Hey guys! I'm a 17 year old hopeful entrepreneur trying to start a a fudge business (there isn't really any active fudge forums out there). This project will be up on kickstarter pretty soon (Feel free to donate anything you can when it goes live :D), i'm planning to start by rolling out three of my favorite flavors: Original, Cranberry Seasalt, and Peanut Butter Swirl. I try to make my fudge from scratch as i find it gives it a better flavor; i use: Cocoa powder, butter, vanilla extract, sugar, and a few other ingredients. I have found where to get cocoa powder in bulk (http://www.bulkfoods.com/baking-ingredients-distributor/1496-Cocoa-Powder-25-pounds.html), Cranberries (http://www.bulkfoods.com/dried-cranberries/5240-dried-cranberries.html), and some of the other ingredients from the same website, but i can't find Unsalted butter in bulk! Does anybody know where i can get it? The stores around me charge $3-$4 for a one pound box which would make my business unprofitable. Thanks guys!

(P.S. if you know of a cheaper place to get bulk items please let me know! Thanks!!)

Restaurant Depot regularaly has butter at or near $2 a pound.  Also check GFS.

Thanks for such a quick reply! It looks like there is restaurant depot about 1.5 hours from me which isn't too bad, i read another thread on here that said you can find it at BJ's for $1.50/lb on sale but that thread was a few years old, anybody know if they still sell it that cheap? Is "GFS" Gordon Food Service?

Unfortunately there are no GFS's within 100 miles of me, Im in Virginia for reference

Do you have a Costco or Sam's Club near you?  They sell 4# of unsalted butter for around $2 - $2.25 per pound.  They also have McCormick's vanilla extract there.  I prefer to use homemade vanilla extract, but your parents would have to purchase the vodka to make that, and it does take about 4 to 6 months before it's ready to use, but definitely worth it.  You can buy the vanilla beans in bulk online at Amazon or Ebay (I use Beanilla and VanillaProductsUSA).

Large bags (10# or 25#) of sugar can also be purchased at these warehouse clubs along with peanut butter and certain nuts.

AI pay 7.50 plus tax for 4lbs of butter at costco.

AThanks for all the replies! I have a costco and BJs near me, I'll check them out. I would also love to know your recipe for vanilla extract, if it makes it taste better, it's well worth the time and expense. As far as the butter problem, I'm leaning towards using chocolate chips instead of making my chocolate as it is cheaper and less problematic/complicated. I would then "doctor up" the chips with marshmallow fluff, vanilla extract and a few other things for flavoring. Agree/disagree?

Nevermind, i've found a way to modify my recipe to omit butter while still having the same great flavor. This is probably a long shot but does anybody know where i can get sealable plastic bags (exactly like the ones used for brownie mix) or even what they are called? I can't seem to find any details on them at all and i think vacuum sealed would be overkill

AAre you saying instead of making fudge you're going to melt chocolate chips and then add stuff to it? Sorry, I didn't know what you meant by "instead of making my own chocolate". Also, why not use plastic wrap like most fudge companies?

A

Haha definitely not what I meant at all. I use high quality chocolate chips as a base, then I add condensed milk, vanilla, etc. to get the same result without the problematic use of butter. As far as the plastic wrap, I need something that will last up to 2 years on the shelf, much like the bag brownie mix is in (which is called polypropylene by the way) but I can't seem to find one that will contain it long enough

AOh okay! Whew! :) that sounds much better! Also, I've got no clue on the shelf life issue, maybe someone else will! Good luck with your business!

AI know it sounds confusing, but I figured it out (polypropylene bags), sorry for the misunderstanding. I don't want to give much away about my project as I far others will try to mimic me but I'm not simply making fudge and selling it, I'm trying to make fudge retain its flavor for up to 2 years on the shelf with the same wonderful taste....and so far my work is turning out wonderfully! (I also have like 10 pounds of fudge in my fridge from testing...so if anyone wants any come and get it! :)

AWow, that's cool, although fudge in my house is not gonna last two weeks on the shelf let alone two years!! Lol it will all be in my belly!

Check out Uline for foodsafe bags . They have some good bulk prices.