Ray Bitzel, Owner
Company Mission
Our mission is to craft exquisite chocolates that ignite joy and elevate everyday moments. We blend the finest ingredients with artistic mastery, creating treats that tantalize the taste buds and awaken emotions. With every delectable bit, we aim to create lasting memories and spread happiness, one bite at a time.
Signature Products
#1 – Georgia Peach Truffle (when in season, we use real Georgia peaches and peach Schnapps … the Austrian / European theme to Schnappers!)
#2 – Georgia Pecan Truffle (made with butter-roasted Georgia pecans)
#3 – Schnappers (Georgia pecans with our in-house butter caramel)
Production Tip
Don’t rush the process. Chocolate is a fine art, and one cannot rush the physics. The time and temperature are very important in all the production steps. The most important step is to ensure the cacao bean source is the best, with the proper fermentation to bring out the flavor in the remaining production processes.
Equipment ‘Must-Haves’
Since ours is really a complete system, everything is important. However, the most important pieces are the one-shot depositor, cooling tunnel and enrober. Our one-shot depositor does the assembly of the truffles and the bonbons, and it also has a very special feature to inject gelato, which allows us to make more gelato truffles. Our cooling tunnel is a must-have, two-level system that lets us cool truffles on the top level while we enrobe chocolates on the bottom level. No chocolate factory would be complete without an enrober.
Secret of Success
We are passionate about chocolate. We are here to serve and listen to our customers, providing tried and true creations of superior quality, while being able to introduce new flavors that complement the local palate. We are fortunate to do a lot of business for corporate clients, particularly with gift items such as logoed chocolates with 4K resolution, and bulk distribution for large clients, such as airlines, hotels, cruise ships and theme parks.
Future Goals
We want to grow Bitzel’s Chocolate into a well-known brand, recognized for high-quality, great-tasting chocolates and unforgettable experiences. Our factory is a magical place, unlike any other, and we invite guests to see, hear, feel and, of course, taste how chocolate is created, from tree to truffle. We can’t take our guests to a cacao forest, so we bring the experience to them.
Our signature “Journey of Chocolate” is a must for any chocolate lover. A stamped path through the factory shows the entire production process, from beginning to end. It starts with Freddy Salazar and his family in Ecuador, harvesting and fermenting the beans, then moves to our huge bean-to-bar line and the complete production factory and finally to the packaging process. We installed nearly 8,000 square feet of glass, so everything is visible. During the journey, guests will pass under real cacao trees from our farms, see actual fermentation bays, and read all about the key details of the process.
Those wanting a more hands-on experience can visit our Chocolate Theater, where they get to be Willy Wonka for a day. Visitors receive their own Golden tickets and enter the experience through the large glass entry doors. Once inside, they put on a chef’s hat and coat and proceed to make their own creations that they can take home – all with guidance from our trained chefs. Finally, they end the day at the only place in the country with continuously-churned gelato. They can try gelato the authentic Italian way with real Italian ingredients. Our willy Wonka kit includes chocolate, molds, decorations, flavors and so on for another experience at home.
For more info, visit www.bitzelchocolate.com
(This article appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
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