Specialty food makers & markets
Books and taxes for candy and chocolate makers.
Truffle batches, molded chocolates, Valentine's and holiday gift boxes, and wholesale accounts at boutiques. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
December came in at $10,300, your biggest month of the year. I kept the holiday gift box orders separate from your regular wholesale accounts so you can see how much of it was seasonal.
- Shopify holiday ordersOnline sales
- Boutique wholesale invoiceWholesale orders
- Couverture chocolate supplierIngredients
- Gift box and ribbon orderPackaging
- Seasonal helper wagesSeasonal labor
Why your books are different
A candy and chocolate business's books go wrong around the holidays.
You are not making a steady product for a steady month. Cocoa prices move, three or four weeks of the year carry most of your income, and gift packaging can cost nearly as much as the chocolate inside it. When the books do not know that, the slow months look like the business is failing.
-
1
Cocoa price swings get absorbed instead of tracked
Couverture chocolate prices move with the global cocoa market, sometimes sharply within a year. A maker who keeps pricing the same way watches margin shrink without seeing that the ingredient, not the recipe, is the reason.
What we doKeeps chocolate and cocoa cost as its own line so a price jump shows up the month it happens, not buried in a general ingredient total. -
2
Holiday months carry the whole year, and the books do not show it
Valentine's Day and the winter holidays might account for most of a year's sales. A slow February or August looks alarming until you see the full year laid out against last year's same pattern.
What we doTracks sales by month so the seasonal pattern is visible, and flags whether a slow month is normal or a real dip. -
3
Gift packaging gets lumped in with ingredients
Ribbon, gift boxes, and tins for a holiday collection can cost nearly as much as the chocolate itself. Filed together with ingredients, it hides how much of the price is really covering the presentation.
What we doKeeps packaging in its own category so a fancy gift box run does not make a normal batch of truffles look expensive. -
4
Seasonal helpers look like year-round payroll
Extra hands hired just for the holiday rush get filed the same as regular staff, which makes a slow month's payroll look too high and a busy month's look too low.
What we doKeeps seasonal labor in its own line so you can see what the holiday push actually costs to staff.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a candy and chocolate business.
Set up once for how you sell and what you buy. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Online salesOrders through Shopify or Etsy, heaviest around Valentine's and the winter holidays.
- Wholesale ordersBoutiques, cafes, and gift shops buying by the case.
- Farmers market and event salesCash and card sales from local markets and holiday fairs.
- Custom and corporate giftingBulk holiday orders for offices and events, usually the highest-margin sales of the year.
Money out
- IngredientsCouverture chocolate, cocoa butter, cream, and flavorings.
- PackagingGift boxes, tins, ribbon, and molds for seasonal collections.
- Seasonal laborExtra hands hired for the Valentine's or holiday production rush.
- Commissary kitchen rentalHourly or monthly rent for a licensed production kitchen.
- Marketplace and card feesWhat Shopify, Etsy, or Square kept before you got paid.
- Shipping costsInsulated packaging and carrier fees for online orders, especially in warm months.
- Booth and event feesFarmers market and holiday fair vendor costs.
What we watch for you
- Cocoa cost per batch
What chocolate costs against a batch sold. A rising number warns of a price jump early.
- Holiday share of sales
What percent of the year lands in Valentine's and winter. Tells you how much slack the slow months need.
- Wholesale margin
What boutique accounts pay against retail pricing, worth knowing before adding more.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things candy and chocolate makers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Your cocoa cost per batch is up from last quarter. It is worth a look at your prices, though what to charge is a call for you and maybe the accountant, not me.
No. Compared to last August, you are tracking close to the same pattern. Your year runs on Valentine's and the holidays, and August is just the quiet stretch between them.
If she works your schedule and your kitchen, she is usually an employee, not a contractor. That is worth getting right before it becomes a habit, so I flagged it for the accountant.
The tax side
The tax side of a candy and chocolate business.
Most of what matters here is inventory timing around the holiday rush and getting seasonal help classified right, since both drive real money at the busiest time of year.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldOnly the chocolate and packaging that went into what you sold this year count as cost of goods. Holiday inventory made ahead of the season stays inventory until it sells.
- Equipment write-offsTempering machines, molds, and enrobing equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Employee or contractorA seasonal helper who works your hours and your kitchen is usually an employee, not a contractor. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed. It comes out right only when seasonal sales and costs are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions candy and chocolate makers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Couverture chocolate
- Gift boxes and tins
- Molds and tempering supplies
- Ribbon and gift wrap
- Commissary kitchen rental
- Insulated shipping packaging
- Seasonal helper wages
- Shopify and Etsy fees
- Sample product for buyers
- Farmers market booth fees
- Label design
- Trade show entry fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A candy and chocolate year, kept every month.
Valentine's and the winter holidays carry the year, and the quiet months in between need their own plan. Your team keeps you ahead of the deadlines through both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for helpers is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your business return is filed and signed, right after Valentine's season winds down.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how the slow summer months compare to last year's same stretch.
- October
Before the holiday rush
The biggest sales push of the year is close. Gus looks at ingredient and packaging supply needs and seasonal staffing before it hits.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for candy and chocolate makers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions candy and chocolate makers ask first.
Can Gus tell me if a slow month is actually a problem?
Yes. He tracks your sales against the same month last year, so you can see whether a quiet stretch is your normal pattern or a real dip worth looking into.
How does Gus handle rising cocoa prices?
Chocolate and cocoa cost are kept in their own category, so when prices move, you can see exactly how much of any margin change is the ingredient and how much is something else.
I hire extra help every December. Does that complicate the books?
No. Seasonal wages get their own category so you can see what the holiday rush actually costs to staff, separate from your regular payroll.
My gift boxes cost almost as much as the chocolate. Is that normal to track?
Yes, and it is worth tracking separately. Gus keeps packaging apart from ingredients so a fancy box run does not make a normal batch look expensive.
My books are behind from the holiday rush. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have and he sorts them by channel, ingredient, and season. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever