Helping a High-End Chocolate Brand Stop Shelling Out on Waste and Increase Output

The Challenge

On paper, the line was producing 800,000 artisan chocolates per month. In practice, however, steel moulds cracked, jammed, and seized, taking 64,000 units with them. Operators found themselves stuck in a frustrating loop: scrape, clear, sort. This led to a staggering 532 hours lost. Quality began to flag, returns increased, and buyers signalled their dissatisfaction. The product itself wasn’t the problem; the tooling was.

Our Solution

We replaced the rigid steel tooling with food-grade, high-flex silicone moulds. These new moulds release perfectly formed shells without the need for force.

The results were remarkable. Scrap rates plummeted from 8% to 3%, reclaiming 40,000 pieces per month. We eliminated the need for manual jam prying and enabled a rapid clean-in-place cycle. This transformation turned stop-start production into continuous, high-yield throughput.

Results of the Partnership

The collaboration with TCI Culinary yielded impressive results. Below is a summary of the key metrics:

| Metric | Before TCI Culinary | Partnered with TCI Culinary |

|---------------------------------|---------------------|------------------------------|

| Units wasted/month | 64,000 | 24,000 |

| Wastage value | £32,000 | £12,000 |

| Waste Savings | £20,000 per month | |

| Units produced/month | 800,000 | 920,000 |

| Profit from output increase | £48,000 per month | |

| Labour hours/month | 2,951 | 2,419 |

| Labour value savings | £7,980 per month | |

The Bottom Line

Total Savings: ~£75,980

In just one month, the TCI Culinary collaboration cut waste from 64,000 to 24,000 units. This freed up 40,000 extra saleable chocolates. Ingredient loss savings of £20,000, combined with a 532-hour reduction in labour (worth about £7,980), and a 120,000-unit boost in output delivering an additional £48,000 profit, generated total direct benefits of £75,980. Remarkably, this was achieved with no loss of production volume.

Why Choose TCI Culinary?

When looking to modernize and scale operations, partnering with TCI Culinary is a strategic choice. Our innovative, custom silicone moulding solutions are designed to enhance efficiency and creativity. We understand the unique challenges faced by bakeries, chocolatiers, and food manufacturers. Our goal is to help you achieve greater output while minimizing waste.

The Future of Food Production

As the food industry continues to evolve, staying ahead of the curve is essential. By adopting modern solutions like silicone moulding, businesses can not only improve their production processes but also enhance product quality.

In conclusion, the partnership with TCI Culinary has proven that with the right tools, significant improvements can be made. We are committed to helping you reduce waste, increase efficiency, and ultimately drive profitability.

For more information on how we can assist you, please visit TCI Culinary.