As cocoa prices soar — multiplied by five in just one year — chocolatiers face a complex equation: maintain quality, protect margins, and meet the demands of increasingly discerning consumers.
What if digitalization became the best ally of artisanal businesses?
Pressure on margins and production
In 2025, cocoa exceeds $10,000 per metric ton, with no signs of slowing. For artisanal chocolatiers, cost management has become a high-precision exercise. At the same time, the need for traceability, labeling, and regulatory compliance continues to grow.
In this context, every euro, every batch, and every decision matters. Small and mid-sized producers must be able to manage operations on a day-to-day basis — without juggling Excel files or relying on manual workflows.
Marcolini: gradual modernization, tangible benefits
Maison Marcolini partnered with Idealis to take on a complex mission: modernize its Odoo system while maintaining business continuity across multiple stores.
The project spanned five countries, but its lessons apply to businesses of any size — even teams of 10 to 15 people:
- Unified workflows: sales, production, inventory, and accounting — all managed from a single, clear interface
- Fewer manual tasks: no more double entries, with real-time data updates
- Faster decision-making: Smart Analytics dashboards give each manager visibility into sales, bestsellers, and out-of-stock alerts
- Improved customer service: GS1 labeling ensures full product traceability for both in-store and international deliveries
On a daily basis, this means less time wasted chasing data, fewer errors, and more time to produce, advise, and innovate.
The right tools to stay on track — even in a crisis
For an artisanal chocolate business, five KPIs often make the difference:
- Product stock-out rate — to avoid disappointing in-store customers
- Margin per product line or gift box — especially critical when raw materials surge
- Online order processing time — crucial during seasonal peaks like Easter or Christmas
- In-store average basket size — a key driver of upselling
- Return or dissatisfaction rate — to catch early signs of trouble
These metrics are automatically extracted from Odoo and presented in clear, actionable dashboards.
Manage your operations using relevant insights, powered by integrated BI tools such as Looker Studio or Power BI — fully embedded into your Odoo ERP.
An enhanced customer experience
Today, even downtown chocolatiers have the opportunity to offer experiences comparable to those of major brands. Thanks to digitalization, it becomes easier to:
- Enable seamless click & collect
- Let customers personalize gift boxes online
- Host tasting workshops with online booking
- Showcase your selection via an interactive in-store menu
And all this without needing a dedicated IT team. These features integrate into a single, human-scale tool tailored to artisanal structures.
Why brands like Marcolini trust us
Because we know how to turn real-world challenges into practical solutions. Our approach is gradual, transparent, and free from jargon. A single tool to manage your sales, stock, production, and customer data — with hands-on support from people who understand your business.
Looking for a system that simplifies your daily routine?
Schedule a free consultation with an Idealis expert. In just 30 minutes, we identify your key workflows, the bottlenecks slowing down your operations, and provide you with a clear vision of what your digitalized daily routine could look like.
Chocolate retail: combining craftsmanship, traceability, and digital performance