The Power of Personalisation: How to Create Custom Chocolate Moulds

As someone working with confectionery, the word ‘personalised’ may send a shiver down your spine.

Delivering personalised chocolate products can be a headache. Outsourcing custom mould designs will not only cost you a considerable amount of money, but also time, which we know is a precious commodity when it comes to chocolate-making.

What if we told you there’s a way you can save on both?

By the end of this article, you’ll know how to harness the power of personalisation, using the Mayku FormBox, benefitting both your business and your wallet.

What is the Mayku FormBox?

The Mayku FormBox is a clever, little machine that uses industrial-grade vacuum forming to enable you to make detailed, custom chocolate moulds in minutes – from as little as £1 per mould!

Thanks to its compact size, the FormBox lets you create almost any shape of mould right from your desktop, making it ideal for producing chocolate from home or in a small workspace.

You can use any object you can find as a template, or craft your own. Don’t shy away from being inventive; 3D-printed and polymer clay shapes work incredibly with the FormBox, but we’ve also heard that potatoes are ideal for carving into interesting shapes.

Once you’ve chosen your template, place it into the FormBox, insert a cast sheet, and you’re ready to go. The FormBox will vacuum form your mould around the template, setting in just minutes. Et voila! Your mould is ready for chocolate.

Jumping on Trends

Many consumers are guilty of shopping with their eyes before their brains. Paired with the endless stream of newness available at their fingertips through social media, we’ve been spoilt by choice, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to standout.

Social media plays a massive role in influencing trends, especially in the food industry, which can really propel a business. Remember the recent “Is it real, or is it cake?” trend, that had us all questioning the composition of everyday objects, after seeing so many hyper-realistic cakes on social media? The trend gained so much traction, it’s now been made into its own Netflix show. We’re ready for a resurgence, in chocolate form.

Now, we’re not saying that the FormBox will guarantee you internet fame, but it certainly can help you keep atop of constantly changing trends.

Reduced production speeds mean that you can create beautiful chocolates in real-time with viral trends or current affairs. This is particularly beneficial for standing out during one-off events, such as the Platinum Jubilee or the recent Euros.

Offer Something Your Competitors Can’t

Competition is healthy, but first place on the podium comes with a great view.

Having the ability to continuously create new chocolate and patisserie products will set you apart from your competitors who are using off-the-shelf moulds. Creating unique designs will expand your offering, whether that’s through the introduction of a quirky new product line, or refreshing existing favourites.

Seasonal periods, such as Christmas and Easter, can prove especially difficult to stand out during, with everyone pushing the same festive shapes. Whilst a vast increase in orders is great for any business, busy periods can certainly stump creativity. Using the FormBox, you can produce a whole army of unique reindeer moulds with ease, from Blitzen to Vixen, offering something your competitors simply can’t.

Adding a Personal Touch

It’s no secret that personalisation is a growing trend, even in the chocolate industry – we see it everywhere, from plaquettes to packaging. Adding personalisation to a product can help add value; it makes products feel like they were made with extra care and consideration.

The key issue many chocolatiers face when it comes to personalisation, is the turnaround of the service. Whether you’re catering for a small order, such as a birthday or anniversary, or a larger affair, such as a wedding, you’re often faced with strict time constraints that aren’t always compatible with customised items. Outsourcing isn’t a feasible option when you have an urgent deadline to meet, meaning that – more often than not – you may have to turn down bespoke requests.

With the FormBox, you can create bespoke items in as little as a few hours. Not only does this give you an edge over your competitors when it comes to the speed of the service itself, it can also help justify charging a premium price for this. Combined with the low cost of production, the FormBox can help keep your customers happy and your profit margins healthy.

Historically, creating personalised chocolates can come with more stress than benefit. The Mayku FormBox helps alleviate a vast majority of these, putting the fun back into personalisation, allowing you to get your creative juices flowing and crafting some pretty spectacular stuff!

Combined with an average cost saving of £2,100 compared to outsourcing custom moulds, the FormBox can help you increase your margins whilst lowering your spend – a win-win!

If you’re looking to find out more about the FormBox, we’ve partnered with Mayku to put together a guide to get you started.

Looking for inspiration? Check out these incredible chocolate moulds made using the FormBox.