myself that I was young enough to take a hit, so if I was going to do it, I might as well do it now,” she recalls the pep talk she gave herself.

Mwikali’s original business plan was to make pastries; she thought it would be simpler than starting a catering company; however, she would struggle to source her ingredients, especially chocolate.

INTERESTING TASTE

“Many people would ask for chocolate cake, and my options were to either buy good quality expensive imported chocolate, or chocolate compound, which is a lot cheaper but it lacked in quality.”

She began to research on chocolate. Soon enough, research on sourcing imported chocolate led her to understanding the chocolate-making process, and how one goes about sourcing cocoa beans to produce chocolate.

“I went down the rabbit hole, and soon I had way too much information about chocolate.”

In September 2015, she got her first batch of cocoa beans from Tanzania and began to make chocolate at her home on Ngong road, Nairobi. This is how her business, Chocolate Culture, was born. Her first batch of chocolate was, in her own words, terrible.

“I remember friends tasting the chocolate and commenting on its ‘interesting’ taste – it was really terrible,” Mwikali laughs, appreciative of how far she has come in perfecting her chocolate bars.

The process of chocolate making, which involves processing the cocoa beans to chocolate, takes her a week. An average day varies depending on which stage of the process she is in, from sorting the beans to roasting them and processing them into chocolate liquor - this is a pure cocoa mass in semi-solid form, it has no alcohol despite the term.

Once the chocolate is processed, it takes her a day to produce the chocolate bars. She then wraps them in foil to keep them fresh and finally transfers them to hand-crafted wrapping paper.

The chocolate bars are produced through a process called tempering, that stabilises the crystals in chocolate, giving it the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth feel, as well as the glossy finish and the satisfactory ‘snap’ when broken.

What has been the hardest part about setting up Chocolate Culture?

The list is endless. Getting information was difficult, I reached out to people here and abroad, but soon realised that most people are reluctant to share what they know, afraid that they will lose out to competition. Sourcing ingredients and equipment is incredibly difficult; countries like Ghana with a government monopoly means I can’t afford to buy the huge shipments of cocoa beans they insist on.

This means that I buy from the European and American re-sellers, which then drives up the cost of purchase, a factor that affects my cost. It seemed like an endless struggle. Perfecting the confectionery process was a struggle as well, which delayed my timelines. I have learnt that things don’t always work out as planned in business.

How much did it cost you to set up your business?

Let’s just say that it cost me all my savings.

What are some of your long-term plans for your business?

I would like to showcase African cocoa to change the misconception that African cocoa is, supposedly, inferior. I also want to showcase cocoa from the different cocoa producing countries in Africa. I want people to realise that Kenyan and African-made products are just as good, if not better than imported ones.

Who is your target customer?

I do not limit myself to an up-market clientele. I am willing to sell to anyone who is willing to try something different, expand their palate from the mass-produced chocolate in a store. If you are willing to try, then Chocolate Culture chocolate is for you.   

Why did you pick the Organic Farmer’s Market in Karen as your first market of entry?

 I like the idea of the Farmer’s Market; it’s small and intimate, and I get a chance to have a one-on-one conversation with my clients. It’s a chance to sell my vision. It creates a level of buy-in different from having someone walk into a store and pick it off a shelf and walk away.

How do you go about marketing Chocolate Culture?

I am quite terrible at marketing. It’s kind of ridiculous considering I have an advertising background. People say that you should separate the art from the artist, but it is very difficult. I feel like it is something you can’t do. I have a Facebook page, Chocolate Culture, but I intend to expand to other markets as well.  

What’s the difference between commercially mass produced chocolate and your handcrafted chocolate?

Chocolate Culture does not go for Sh10, my bars cost between Sh350 and Sh550, cost that is more affordable than really high quality chocolate from a store. Mine is handcrafted chocolate, every step of the process is an involving process. Time, energy, and effort is put into process.

I also source ethically produced cocoa beans  - the cocoa farmers get a higher price for their beans than they normally would. This attitude that Kenyans have that just because it is locally made it should be cheap or inferior, is a fallacy. I am not making a mediocre product and then charge you a lot of money so that I can make a huge profit and retire in a few years. If you are willing to pay a lot of money for an imported product, why can’t you pay the same for locally-produced products?

As a single founder, what steps are you taking to grow your human resource to improve your operations?

I am really blessed to have dedicated and loyals friends. They were willing guinea pigs when I was producing unpalatable chocolate.

They have also gone as far as doing research for me, helped me source what I need for my business and sell the product for me. In fact, two of my friends have even offered to run my social media page. Others give me business advice. They have given their time, their money, and their talent.

What should artisanal entrepreneurs keep an eye out for?

A close friend told me, “Find your tribe.” This means find people who are 100 per cent behind you and buy into your vision. It doesn’t need to be 100 people, just a few people who push you forward and encourage you, hold you accountable or call you out when you are failing and if need be, hold the fort for you, when things are going horribly wrong.

Entrepreneurship is a lonely and hard road, and no one wants to fail. It’s equally rewarding as it is stressful.

I believe that failure is only a problem if you don’t learn from it. It is not a wasted experience. You will mess up. Guaranteed.

You have the choice to figure out the mistake, ensure you don’t repeat it again, and improve, or you can keep banging your head against the wall. It is only final when you accept defeat. Pushing is what propels you forward. If you are in the creative or artisanal space, some people may separate the art from the artist. I struggle with that. Understand that not everyone is going to buy into your vision or your product. Anything artistic is a very subjective thing. Finally, be able to accept constructive criticism of your product.

What does it take to become a chocolate maker or a chocolatier?

You can go to culinary school or you can teach yourself. There are instructional videos and other material on Google and YouTube, so there are people willing to share information. You have Skill Share, Coursera, MIT Open courseware, Future Learn. There are all these sites were people teach freely and are willing to share information for free or at a reasonable cost.

If you are willing to learn, you can learn just about anything you want. You can even approach a chef and ask to learn from them. It is all about how determined you are.

Culinary school has its advantages; being in a different culture does expose you to new ingredients and opens your worldview.

It is an advantage, so if you can do it, do it.

That said, this profession is a constant learning process.

 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE 

•   The Cacao tree is a small tree that originated from South America.

•   It produces pods with seeds called cocoa beans.

•   It’s scientific name is theobroma cacao, which some say is ancient Greek for “food of the gods.”

•   For most of chocolate’s 4,000 year history, is was mostly consumed as a bitter beverage, rather than a confectionery.

•   Cacao originated in South America where the Mayans and the Aztecs used to make a drink called Chocoaltl – a frothy drink made of crushed cacao seeds seasoned with spice.

•   The Aztec king called Montezuma was believed to drink 50 cups of Chocoaltl daily.

•    Cocoa beans were once used as a currency between the Mayans and Aztecs.

•   Chocolate was an aristocratic drink across Europe until the mid-1800s.

•   The first edible chocolate bar was  made in 1847 by  a British Chocolate company.

•   Family owned companies, Cadbury, Hershey and Mars made edible chocolate commercial in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

•   Cocoa beans are 50 per cent Cocoa mass and 50 per cent cocoa butter.

•   Hand-crafted foods including chocolate tend to have less chemical and stabilisers.

•   Cocoa can only be grown in regions 20 degrees of the equator (north and south).

•   White chocolate isn’t really chocolate, it is composed of cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder.

•   Tanzania and Uganda grow cocoa beans. The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) is currently running a project to establish Kenya’s viability to grow cocoa.

SUPER FOODS

 It is believed that rich dark chocolate has several compounds with various benefits:

 Caffeine – a stimulant present in small amounts, depending on the type and amount of chocolate ingredients.

Theobromine – a mild stimulant distinct from caffeine, which provides the lion’s share of chocolate’s kick and energises without greatly activating the central nervous system the way the former does. It also enhances mood, dilates blood vessels, can lower blood pressure, relaxes the smooth muscles of the bronchi in the lungs, and can be used as a cough medicine.

Tryptophan  — releases the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.

 Phenylethylamine – functions similarly to amphetamines in releasing norepinephrine, which increases excitement, alertness, and decision-making abilities, and dopamine, which releases endorphins (natural painkillers) and heightens mood.

Flavonoids – antioxidants which may improve blood flow to the heart and brain, prevent clots, improve cardiac health, and act as anti-inflammatories.

Courtesy: www.theartofmanliness.com and www.history.com and www.chocolate-history.co.uk

******

PRODUCTION STAGES

The chocolate mass is moulded into bars. 

1.Sorting

The cocoa beans are sorted and cleaned. 

2.Roasting

The beans are then roasted. 

3.Grinding

It is done in a grinding or grilling machine. 

4.Conching

The process develops the flavour and texture of the chocolate liquor. 

5.Tempering

The chocolate liquour is heated and cooled repeatedly to form solid crystals and molded into bars.”