Career Focus - Creative and Crafty


Bala Croman

Chocolatier - Bala Croman

Bala runs her own business - www.thechocolatecellar.co.uk selling fine handmade chocolates. Bala uses fine Belgian chocolate and combines this with a variety of fresh, wholesome ingredients to create one of the most sensational tasting experiences you can imagine! Her chocolates are available to buy through the Internet, at her shop in Brandon Street, Birkenhead or through markets and stalls.



The Interview

Name - Bala Croman

Location - Wirral, North West

Family - 2 boys age 10 weeks and 2 1/2 years and husband

What inspired you to become a chocolatier?

The book and film "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris and the book "Real Chocolate" by Chantal Coady

What is your background (previous career area?)

I have a financial background and have worked as a trader - trading molasses, raw cotton and energy.

Did you have specialist training in making chocolates? - if so what/where was your training?

Someone said to me about chocolate "chocolate is 70% practice and 30% working out what you've done wrong!" Another chocolatier whose family has worked in chocolate for 70 years said altogether the whole family probably knew about 2% of what there is to know about chocolate.

So - yes I did have training - I did a 3 month internet course - (see www.ecolechocolate.com for details) and then spent time at a chocolaterie, but found that this just opened the door and since then I have learnt a lot more about chocolate through trial and error and through other chocolatiers. I have also undertaken a few one day courses.

How many hours a week was your training? How did training fit round your children?

The training was modelled so that you spent some time doing practical work and then more time reporting back results and also writing assignments. There was also a requirement to do a great deal of research. This was all to be done in your own time and was "flexible". However in order to get the qualification, the requirement of the course was to report back by certain deadlines and this put a lot of pressure on us. At the time I was pregnant, so didn't need to fit it round the children, but I did find it very tiring - especially when I was trying to get the chocolate right for hours on end! I also had to do the food hygiene certificate.

Roughly, how much did your training cost?

The course cost about £500 and then there was an additional cost for book equipment etc - minimum £250, but then as I learnt more, I felt I needed more equipment and spent even more money! The cost of the one day courses was approx £200 a piece.

How did you go about setting your business up? (from a business perspective - initial funding etc) Did you have any professional help?

 

At first I just started selling at farmers markets and to family and friends - I then received help from an agency specialising in assisting women to set up in business. There were no grants/funding available so all the funding was through banks/personal loans.

Did you carry out any research you carried out to know your business would work?

Yes - I set up a "working group" of chocoholics - they were the tasters and would give marks out of 10 for all the chocolates - I had to pick people who I knew would be honest and tell me what they thought of the chocolates and how much they would be willing to pay. I also spent many hours outside shops/cafes etc completing questionnaires. My husband was also dragged into helping with this.

Where do you carry out your work now?

We have converted our cellar into a chocolate workshop hence the name "The Chocolate Cellar". We also have a chocolate shop to sell the chocolates in Brandon Street, Birkenhead.

 

Do you need lots of specialist equipment?

Yes...once I started making larger quantities it was necessary to invest in a lot of equipment. The equipment is not readily available in the UK and I had to import a lot of stuff from Belgium.

Do you still make chocolates yourself?

I now have help with making the chocolate, but still make the bulk of it myself.

How many hours do you work a week?

This varies very much according to the time of year. At Christmas time it was lucky if we managed to get more than 4 hours sleep - we were working 16 hour days. Just after Easter - when everyone has had a glut of chocolate, we were only working about 8 hours a week.

How does the job fit round your family life?

There are both advantages and disadvantages with this business. On the plus side, I can work hours that suit the family and can go and pick our son up from nursery, take him out and about during the days when he's not at nursery etc...it is also good to spend time with the baby who we can take to the shop where he just naps! It is difficult when you have to get a large order completed and there is no time at all to spend with the children. Also having your own business means you never switch off and there is always something to do for the business.

How do you find customers - do you advertise?

The customers are mostly word of mouth - we have advertised, but found this didn't really work - I would say the best advertisement for us is our chocolate! We often hold chocolate tasting parties which are very popular!

What is the earning potential?

Again this is very seasonal and dependant on where we are selling - i.e. farmers market or shop or school event - this ranges widely and I would say that it is very much dependant on how much we can produce e.g. at Christmas we sold out at most events and were limited by our production capacity - anything between £10k and £30k per annum would be a reasonable expectation.

Is the job/running the business rewarding?

The job is extremely rewarding and I totally love it.

Do you think it is a job that fits in well with being a Mum?

The job is not ideal for being a mum as I have to deal with the business side of things and the chocolate making - however I can't think of many jobs that are ideal. I think it is a much better lifestyle than most other jobs can offer.

Our two year old loves being involved in the business, but we have to tell him to stay out of the cellar where we make the chocolate - he helps pick out packaging and ribbons and is also training to be a taster for the business!

Any advice for a Mum or Dad wanting to start training or running their own business?

You really do need the support from friends and family to make this work - and a lot of patience!


Useful Links

www.chocolatedelight.co.uk.

www.slattery.co.uk

www.homechocolatefactory.com

www.vantagehouse.com