(This article appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
Thierry and Julie Atlan, Owners
Company Mission
Our brand aims to provide handcrafted chocolates, macarons and ice cream that reflect a high level of technical skill and quality, in a chic and accessible package. The mission behind opening our first brick and mortar shop in SoHo was to create a space that brings the Thierry Atlan experience to life and gives Thierry the opportunity to share his passion for chocolate with others.
Signature Products
Our signature products that people come in looking for are our macarons – they tend to draw people in with their vibrant colors and interesting flavors. Our chocolate macaron specifically is what we might be best known for. Its rich chocolate flavor can be attributed to using high quality chocolate and a specialty production process that concentrates the chocolate aromas and flavors, making it an intense chocolate experience.
Production Tip
All of our macarons, bonbons and ice creams are handcrafted from scratch. However, we have been implementing some small machinery to assist employees to make the process more comfortable and efficient. It is important to us to help our employees, while keeping our products high quality and artisanal.
Equipment ‘Must-Have’
The “must have” equipment in our shop would have to be our product showcases. We have three showcases that can each be set to a specific temperature and humidity. Since the chocolates, macarons and ice creams each need to be kept at a different temperature and humidity settings, it is important that these are completely customizable. Chocolate specifically requires intense humidity control, and these showcases help achieve the perfect conditions for keeping and serving our products.
Secret of Success
I think what sets us apart from other chocolate and macaron brands is that you know the person behind the products. We make our confections in small batches in a local New Jersey facility, with Thierry behind each recipe and guiding each step of production. At our shop, you can come in and meet us and ask questions about our ingredients and process, unlike many of our larger competitors.
Future Goals
fter we opened our first retail shop in May 2022, we definitely have our sights on xpanding to new locations. We would love to be able to reach more customers in different neighborhoods and cities. Now that we are face to face with the customers in our new shop, we are getting to hear more customer feedback and see what they might be looking for. This has inspired us to explore the possibility of creating more products and flavors, so that is on the horizon for us, as well. One example of a new change inspired by customers at the store is that we have started to sell our ice creams by the pint. Customers have been loving our handcrafted ice cream and sorbet at the shop, and we wanted to create a way to bring that experience home, so now you can pick up a pint of one of our signature flavors at the store to bring home.
Visit www.thierry-atlan.com for more info
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