Bitzel’s Chocolate Appoints Chocolatier, Highlights Sustainability Mission

Bitzel’s Chocolate, a growing independent American confectionery company, has hired George Foley as executive chef and chocolatier, strengthening its young team dedicated to producing premium product lines, reports Neill Barston.

Based in Suwanee, Georgia, the young company has established a 7,000-square-foot facility, which has reported a strong response to its high-quality offerings since opening to consumers earlier this year.

His latest chef hire (pictured main image) was recently a Viennoiserie baker at Bacchanalia and Star Provisions, and according to the company, he will focus on menu development, culinary training and building relationships with customers. local farmers and national companies.

“I’m thrilled to be part of such an amazing concept and to work with a chocolatier like Ray Bitzel,” Foley said of joining the company that seeks to set a strong benchmark for operating standards environmentally friendly. .

Notably, the company was started by entrepreneur Ray Bitzel and his business partner and co-founder Dave Rose, creates affordable, artisanal chocolate confections and offers visitors an unforgettable Willy Wonka-style experience as they watch various treats move around the production. process.

“Of course the chocolate is the star of the show, but what I love is that we give visitors the full experience here,” says Foley. “We take them on a journey that goes from learning about how chocolate is made, to learning about the machines and production process, to tasting different types of chocolate that they may have never tasted before , such as golden chocolate and ruby ​​chocolate. »

Foley comes to Bitzel’s from Bacchanalia where he focused on croissants and pastries. He also worked as a corporate chocolatier at Bodega Chocolates in Fountain Valley, California, as an executive pastry chef for the Dolce Group in Los Angeles, as a pastry chef at Salty’s on Alki Beach in Seattle, and as a night pastry baker at 3 Stars. Michelin. The Little Washington Inn.

Focus on sustainability
As the company explained to Confectionery Production, since its recent inception, sustainability has been at the center of the company’s philosophy, using state-of-the-art processing equipment while ensuring an eco-friendly ingredient supply. environment for the company.

“Everyone is more conscious of what they eat these days,” says Ray Bitzel, company owner and chocolatier. “They want to know where their food comes from and what’s in it, and that their enjoyment doesn’t come at the expense of the planet.”

“We care deeply about sustainability for several reasons, not the least of which is that we think it’s a good thing to do,” Bitzel says. “Another reason is that it’s just smart business. The chocolate industry is currently going through a lot of disruption, not least because the price of chocolate is at its highest level in 45 years. We work with farmers on ways to help them be more sustainable and efficient.

Additionally, as the company revealed, sustainability begins on Bitzel’s farms, particularly in Costa Esmeraldas, where Freddy Salazar and his family converted more than 100 hectares of clear-cut forest into a cocoa plantation and of flourishing agroforestry. It is much more profitable for the local economy with two annual harvests which, in turn, greatly reduces the need for additional logging and clear-cutting of old-growth forests. In partnership with its farms, Bitzel’s supports this type of activity by paying more than three times the average price, which also allows the company to receive the best beans. It’s great for the environment and the community, making it sustainable.

Bitzel’s has also committed to a more sustainable model by modifying its equipment. “When our ice cream machines came to the United States, they needed water cooling, which took 10 gallons per hour for each machine,” says Bitzel. “Multiply that by two machines, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and that’s about 175,000 gallons we would waste per year just to cool the machines. We worked with the manufacturer to modify the machines and saved thousands of gallons of water. It’s a closed-loop system, which costs more upfront, but we don’t have all that water going down the drain.

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