Case study · chocolate work
A Midlands chocolatier's signature bar mould.
One bar, one moulded logo, one bench-tap knock-out. A concise project that shows what silicone chocolate mould work looks like when the temper and knock-out are considered up-front.
Customer
A Midlands artisan chocolatier
A Midlands artisan chocolatier — a two-person operation supplying farm shops and hampers — asked for a signature bar mould. The bar needed a recessed maker's mark on the top face and clean chamfered edges. Existing polycarbonate moulds were expensive to iterate on and the maker wanted the flexibility of silicone for a limited-run launch.
The challenge
What we had to solve.
The maker's mark included one fine feature — a small ligature on the wordmark — that was close to the practical limit of what silicone will hold as a raised chocolate detail. Getting it to read reliably from bar one to bar three hundred was the design constraint.
The approach
What we did.
We prototyped a single cavity of the cavity floor first, poured a series of test bars, and adjusted the logo depth and draft twice before committing to the full six-cavity tray. Grade: standard food-contact platinum-cure silicone. Wall thickness set for a bench-tap knock-out on a marble worktop.
Outcome
How it works now.
The tray runs cleanly. Snap is clean, gloss on the tempered bar is consistent, and the maker's mark reads on every bar. The chocolatier reorders on a rolling basis and the drawing sits on file for straightforward reorder.
Details
The specifics on this build.
Product
Signature dark chocolate bar with recessed maker's mark, six-cavity tray.
Route
Hand-poured food-contact silicone, single hardness across the tray.
Grade
Standard food-contact platinum-cure silicone, supplier declaration on order.
Cleandown
Hand wash, warm water, non-caustic detergent.
Related services
How this fits our capability.
Silicone chocolate moulds, cast to your bar
Branded cavities that read on the finished product
Hand-poured food moulds for first-run work
At a glance
The idea in a picture.
Solid pieces and shelled pieces
Swipe to see the whole diagram
Something like this?
Talk to us about a similar project.
Send a photo of what you're currently making. We'll come back with a route and a quote.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Culinary, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- BRCGS Grade AATechcraft Industries Culinary Ltd. See the certificate details.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare