Guide · first purchase
If you've never spec'd a custom food-contact mould before, the process can feel opaque. It really isn't — it's a specific set of questions and answers. This guide walks through them.
The guide
It sounds obvious, but the first question isn't "what mould do I want?" It's "what am I making?" A dessert that's served warm behaves differently in a mould from one that's served frozen. A chocolate that's hand-tempered behaves differently from one poured from a machine. Describe the product first — the mould conversation flows from there.
You don't need to know the shore hardness, the elongation, the working range. That's our job. You do need to know: how you'll fill it, how you'll set it, how you'll extract, how you'll clean, and roughly how many you'll make per shift. If you know your depositor plate spec or your oven cycle, that helps. If you don't, we'll ask.
Silicone is described as food-contact when the raw material carries a supplier declaration confirming it's formulated for food contact. That's a material statement — not a site audit. It's the standard basis for a food-contact mould, and it's what your food-safety paperwork usually asks for. If your specification demands site certification on top, tell us at enquiry stage.
A good food-contact mould quote has two lines: what the tool costs to build, and what each part or tray costs to reorder. If a quote rolls everything into a single number, ask for the split. It tells you where money is going and what a reorder will actually cost.
Every food-contact mould should ship with a supplier declaration of what it's made of. Keep it in your food-safety folder. If your mould arrives without one, ask for it — it's a legitimate request and shouldn't be a fight.
Ask, at first order, how the reorder process works. A supplier that keeps drawings and grades on file makes replacements easy. A supplier that starts from scratch every time will slow you down and probably drift the spec.
Need advice on your specific job?
You're not obliged to order anything. If we don't think we're the right supplier for your job, we'll say so.
Real people, a real workshop
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Culinary, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare