Economics

In any business, economics plays a major role in every decision, and confectionery is no exception. By the very nature of their business, artisan confectioners tend to use higher-quality ingredients and charge correspondingly higher prices for their products than mass-production manufacturers do. Artisan confections are true luxury items, so it behooves the confectioner to use the highest-quality chocolate he or she can afford. Successfully choosing which chocolates to use in confectionery requires some knowledge of manufacturing and labeling and a great deal of experimentation: the artisan confectioner must judge the qualities of different chocolates—their flavors and working characteristics—in light of economic realities. Understanding the differences among chocolates and choosing the right chocolate for each application is one more aspect of the artisan confectioner’s art.