Sunday, November 7, 2010

Chocolate, Cross and Waffles

On the Waffle Front
As it turns out, running a waffle stand on the weekends is a lot of work, but it's also fun, rewarding, educational and we get to meet a lot of cool people that we probably wouldn't meet otherwise.

First of all, a big thank you goes out to all the race promoters that have helped us to be a part of their events. And secondly, thank you to all who have visited our waffle stand and walked away with a waffle. And thirdly, a special thanks to those who have gone the extra mile to support us in the online world through tweets, photos, tags, blogs and likes.

Coming up next weekend is the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Fort Collins. As with the NACT series that passed through last weekend, this is one of the premiere events of American cyclocross. It's the first year that the USGP will pass through Fort Collins so it's hard to know what to expect in terms of spectator turn out. Our guess is that it is going to be huge! Especially since New Belgium is one of the title sponsors. We'll be setting up our waffle stand and we're working directly with the director, Rob Noble, to find the ideal placement, whether it's on the course or in the expo. Our vision is to be on course, with the fans, with the beer garden and truly part of the race experience.

Remaining Waffle Stand Schedule
  • November 13th: USGP of Cyclocross in Fort Collins, Colorado
  • November 14th: USGP of Cyclocross in Fort Collins, Colorado
  • November 20th: Alpha Cross #2 in Centennial, Colorado
  • November 21st: CycloX in Longmont/Boulder, Colorado
  • November 27th: GMSV #2- Lookout Cross in Golden, Colorado
  • November 28th: Boulder CX Series #4 in Boulder, Colorado
  • December 4th: Colorado CX Championships in Boulder, Colorado
  • December 5th: Colorado CX Championships in Boulder, Colorado
  • December 18th: (maybe) Boulder CX Series #5, Boulder, Colorado

On the Chocolate Front

As you may or may not know, the primary inspiration behind the waffle stand is to help fund our little chocolate company. I can almost guarantee that a chocolate making company has never been started with less money than what we've got to work with, but that's ok. We're making it happen. The waffle stand is going well and we've been able to pay off all of our waffle start up costs, but that's left us without much time to make chocolate.

One of the biggest obstacles for us is the ability to purchase the ideal chocolate making equipment. Fortunately, we've had some help from Boulder County and they are helping us to purchase a larger mill and a tempering machine. Between renting various commercial kitchen spaces and working with the health department, we should have some chocolate for everyone by early 2011.

Some of our most exciting news is our first large order of cacao beans. We're not ready to disclose exactly how much or where they are from yet, so you'll just have to be patient while we keep working away.

Stay Tuned
As you have probably already figured out on your own, our blog is not the best way to stay up to date with our progress, but it ain't bad either. We recommend "liking" us on Facebook and/or following us on Twitter for the most current news. Thanks for reading and remember, good things come to those who wait.

Anna and Robbie
Ritual Chocolate