01 · CONCEPT
Is the idea worth making?
- Initial briefing and project scoping
- Product concept feasibility and appraisal
- Answering "where do I start?"
Confectionery consultants · Sydney
From first idea to a line that runs right.
ChocCreator helps chocolate and confectionery businesses develop recipes and products, source the right equipment, and get production running properly, in Australia and around the world. Led by Mark Tubman: more than 35 years in confectionery, including 28 at Darrell Lea.
Sound on. How a project runs, from a home recipe to a full production line.
35+ yearsin the confectionery industry
28 yearsat Darrell Lea before ChocCreator
8 countrieswhere Mark has delivered projects
Wolf & BroquetAustralasian agent
Projects worldwide
Projects delivered in eight countries. Available wherever your factory is.
- Australia
- New Zealand
- USA
- UK
- China
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- + your country
Services
Every stage of a chocolate or confectionery project, in the order you'll need it.
02 · DEVELOP
Get the product right
- Recipe and formulation development for chocolate and all confectionery: lollies, candy, fudge and more
- Bringing chocolate and confectionery techniques into other foods
- Improving existing products with alternative materials and processes
- Ingredient sourcing
- Laboratory, pilot and production trials, and costing
03 · PRODUCE
Keep the line running
- End-to-end equipment sourcing to suit requirements and budget
- Production line commissioning
- Troubleshooting and problem solving
- Staff training in confectionery technology
- SOPs, training materials and risk assessments for new lines and processes
- Streamlining production processes
- Production line filming
How we work
Not sure where to start? That's where most projects begin.
Whether you're turning a home recipe into a product or fixing a line that won't behave, the first conversation is about your goal, not a sales pitch.
- 01
Brief
Call or email with your idea, recipe, product or production issue. We talk through where you are and where you want to be.
- 02
Scope
Define the project: the product, target outputs and line speeds, budget, space and constraints. This sets the yardstick for every later decision.
- 03
Method
Develop the recipe and the process method, source materials, obtain supplier quotes, and select the production line and process that will hit the scoped output.
- 04
Trial
Lab, pilot and production trials, including at supplier facilities, to prove the formulation, confirm speeds and cost the product.
- 05
Install
Supplier recommendation, acceptance testing, commissioning and start-up of the line.
- 06
Launch and train
Staff training in the process and the technology, with SOPs and training materials your team keeps using, plus launch support and problem solving once you're running.
From the Chocolate Vault
Stories from the factory floor.
Real projects, told by Mark. Client names stay confidential.
≈6×output, from one day with the operators
Sometimes the impulse tasks have the greatest impact
A new belt coater, about 1800 mm wide, sat unused while six traditional pans did the work. Mechanically it worked, but the operators didn't yet understand it, and several process settings were well out. One day on the floor, with the operators making the adjustments themselves, changed that.
Read the story →≈98%good product, from around 90% breakage
When shrinkage matters
A licensed moulded figure with thin sections between heavy masses snapped as the chocolate contracted. The design couldn't change, so the process did: shifting when the product released from the mould.
Read the story →
Equipment
Equipment chosen to fit the job, not the catalogue.
Mark represents two specialist manufacturers, and sources whatever else your project needs. That might be a boutique maker's first tempering machine or a complete production line for a large manufacturer.
Australasian agent for
Broquet Pumps
Over thirty years pumping chocolate, candy and bakery masses without burning or damaging the product.
- For mills, melters, presses, conches, depositors and temperers
- High flow at low speed
- Passes nuts and fruit without grinding or blocking
- Keeps dry and fat masses from separating
Equipment sourcing
End to end, to suit your requirements and budget.
Beyond Wolf and Broquet, Mark sources any equipment your project needs, from the first scoping conversation through to a running line.
- Scoping production requirements
- Finding and assessing suppliers
- Obtaining and comparing quotes
- Trials at supplier facilities
- Supplier recommendation
- Acceptance testing and commissioning
- Start-up and staff training
About
Mark Tubman
Director and lead consultant
Mark has worked in chocolate and confectionery for more than 35 years. He spent 28 of them at Darrell Lea, moving from product development to running the factory and then leading development, before founding ChocCreator in 2012.
He trained at ZDS, the German Central Technical School for Confectionery, earning a Diploma in Confectionery Technology with the highest mark in the practical examination. He also holds an Associate Diploma of Applied Science in Food Technology from NSW TAFE, Ultimo.
- 2012–nowDirector, ChocCreatorProduct development, technical and production problem solving, and new line installations.
- 2004–2012Development Manager, Darrell LeaNew products from scoping to launch, matching products made in outside facilities, new line installations, and food safety training for 180 staff across 3 shifts.
- 1991–2004Factory Manager / Product Development, Darrell LeaDay-to-day factory operations across 3 shifts: output, quality, cost control and OH&S, plus new lines and new products.
- 1984–1991Product Development Coordinator, Darrell LeaFormulation and method development, lab trials and factory scale-up.
Let's talk about your product.
Email or call Mark directly.
ChocCreator Pty Ltd · ABN 36 169 961 013 · Professional indemnity insured