Almost every house has that one room that started out as one type of area but then gradually for one reason or another, turns into another type of area. 

For example, in our house it’s the garage.  It started out as the dwelling place for our two vehicles but eventually was converted into an extra room complete with carpet, big screen TV. futon couch, small coffee table, massage chair and an exercise bike.  What started out as a standard two-car garage, morphed into something entirely different out of my husband’s deep desire for a man-cave.

 For homemaker Alice Johnson, it was her dining room that morphed into something different. The room where families typically share meals has now been converted into a home-based chocolate factory.

 It all started in 2002 when Alice’s husband bought her a candy making book and a few pounds of chocolate as a Christmas gift. After trying a few recipes Alice admits she was hooked.

 She began experimenting with different ingredients and techniques, perfecting the center of her chocolate candy creation.  Once she found the right mixture of ingredients she began making chocolates for family and friends.

 “I began to order about 20 pounds of bulk chocolate each Christmas to make chocolates for gifts,” she said.

 Regularly creating delicious chocolate treats and giving them as gifts eventually led Alice to purchase a small tempering machine — a device that melts solid chocolate to a temperature high enough that the crystals in the cocoa butter break down in order to bring out the finest quality of the chocolate.   The time saving machine allowed Alice to order more chocolate and make a greater quantity of candy for those that she loved.

 It wasn’t until last year, when Alice’s husband made a career change to a special education teacher that she decided to go beyond just creating chocolates for family and friends and instead, establish a small business — a home-based business that could bring in a little extra income while still allowing her to be at home with her five children.

One thing led to another and before she knew it her dining room was converted to the “chocolate room” as she calls it.   The chocolate room is fully equipped with all the supplies needed to run a successful candy business, including a separate air conditioner unit in order to keep the chocolates at the ideal temperatures for the home-based business,  “Alice’s Chocolates”.

 Operating with a San Joaquin County Class A Cottage license, Alice creates and sells boxes of assorted chocolates, fudge, creams, mints, caramels, white and chocolate smothered pretzels and more priced at $5 for 8 ounces and $10 for 12 ounces  all directly from her home.

“I make caramels and cream centers the old-fashioned way which is cooked slowly over the stove then cooled, and stirred until creamy,” she nited.

 Once the sweet candy centers are cooled and ready for the next step, Alice then carefully dips the caramel and cream centers into perfectly tempered Guittard Chocolate — a gourmet chocolate created from the finest, hand-selected cacao beans offered at Guittard Chocolate Company.

 As with any small business, it takes a lot of hard work to succeed.  Alice often works late into the night or early in the morning while her family is still asleep.  But she doesn’t mind because she loves what she does.

 “Working with chocolate makes my heart happy.” she said. “My favorite to make is chocolate-covered caramels. It’s like magic to see cream and white sugar slowly caramelize until it is a rich golden brown.”

With the holiday season approaching Alice is preparing for what she believes will be her busiest time of year as a box of good chocolate is always considered a wonderful gift.   Last year, between Christmas and Valentines, with only word of mouth for advertisement, this mom of five packed approximately 1,000 boxes of chocolate in her chocolate room and plans to do the same and more this year.

While it is a time consuming process as just one batch of caramel takes nearly 2 hours to cook then 24 hours to cool before being ready for cutting and dipping, Alice considers the entire process a true labor of love. 

 Having a Class A Cottage license prevents Alice from shipping orders however, she does have plans for local growth as a chocolate caterer so to speak.   Some of these areas of growth include creating chocolate party favors for weddings, showers and other celebrations in addition to attending various events such as the Handcrafter’s Boutique to be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the corner of Union and Louise in Manteca.

“Right now I am very happy to be making delicious chocolates in small batches at home,” she said. “When my kids are older, I would love to hire some people, invest in time-saving equipment, and expand to a small retail chocolate shop in town.  My main goal is to continue to make high-quality, freshly-made chocolates with love.”

 

For information about Alice’s Chocolates visit www.AlicesChocolates.com or call 209.483.1190.