The 'Sugar Free" Saga

Two months ago a popular frozen yogurt company approached us for “sugar free” chocolate bars samples for their new healthy chocolate range. As a chocolatier, explained sugar is pivotal to overcome the bitterness in pure chocolate “liquer” extracted from cacao beans and there are very few companies that actually manufacture real chocolate without adding cane sugar in the manufacturing process. The rare ones out there are real expensive chocolates and the taste may not be for everyone. 

I offered to make them samples of bars with 71 percent all real fine chocolate with no added sugar like all the other truffles in our range.
60-71 percent cacao is pure dark chocolate ( also called couverture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couverture_chocolate) which is not only low in sugar but also provides anti-aging antioxidants, mood lifting theobromins (phenylethylamine), blood pressure lowering flavonoids and healthy epicatechin that is found to reduce heart disease, cancer and diabetes! The remaining fat in dark chocolate comes from cocoa butter and is made up of equal amounts of oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids. Stearic acid appears to have a neutral effect on cholesterol, neither raising nor lowering it. Palmitic acid does affect cholesterol levels but only makes up one-third of the fat calories in chocolate!

Few weeks, later, they informed they enjoyed the taste of the bars very much however due to the cost of the bars decided to go for “compound” sugar free bars from another company that would work in their budget. Although little disappointed, knew nor I or my vendor could not do the price they quoted as Fine Belgian and French chocolate is real expensive due to the high cacao butter content (32%-39%) and did not want to give them sweetener enriched chocolates or cheaper compound chocolate.


Their bars were launched nationally last month and apparently selling fast. To me, it’s really sad that people would buy the wrong food in the name of “sugar free” and may even consume it in large quantities thinking it’s healthier than the real chocolate. Compound chocolate in America is called fake chocolate, since it has no real cacao extracts or cacao “liquer”, but cocoa powder (“cocoa” not “cacao” powder made from nibs of cacao beans after cacao butter is removed), milk powder, vegetable fats and sugar. “Sugar free” compound contain a sweetener called “Maltitol” (sugars derived from corn, http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/maltitol.htm). In some countries, it is illegal to name compound “chocolate” as chocolate.

Although Maltitol sweetener is safe unless taken in large amounts, compound chocolate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_chocolate) does not have the benefits of real dark chocolate. Most people cannot make-out the difference because its chocolate flavor. How different is it then from junk food with empty calories and no nutritional benefits? Most of the “couverture” real chocolate called “sugar free” in the market also contains Malititol as a replacement from added sugar. They still contain sugar during the manufacturing process and should therefore be labeled correctly as “No Added Sugar” unless absolutely no sugar is added in the manufacturing process.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) have cautioned about the use of artificial sweeteners in place of sugar to combat obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, all risk factors for heart disease as regular use of these will confuse the taste of even slightly sweet foods. Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity and weight-loss specialist at Harvard-affiliated Boston Children’s Hospital says, “Non-nutritive sweeteners are far more potent than table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Over stimulation of sugar receptors from frequent use of these hyper-intense sweeteners may limit tolerance for more complex tastes”

Instead of these artificial foods, that the body cannot digest properly can can cause long term harm, a diabetic can have about 40grams of good quality dark chocolate with a cocoa content of over 55%  in a day. Having half an hour before a main meal and it will assist with the digestion of food, breakdown of fats, and increase seratonin levels in the body. 

I do know that true sugar free couvertures companies do exist in Europe however I am still looking for them. Till they become more common and more affordable, I would stick to the best quality chocolate with high cacao and cacao butter content as possible. Real dark chocolate products have more medicinal healing components that can override the little sugar added to make them less bitter. For diabetes and weight conscious peoples, good real pure foods in their natural states eaten in moderation would probably be a better choice. In fact with so much research proving the benefits of real dark chocolate, the old quote should be revised to “A piece of dark chocolate a day, keeps the doctor away!”

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The "Sugar Free Chocolate" Saga.. - Chockriti Chocolates

The "Sugar Free Chocolate" Saga.. - Chockriti Chocolates

Ten Non Monetary Ways to Help a Start-up Grow Rapidly

Its takes a lot of courage, passion, and perseverance not only to walk the entrepreneur path but also keep a start-up afloat. You may already know such a founder or a start up working its way up. Most founders would like to keep a job for income flow but many start ups need more than part-time efforts especially when resources, funds, mentors or good personnel are few. This means working alone, spending long hours researching to create a product or service, sacrificing time with family/friends and living on a compromised budget. Funding a start up could help it reach its goals quicker but helping a start up grow is not always about giving funds. There 10 non monetary ways can make a huge difference in the life of the start-up and help in marketing the small business.

1. Try their product and service Whether its a new technology product, new app, new service or a new product, do give the product or service a try. Many startups provide their products or services at cost prices or complimentary to understand the customers needs.

2.  Follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, Youtube et al

Everyone finds it easier and convenient to share news and other happenings on their social media pages. Social media has revolutionized the ways companies communicate these days and also increased transparency. Definitely follow your favorite start up or a small business on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media sites if you find the value in their venture. You not only support them but also get regularly updated on progress and new products. You can often get quicker response from companies on Social media sites than through their website. In addition, companies are often judged by their social media followers and surprising many investors also make decisions based on the company's online presence.

3. "Like"their business Facebook page Another equally important way these days is to like the company's Facebook page to show your support, get interesting news, participate in contests and get opportunities to exclusive content. Facebook is the largest influencer from all the social media tools. Its costs nothing to "like" a page but it helps the brand value of the venture tremendously. I think If Pan American Airways, the principal and largest air carrier in United States in 1960s existed in this Digital Age, it could have possibly survived with a great online presence through the huge fan following it had!

4. Do read, and share their blogs with others It doesn't take longer than 7 minutes to read a blog post. If you find value in the content, do share to spread the word about the business but get other valuable learning insights from people's personal experiences.

5. Comment on their posts or provide feedback on their social media sites You have no idea how what feedback and authentic testimonials mean to a new venture. Good reviews definitely help the brand's reputation and help customers in making decisions. Customers want to know what value they will get from the price they are paying or for the service they are seeking.

6. Trade your expertise Small businesses and start ups need expertise in can be real tight on budget due to few customers and huge start up expenses. they may be willing to trade their product or service in exchange of an experience. When I started out my chocolate venture, I needed good quality pictures for my website and didn't have a professional camera. Food Photographers I selected quoted large fees and long waiting time. I remembered someone I met at an event who took fairly good professional pictures and contacted her. She got very excited about the project and we worked together on plating the chocolates and took interesting pictures. In return I gave her freshly made chocolate boxes. Her kids loved them.

7. Introduce them to people who could provide advice or mentorship. Back in India, fine chocolatier programs are few and getting information and some hands on training for my fine chocolate research was hard. Thanks to a friend, I met a Pastry Chef at a high end hotel who helped answer some of my questions, gave me some chocolate tempering tips and connected me with with few suppliers in the industry.

8. Tell your friends or refer to colleagues about the products or service One morning I opened my email, and there I saw a blog written about my chocolates! My aunt's guest who tried my chocolates at her lunch turned out to be a food writer and was looking to write about chocolates in her next issue. Chockriti Chocolates made it in her blog post! http://dinewithpat.com/tag/chockriti/ Do tell your friends- its the best marketing tool.

9. Give a hour or two of your time Another non monetary way to help a small business or its founder is volunteer your time if possible. Startup and new small businesses cannot afford lot of personnel and sometimes may need helpers for their event or require legal or financial advice. One way to relieve them from their burden is to give them your expertise or your time

10. Share inspiring articles of value. The journey on the path of entrepreneurship can be daunting and uncertain. Encourage fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners with stories or articles you can come across at work or other media.