Sweet somethings
Chocolatier maintains a steady routine—even between 2 busiest sales seasons
Behind a case displaying a tempting assortment of truffles, nut clusters and other chocolate-laden
delights, an open doorway reveals a woman in a hairnet and purple smock rolling fresh truffles onto a flat,
cafeteria-style tray. Machines whir and grind in the background, and every few minutes the room fills with
the sound of candies being pounded from their molds.
It’s a typical Tuesday morning at David Alan Chocolatier in Lebanon.
Each week, three employees make a different variety of chocolate—today, it’s truffles—while owner and
shop namesake David Alan, 56, listens for equipment glitches and keeps production flowing smoothly.
Alan frequently checks a compressor for condensation in its lines and adjusts another machine’s settings
when the milk chocolate shells get too thick.
“If things work, I don’t have anything to do,” he says.
He’s been known to pull double duty if a candy maker is sick or on vacation, but “it’s difficult to do both,” he
said. On non-production days, Alan spends his time doing office activities such as paperwork, filling orders
and answering the phone.
On this Tuesday, he arrived at 6 a.m. to prepare. By the time this week’s production process is complete,
he and his staff will have turned out about 8,400 specialty milk-chocolate truffles. Alan doesn’t leave until
the shop closes at 5 p.m.
“It makes for a long day,” he said, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
The Lebanon native graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked as a professional chef in
Honolulu before returning to his hometown in 1981.
Two years later, captivated by the quality and flavor of Swiss chocolates, Alan attended the Swiss
Chocolate School in Switzerland and learned how to use the right combination of ingredients—quality
chocolate, sweet butter and whole cream—to create an authentic truffle.
Soon after, Alan renovated an old gas station on Lebanon Street and opened his shop in December 1984.
He now employs a staff of five. Although he declined to share financial details, Alan said he uses about
7,000 pounds of chocolate per year to make his products.
Christmas and Valentine’s Day are his busiest times. To prepare for the upcoming holiday, Alan has
arranged heartshaped boxes holding truffles and other assorted chocolates on a prominent shelf. In the
two weeks leading up to the big day, he expects to sell more candy than usual to walk-in customers as well
as through mail and online orders.
Despite the holiday flux in sales, Alan said, he does not significantly increase weekly production because
most of the truffles are frozen and saved. He usually bases the amount of candy made on a Tuesday on
how much cream is in stock.
In the kitchen on this Tuesday, 65-yearold Carolyn Veach, a nine-year employee and “head candy maker,”
puts filling ingredients in a stainless-steel bowl and places it under a large mixer. Although she’s been
doing the mixing for seven years, she still measures the chocolate, cream and butter to get the perfect
proportion.
A few feet away, Bonnie Batts, 72, fills thin milk-chocolate half-shells with the creamy blend. After the
candies have been filled, cooled and capped into neat balls, Pat Holzinger, 56, empties the truffles from
their molds and loads them onto trays.
About 10:30 a.m., Veach finishes the mixing and carries sticky bowls to a large sink.
“The fun part starts at three o’clock,” she says. That’s when two of them use the “chocolate waterfall” to
drizzle more chocolate onto the candy, creating a ruffled surface texture. Another will inspect each piece
for bubbles or lumps.
“We’ve got a routine, and we stick to it,” Batts says.
That routine does not exclude an occasional sampling of the goods.
“I see them getting into it every once in a while,” Alan said later. “You can’t help it.”
People from all over the country order his candy, Alan said, and he pays attention to what they like.
Twenty-nine sugar-free varieties are available in the front case as a result of demand, and dark chocolate
also is gaining popularity thanks to studies promoting its health benefits. His best-selling product is a milk-
and-dark-chocolate-truffle combination box.
Businesses closer to home are customers, too. In the packaging room, tiny gold boxes await truffles that
will be complimentary treats for guests at the Canterbury Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. He also sells
chocolates to local flower shops.
Despite his success, no plans for expanding the business are on the horizon.
“It’d be nice to have a store someplace else,” Alan said. But along with more stores, he said, comes more
headaches. And for now, Alan and his employees seem happy where they are.
“We like it here,” he said. •
IBJ staff
Lisa Gerstner
Sat, Jan 27 - 2007
Reprinted with permission of Indianapolis Business Journal,
www.ibj.com, IBJ Corp., copyright 2007.
Chocolatier maintains a steady routine—even between 2 busiest sales seasons
Behind a case displaying a tempting assortment of truffles, nut clusters and other chocolate-laden
delights, an open doorway reveals a woman in a hairnet and purple smock rolling fresh truffles onto a flat,
cafeteria-style tray. Machines whir and grind in the background, and every few minutes the room fills with
the sound of candies being pounded from their molds.
It’s a typical Tuesday morning at David Alan Chocolatier in Lebanon.
Each week, three employees make a different variety of chocolate—today, it’s truffles—while owner and
shop namesake David Alan, 56, listens for equipment glitches and keeps production flowing smoothly.
Alan frequently checks a compressor for condensation in its lines and adjusts another machine’s settings
when the milk chocolate shells get too thick.
“If things work, I don’t have anything to do,” he says.
He’s been known to pull double duty if a candy maker is sick or on vacation, but “it’s difficult to do both,” he
said. On non-production days, Alan spends his time doing office activities such as paperwork, filling orders
and answering the phone.
On this Tuesday, he arrived at 6 a.m. to prepare. By the time this week’s production process is complete,
he and his staff will have turned out about 8,400 specialty milk-chocolate truffles. Alan doesn’t leave until
the shop closes at 5 p.m.
“It makes for a long day,” he said, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
The Lebanon native graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked as a professional chef in
Honolulu before returning to his hometown in 1981.
Two years later, captivated by the quality and flavor of Swiss chocolates, Alan attended the Swiss
Chocolate School in Switzerland and learned how to use the right combination of ingredients—quality
chocolate, sweet butter and whole cream—to create an authentic truffle.
Soon after, Alan renovated an old gas station on Lebanon Street and opened his shop in December 1984.
He now employs a staff of five. Although he declined to share financial details, Alan said he uses about
7,000 pounds of chocolate per year to make his products.
Christmas and Valentine’s Day are his busiest times. To prepare for the upcoming holiday, Alan has
arranged heartshaped boxes holding truffles and other assorted chocolates on a prominent shelf. In the
two weeks leading up to the big day, he expects to sell more candy than usual to walk-in customers as well
as through mail and online orders.
Despite the holiday flux in sales, Alan said, he does not significantly increase weekly production because
most of the truffles are frozen and saved. He usually bases the amount of candy made on a Tuesday on
how much cream is in stock.
In the kitchen on this Tuesday, 65-yearold Carolyn Veach, a nine-year employee and “head candy maker,”
puts filling ingredients in a stainless-steel bowl and places it under a large mixer. Although she’s been
doing the mixing for seven years, she still measures the chocolate, cream and butter to get the perfect
proportion.
A few feet away, Bonnie Batts, 72, fills thin milk-chocolate half-shells with the creamy blend. After the
candies have been filled, cooled and capped into neat balls, Pat Holzinger, 56, empties the truffles from
their molds and loads them onto trays.
About 10:30 a.m., Veach finishes the mixing and carries sticky bowls to a large sink.
“The fun part starts at three o’clock,” she says. That’s when two of them use the “chocolate waterfall” to
drizzle more chocolate onto the candy, creating a ruffled surface texture. Another will inspect each piece
for bubbles or lumps.
“We’ve got a routine, and we stick to it,” Batts says.
That routine does not exclude an occasional sampling of the goods.
“I see them getting into it every once in a while,” Alan said later. “You can’t help it.”
People from all over the country order his candy, Alan said, and he pays attention to what they like.
Twenty-nine sugar-free varieties are available in the front case as a result of demand, and dark chocolate
also is gaining popularity thanks to studies promoting its health benefits. His best-selling product is a milk-
and-dark-chocolate-truffle combination box.
Businesses closer to home are customers, too. In the packaging room, tiny gold boxes await truffles that
will be complimentary treats for guests at the Canterbury Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. He also sells
chocolates to local flower shops.
Despite his success, no plans for expanding the business are on the horizon.
“It’d be nice to have a store someplace else,” Alan said. But along with more stores, he said, comes more
headaches. And for now, Alan and his employees seem happy where they are.
“We like it here,” he said. •
IBJ staff
Lisa Gerstner
Sat, Jan 27 - 2007
Reprinted with permission of Indianapolis Business Journal,
www.ibj.com, IBJ Corp., copyright 2007.
