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Invention To Mold Chocolate Using 3d Scan and Print Technology

Chocolate looks as good as it tastes with a new invention that makes detailed chocolate mold designs possible at a reasonable price.

Invention To Mold Chocolate Using 3d Scan and Print Technology

Chocolate looks as good as it tastes with a new invention that makes detailed chocolate mold designs possible at a reasonable price.

1 Campaign |

Woodland Hills, United States

$3,335 USD 111 backers

3% of $99,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story

FAQ

Updates 11

Comments 79

Hello Indiegogo peeps! Thank you so much for taking the time to check us out. After painstaking time, effort, and research, I invented (and patent-pending) a new method to mold and design chocolate. This method will allow me to shape chocolate in ways that have never been done before. Combining almost 20 years experience in entertainment visual effects with 3d print and scan technology I will be taking the chocolate industry into the 21st century.

For those of you new to Indiegogo, here’s how it works:

Indiegogo is a great way for supporters like you to send donations to projects like this one. In return, we’ll send you a reward/perk (check out the list to the right >>>). Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you had a part in opening Everything’s Made Of Chocolate!

Here’s whatcha gotta do:

Open a Indiegogo account by entering your e-mail and a password.

Pay by credit card and you're good to go!

Pledge $1 or more by 10/27/2013 (if you pledge an amount equal to one of our award (perk) levels you qualify for that award (perk) when our project closes.

Chocolate designs are either created completely by hand, or rely on a mold created directly from another object. In creating a mold, however, the original object must be able to withstand heat, pressure, or even chemicals. Traditional mold making is just not suitable for sensitive items. Because of these extreme elements, the final chocolate designs tend to lose a lot of detail due to their limitations and ability to reproduce accurate detail.

Currently, only high-end expensive chocolatiers/artisans have the ability to produce quality mold designs. With our new technology we will be able to produce quality designs at affordable prices making high end chocolate design available to the masses.

Our new process (patent pending) utilizes 3d scan and print technology. Incorporating this into the traditional craft of chocolate design expands the possibilities for creations based on actual objects such as heirlooms, personal items and corporate logos. Not only can we maintain comparable detail to a replicated object, but can create our molds out of almost anything without destroying or damaging the original. We can also easily change the size of the mold on demand. Using computers and 3d geometry also gives us the flexibility to incorporate two-dimensional images, (photos, paintings and logos) into chocolate designs as well. Examples include: food, flowers, delicate jewelry, toys, collectables, family photos, even your own face.

Please Note: There are inherent limitations with working with any medium, and chocolate is no exception. We pride ourselves in the fact that our process will push the boundaries of chocolate design, while making those designs more accessible to the general public at reasonable prices.

The goal of this project is to raise the funds necessary to complete the first stage of our business. Specifically, our goal is to raise $99,000 to purchase the manufacturing equipment to fabricate the molds, and the chocolate equipment to produce final product.

Successful funding will allow us to design and fabricate samples that we can then take to potential investors to raise the rest of our funds necessary to officially open our doors.

You have our word that the funds you help us raise will be spent both conscientiously and to produce the highest quality chocolate products possible. Here's what your generosity will help us purchase:

Chocolate Tempering Equipment (So we can melt, and shape chocolate into our awesome mascot design) ~ $25,000

3d Printer/Rapid Prototyping Machine (So we can fabricate additional molds) ~$60,000

Chocolate (Of course, not much of a chocolate business if we don’t purchase chocolate) ~ $5,000

Packaging (To showcase our cool/original chocolate designs) ~ $1,500

Spices (To infuse the chocolate with ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin, orange, and vanilla flavors) ~ $500

Cooling Cabinets (So we can set the chocolate properly after it has been shaped) ~ $3,000

Storage racks and containers (to store both raw and completed chocolate products) ~ $4,000

Our chocolate will be sourced from Guittard chocolate. They are the oldest, family owned chocolate business in the United States, and have been around for over 150 years. Their chocolate is known worldwide. They are also licensed Fair Trade USA®. This means that they source cocoa beans that are Rainforest Alliance Certified - for greater sustainability.

All of the chocolate that we source from them will be from their more expensive E. Guittard brand. This chocolate is of higher quality and with a greater amount of cocoa butter. This is also known as “coverture” chocolate.

Following is the list of chocolate we will be offering for our rewards:

Milk Chocolate (Soleil D'or) 38% Cocoa
White Chocolate (Crème Francais) 31% Cocoa
Dark (Blend) Chocolate (La Premiere Etoile) 58% Cocoa
Dark (Single Origin) Chocolate (Peru) 65% Cocoa

**Our Gingerbread Infused chocolate is a recipe we have personally developed using Guittard chocolate. It is Dark Chocolate with Ginger, Cinnamon, and Cloves flavors with real gingerbread mixed in.

As our business develops we will be looking to build our own, original chocolate created from “bean to bar” to sell with our own “premium” label.

We want to give you as much as we can for your support. Every reward that includes chocolate will be with our high quality coverture chocolate* (not the bargain compound chocolate, Yuck!).

Render of Mascot that will be 3d printed and hand painted.

**Please Note: Shipping is not included with chocolate rewards under $3,000. After the project closes, we will send out an email, and at that time we’ll include any necessary shipping costs. Shipping costs will be higher for orders outside the United States.

That’s right we have several chances for you to win a year’s worth of chocolate! No joke! With every contribution over $40 (including the early birds at $30), everyone will get at least two chances to win: a year’s worth of chocolate. There are a total of four ways to win. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Each Backer who contributes at least $40. Will get a vote to submit a design idea for us to potentially create and add to our future mold library. The higher your contribution, the more votes you get.

2. Each Backer who contributes at least $40. Will get a vote to come up with a name for our mascot. The higher your contribution, the more votes you get.

3. The Backer who refers the most people to our project (that also contribute) he/she will also win: a year’s supply of chocolate. (to qualify for having the most amount of referrals, each referral MUST contact us and mention your name for the referral to count/you also must be a backer and a minimum $20 contribution is required by both referrals and initial backer).

4. The Backer who’s contribution puts us over the $99,000 funding goal will also win: a year’s supply of chocolate.

**Please Note: A year's worth of chocolate is defined as 1lb. of either milk, white, or blended dark once a month for 12 months. The 12 month clock starts ticking when we ship the first 1lb. box of chocolate.

Surprise Rewards! Yes, we have weekly surprise rewards to show some extra appreciation to our loyal contributors. So come back to the site to see what rewards you could get!

$110,000.00 – If we reach this funding level, we will add chocolate with caramel centers as an additional option to the premium or gingerbread infused chocolate.

$120,000.00 – If we reach this funding level, in addition to the previous stretch reward, we will offer an orange vanilla infused chocolate as another option to the premium, gingerbread, and caramel chocolates.

$130,000.00 – If we reach this funding level, in addition to the previous stretch reward, we will offer a pumpkin spiced chocolate as another option to the premium, gingerbread, orange and caramel chocolates.

$150,000.00 – If we reach this funding level, we will be able to purchase our 3d Scanner! Every reward that offers a “custom” design, will now be able to include the use of the scanner to create a chocolate design from a real world object.

Testing out our Indiegogo Mascot Chocolate Molds

With a passion for creativity, and a knack for creative problem solving, I decided to take my almost 20 years experience in the entertainment business as a digital artist and apply it as a chocolate designer. This change came while my wife and I were planning our wedding, and decided to have custom designed chocolate for all our guests. We ended up doing the work ourselves, and during this process I realized that the way chocolate was molded was fairly limiting. After much thought, and research I invented a new way to produce more detailed and unique chocolate design. As a result,“Everything’s Made Of Chocolate” was born.

I would like to take this moment to thank the amazing people who gave their talent, energy, time, and all of themselves to help this project come to life. I couldn’t have done it without them. Their belief in me and what I’m doing gives me strength to push forward and make this business a success. To all of you, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Alec Tuckman
Aziz Dosmetov
Bob and Ruthann Begun
Dariush Derakhshani
Diego Canales Begun
Eric and Danielle Bram
Fabiola Begun
Jaime and Ada Canales
Jimmy Canales
Joe Dungan
Joey Ellis
John Feeney
Jon Emmet
Linda and Dick Sattler
Luis Artola
Melanie and Tony Chavez
Mike Adams
Randy Hays
Tadao Masuyama

**Additional shout out and thanks to Alec Tuckman for his Cinematography and Photography work on our project video.

How much chocolate do I actually get for a year’s supply of chocolate?

You will win 12lbs of chocolate, 1lb a month for a year, in the shape of our mascot. You have the choice of 1 flavor per pound (milk, white, or blended dark chocolate).

Can I win more than one “year's supply of chocolate” awards?

No. We all love chocolate and we decided it would be best to share that love with as many people as possible. Therefore, only one winner per award.

How will I be notified if I am one of the “year supply of chocolate” winners?

All winners will be notified by email after our project funding deadline. Except for the “over the funding goal” winner, we will need time to compile the votes, ideas and referrals to determine the eventual winners for the remaining three categories.

Can you explain to me more about what the “mold library idea” winner is?

When we officially open our doors for business, we will be offering several services to our customers. One of these services is allowing customers to choose from a pre-built, already made mold design from a library of molds. This library will be anything from holiday themed molds, to sports themes, fantasy themes, science fiction etc. The ideas will be endless. What better place to start with ideas, than the wonderful backers who helped make this all possible (I’m talking about you!). So, to be a winner in this category, we need you to come up with an idea for a design which can contribute to our library. For everyone who contributes at least $40 ($30 early bird award included), you will have an opportunity to submit your idea when we send out an email after the funding deadline. We are not looking for “themes” or vague suggestions. We are looking for descriptive, specific ideas of an object you would like to see in chocolate. To help convince us your suggestion is the best, we recommend sending us a brief description of the idea, along with any visual aids you think will help explain and sell the idea to us (photos, drawings, sketches, renders all will help). For example: a zombie arm breaking out of a grave site, with chocolate drips coming off the arm, and a gravestone behind the arm. A bad example: a fairy (too vague). Also, suggestions of something that is pretty commonly seen in chocolate will most likely not garner our attention. We want you to be creative! Go chocolate crazy! Now it doesn’t mean we will be able to replicate your suggestion exactly, but we want to reward out-of-the-box ideas. Who knows? You might end up seeing your design idea as one of the molds in our library. We do retain the rights to any and all ideas suggested to us (we will not accept or count any ideas that are based on copyrighted materials).

How does the “suggest a name for our mascot” award work?

It’s simple, our awesome mascot needs a name. So, we need your help. Everyone who contributes over $30 has a vote to pick a name for our mascot. After the deadline, you will be given an opportunity to submit your vote. This name must be catchy, interesting, and fit the style and design of our character. Be creative! Have fun! Let’s name this cute chocolate square asap!

Why is shipping not included with some of the rewards?

Due to the way Indiegogo is structured, we cannot separate shipping from the money raised towards our final funding goal. Because of this, shipping costs reduce the amount of money that we can use towards the equipment we need to purchase. As a result, we need to separate out the shipping charges for most but our top two rewards levels. We have reduced our reward levels to reflect this as much as possible.

How long will it take to get my reward?

We are planning on getting them out to you as quick as we can. It can take up to two weeks for us to receive funds from Indiegogo. After that, we will make our best effort to purchase the equipment and setup our infrastructure, making sure our backers get their rewards before we setup shop. To expedite things, we can fulfill the rewards to anyone who’s chocolate is shaped using our logo, even before we get our process up and running. For anyone who’s chocolate reward will be produced using a design other than our mascot, please be patient as we will have to build those designs for you. If you are more interested in the chocolate than the design we will give you the option to choose our logo instead if you want your reward sooner. We will also send out regular updates to keep you in the loop as to our status.

How do I submit my mold idea for your library? Tell you my shirt size? Or send you my name suggestion(s) for your mascot?

When the project funds, we will send out an email that will have options for shirt size, your name suggestion(s) for our mascot, and an idea for our mold library (for those who qualify).

Please NOTE: Different funding levels have different amount of votes allocated to them. If you pick more than your funding level allows, we will choose the appropriate number of suggestions provided and disregard the rest.. PLEASE MAKE SURE NOT TO SUBMIT MORE VOTES THAN IS GIVEN TO YOUR CONTRIBUTION LEVEL.

What does "patent pending" mean?

The term "patent pending" legally implies that a provisional patent has been submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and that we have received a “filing date”.

What’s the difference between “blended” and “single-origin” dark chocolate, and why is “single-origin” only available in the higher rewards?

“Blended” chocolate refers to cocoa beans that are sourced from multiple countries, and are “blended” together to create the flavor. The bean quality does vary slightly within the blend. “Single-Origin” chocolate refers to cocoa beans that are all sourced from the same country (ie. Peru or Costa Rica), and are of the same high quality. The flavor between the two may taste different, but both have great flavor profiles. “Single-origin” chocolate uses higher consistent quality beans that costs more than the “blended” dark chocolate..

How do I let you know I want Add-ons? Who qualifies for an Add-on reward?

If there is an add-on that you want to receive, you simply increase your pledge by the appropriate dollar amount. Then when the project ends, you will receive an email that lets you select what you want to receive for your pledge. To qualify for an add-on award, you must contribute the minimum contribution amount listed with each add-on.

If your project goes beyond the funding goal, what will you do with all that extra cash?

We’re crossing our fingers on that one because we have exciting plans for any extra money we make. Depending on how far we go beyond our funding goal, we’ll do the following:

1. We’ll be able to buy larger chocolate equipment than originally budgeted for. This will allow for greater volume and possibly quicker turnaround with orders (and backer rewards).

2. If you noticed we mentioned that our new technology includes both 3d printing and 3d scanning. Well, with our original funding goal, unfortunately, 3d scanning won’t be available when we start. The scanners that will fulfill our needs will cost anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000. Should we raise significantly higher funds than expected, then we will look into adding a 3d scanner to our purchase list. We may even include some scanning options to some of our backers.

3. The other major thing on our wish list is our e-commerce website. Currently, we only have a blog, which we setup to educate and inform, but we need an e-commerce home before we can open our doors. Having the funds to do that would be very helpful. We are looking at $15,000 - $20,000 to do a proper e-commerce site.

Indiegogo takes the following credit cards:

In addition to "Thank You!" and "EMOC T-shirt." You get to come up with (5) design ideas for our mold library and (5) votes to name our mascot. We will take you and a guest on a tour of L.A.'s finest chocolate establishments. Also, you and a guest are invited for a private gourmet chocolate–themed dinner at Regina's Restaurant. Also, be cast in a commercial for our company's website and receive a one of a kind, hand-painted, 3d printed, 3 inch model of our mascot.**SHIPPING INCLUDED**

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