We Did It: Home Chocolat Raises Over €64K on Kickstarter for the Chocolatier Pro
Liora OmerA few weeks ago, we shared a press release that still makes me smile every time I read it. The headline says it all: Home Chocolat raises €64K on Kickstarter as demand grows for chocolate-making tools.
I want to take a moment here, on our own corner of the internet, to talk about what that actually means, and what comes next.
From Frustration to Validation
The Chocolatier Pro started as a very personal frustration. I love making chocolate. I believe, genuinely, that the best chocolate is the one you make yourself. But chocolate tempering is hard. It is the step that stops most people before they even start, and I kept thinking: there has to be a better way to get perfectly tempered chocolate without years of practice.
So we built one.
When we launched the Kickstarter campaign for the Chocolatier Pro, a compact smart chocolate tempering machine designed for artisan chocolatiers, pastry chefs, and dedicated home creators, the goal was never just funding. It was validation. Did other people feel the same frustration? Did they want a tool that takes the stress out of tempering without taking away the joy of creation?
The answer, from approximately 180 backers, was a clear yes.
What the Numbers Tell Us
Raising over €64,000 and securing nearly 180 pre-orders matters. But what I find even more telling is who backed us and why.
Most backers identified as hobbyists, with professionals close behind. But the picture turned out to be more nuanced than that.
When I looked more closely, many of the people who called themselves beginners or hobbyists are actually culinary professionals. Caterers. Patisserie teachers. People already running small confectionery businesses. They just don't feel confident about their chocolate work specifically.
They're not beginners. They're experts who haven't yet conquered tempering.
And honestly, that makes complete sense. Tempering is one of the most unforgiving steps in the kitchen. It humbles even experienced pastry chefs. So people instinctively reach for words like "novice" when chocolate comes up, even when they are professionals in every other sense. One backer said it perfectly:
"I am a home based bakery in Arkansas, USA. I am a chocolate novice (tempering takes me forever) and I am excited about a tool to make chocolate products more feasible for me!"
A home-based bakery. A chocolate novice. Both things, at the same time.
That mix reflects something I see everywhere right now: the line between home chocolate maker and small-scale professional is blurring fast. People are not just eating chocolate anymore. They want to make it, gift it, sell it at markets, teach it to their kids. The Chocolatier Pro is built for all of them.
What Is the Chocolatier Pro?
The Chocolatier Pro is a compact chocolate tempering machine designed for small-batch chocolate production. It allows chocolatiers, pastry chefs, and home creators to melt, temper, and maintain chocolate at the correct temperature with precision and ease, removing the guesswork that makes hand-tempering so difficult.
Key features include a 1kg removable bowl, automatic and manual tempering modes, and a design compact enough for home kitchens and small professional spaces.
It sits alongside our other product, CocoaBlox, a patented modular chocolate-making ingredients system, to form a complete chocolate creation platform, from raw ingredients to finished, perfectly tempered results.
What Happens Next
We are now in production preparation, working closely with our manufacturing partners toward first batch fulfillment in Q4 2026, with a second batch planned for early 2027.
If you missed the campaign, late pledges are still open. You can still secure a Chocolatier Pro from the first production run at updated pricing via our Kickstarter page:
Secure your Chocolatier Pro: Late Pledge on Kickstarter
We would love to welcome another 100 creators into this first production run.
The Bigger Picture
This campaign validated something beyond the product itself. It confirmed that home chocolate making is a growing movement. Consumers increasingly want to know where their food comes from, how it is made, and to have a hand in making it themselves. Chocolate is no exception.
At Home Chocolat, we are building the tools and ingredients that make that possible, without requiring years of training or professional equipment budgets. The Chocolatier Pro is a significant step in that direction.
Thank You
To our backers, to the community that has followed along since the early workshop days, and to everyone who has shared, commented, or simply shown up with curiosity: thank you. You are the reason this is real.
Read the full announcement: Home Chocolat raises €64K on Kickstarter as demand grows for chocolate-making tools
And if you want to be part of what comes next, the door is still open.