4-3-06

New Burdick’s Chocolate Factory Takes Shape in Walpole

By Charles C. Bingaman, Contributing Writer

            L. A. Burdick’s Chocolates’ new factory on the east side of North Main Street in Walpole is coming together for a projected September 1 move-in date, according to General Manager Cathy Watson.

            “The new factory is going to be incredible!” according to Watson.  “We’ve outgrown the facility we’re in.  Last Christmas showed us how tight we were.  We could tell that we weren’t going to make it another year there.” 

Burdick’s currently makes its chocolates on the second floor of their building in the center of the village and moves them downstairs for packaging and shipping. “Right now,” says Watson,  "we have an elevator that brings all the chocolate down from upstairs.  But when we do certain chocolate bars, for instance, we have to bring them down on the elevator, wheel them through the packing room to a walk-in refrigerator for 15 minutes, and them wheel them back into the packing room.”

            “The flow at the new factory will be just incredible!  Now, we’ll have a carefully thought out production line in space designed especially for it.  We’ll bring the block chocolate directly into the chopping machines and on to the kitchen where we’ll make all the ganaches (including the whipped ganaches used for piping the mice and penguins and other ganaches that are rolled and cut into shapes in the production area).  Then the chocolate will move through the enrober—the machine that provides a virtual waterfall of chocolate to coat the ganache—and then on to the cool room where it sets for at least 24 hours.”

“From there,” Watson continues, “all finished product will go to the packing room (where “footers” trim the feet on the mice and penguins and add tails to the mice!) and each chocolate piece gets nested in its own paper “capsule”.  Finally, the packers will arrange the finished pieces in the different boxes and other packages we have for shipping to customers.  And—this is the best part!—it’ll all be on one level!”

            In redesigning the building, architect Andrea Warchaizer of Springpoint Inc., Alstead, and building contractor Mark Edson, Acworth, have removed the large sliding glass doors from the front of the former R.N. Johnson Small Machine building and, having encased them in frames, will be repurposing them as interior walls between inside bays to allow more light and visibility in the building.  Outside, Warchaizer designed an arching façade for the front of the building that echoes the roof arch of the rear bay so the two building segments look better together.  And, as requested by Larry Burdick, Warchaizer has redesigned the front building wall to have a more agricultural look.

            Watson reports that she does not expect to expand the Burdick’s chocolate lines or to add more employees in connection with the move.  “We have between 30 and 40 people now, and we add some between Thanksgiving and New Years and for a week or so before Valentines and Mother’s Days.  But, rather than adding people, we think the new factory will enable our people to work much more efficiently.  Their days will be better spent making top quality chocolate instead of going from one end of the building to the other just to get supplies.”

            Burdick’s café, restaurant and chocolate shop in the center of the village will not change.  “85 to 90% of our sales are by mail order, that is, by telephone, mail or Internet sales. And we are going to be focusing more on marketing when we have this new facility finished,” says Watson.  In fact, one of Burdick’s marketing emphases in 2006 and beyond will be an effort to educate customers and consumers generally on what makes high quality chocolate and why they should seek it out. 

            Larry Burdick, who takes great care with the look of his facilities, said Tuesday that he will be putting in some lawn and shade trees in front of the building and putting all parking at the side or rear.  He noted that he has been very pleased with the work of Mark Edson of Acworth, general contractor, architect Andrea Warchaizer of South Acworth, and onsite engineer Ted Fellows of Walpole who, as a team, have managed the transformation of the old small engine sales facility into a modern, highly efficient factory. --30--

 
Above, Walt Bredeen finishes reframing the former sliding doors from the front of the building so they can be used for interior walls.                                          

Building contractor Mark Edson reviews construction drawings with Burdick's general manager Cathy Watson.