Culinary & hands-on workshops
Books and taxes for chocolate and truffle classes.
Class tickets, retail bonbon sales, wholesale orders to boutiques, and a subscription box that charges before it ships. Gus sorts it all, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $15,000. Cocoa prices moved again this month, so I flagged your chocolate order to see how it stacks against the box prices you charge.
- Valentine's presale, ShopifyRetail sales
- Private class, Classpop payoutClass ticket sales
- Couverture chocolate orderChocolate and cacao
- Custom molds, supplierMolds and equipment
- Cold storage rentalStorage and utilities
Why your books are different
Chocolate and truffle books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees ingredient buys and register receipts. Your business is chocolate that costs differently every time you order it, a retail counter next to a classroom, wholesale deals at a lower price, and a subscription box that gets paid for before it ships. When the books do not know that, the margins lie.
-
1
Couverture chocolate cost swings with the market
Couverture chocolate prices move with the cocoa market, and a bulk order placed ahead of Valentine's Day or the holidays can cost noticeably more or less than the order six months before. Averaged into one flat ingredient line, you lose track of whether a batch is still profitable.
What we doKeeps chocolate and cacao purchases visible by order, so you can see when the cost of your core ingredient has actually moved. -
2
Retail counter sales blur with class ticket revenue
A chocolate shop that also teaches classes often rings up a box of bonbons and a class seat through the same register. Combined, you cannot tell whether the shop or the classroom is actually carrying the business.
What we doKeeps retail sales and class tickets in separate categories, so you see what each side of the business brings in. -
3
Wholesale orders look like a loss at first glance
A gift shop or hotel buying truffles at a wholesale rate pays less per box than a walk-in customer, and if that discount is not expected, the sale can look like it barely covered the chocolate. It is a normal wholesale price, not a mistake.
What we doKeeps wholesale sales in their own line at the price they actually sold for, so a lower per-unit price does not read as trouble. -
4
A tempering machine or mold set gets filed as a supply
A chocolate tempering machine or a set of professional polycarbonate molds can run into the thousands and gets used for years, but filed with cocoa butter and sprinkles, it muddies a single month's supply costs instead of showing up as equipment.
What we doFlags big equipment buys the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
5
Subscription box revenue gets counted before the box ships
A monthly chocolate subscription charges the customer's card on the first of the month, but the box for that charge might not ship until three weeks later. Counted as income the day the card is charged, a busy sign-up week can outrun the boxes actually delivered.
What we doKeeps subscription charges tied to the month the box ships, so income lines up with chocolate customers actually received.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a chocolate and truffle business.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail chocolate and truffle salesWalk-in and online orders for boxed bonbons and truffles.
- Class ticket salesClasspop, Cozymeal, and direct bookings for hands-on chocolate classes.
- Wholesale to shops and hotelsStanding orders for gift shops, hotels, and boutiques at a wholesale price.
- Subscription boxesRecurring monthly chocolate boxes, tracked against the month they actually ship.
- Custom and corporate gift ordersBranded boxes for weddings, holidays, and corporate gifting.
Money out
- Chocolate and cacaoCouverture chocolate, cocoa butter, and cacao nibs, the core cost of every batch.
- Molds and tempering equipmentPolycarbonate molds, tempering machines, and dipping tools.
- PackagingBoxes, ribbon, and gift wrap for retail and subscription orders.
- Cold storage and utilitiesTemperature-controlled storage and the electric bill for tempering equipment.
- Instructor payClass instructors, split between payroll and one-off guest chocolatiers.
- Booking and payment feesClasspop, Cozymeal, and card processing fees.
- MarketingLocal ads, holiday campaigns, and product photography.
What we watch for you
- Cost per batch
Chocolate cost against what a box or class actually sells for, as the cocoa market moves.
- Retail versus class share
How much of the month came from the shop counter against the classroom.
- Wholesale margin
What boutique and hotel orders net after the wholesale discount.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things chocolate and truffle owners 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.
I keep your chocolate orders visible by purchase, so when the cost moves you can see it against what the box sells for, rather than guessing.
No, that is a normal wholesale rate. I booked it in its own line at the price it sold for, so it reads as wholesale, not trouble.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a chocolate and truffle business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Chocolate costs that move with the market, and equipment filed the wrong way.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Ingredient cost of goodsCouverture chocolate, cacao, and packaging used directly in what you sell are cost of goods, the direct cost tracked against each sale, not a general supply expense.
- Equipment write-offsTempering machines, professional molds, and cold storage units can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA guest chocolatier or class helper not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if you pay them $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions chocolate and truffle making classes miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Couverture chocolate and cacao
- Cocoa butter and nibs
- Polycarbonate molds
- Tempering equipment repair
- Gift boxes and ribbon
- Cold storage rental
- Classpop and Cozymeal fees
- Aprons and uniforms
- Product photography
- Local holiday advertising
- Liability insurance
- Cleaning and sanitation supplies
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 chocolate and truffle year, kept every month.
Valentine's and the holidays carry the year. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of 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 guest chocolatier 1099 list is finalized, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill this spring, because the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the Valentine's rush and the cost of chocolate this year changed the number.
- October
Stocking up for the holidays
The big couverture and packaging orders for the November and December gift rush land now. Gus keeps them in one steady line so the month does not look alarming.
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 chocolate and truffle making classes. 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 chocolate and truffle owners ask first.
Chocolate prices keep changing. Can Gus track what that does to our margin?
Yes. He keeps chocolate and cacao purchases visible by order, so you can see the cost of your core ingredient moving against what a box or class actually sells for.
We sell wholesale to a few hotels at a lower price. Will that look bad in the books?
No. Gus books wholesale sales in their own line at the price they sold for, so a lower per-unit rate reads as a normal wholesale deal, not a problem.
Our chocolate subscription charges cards before the boxes ship. Does that matter?
Yes, a little. Gus ties subscription income to the month the box actually ships, so a busy sign-up week does not outrun what has really been delivered.
Do I need paperwork for the chocolatier who teaches one class a month?
If she is not on payroll and you pay her $2,000 or more in 2026, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running all year.
We just bought a commercial tempering machine. Can we write it off?
Usually yes, often in the year you buy it. Gus flags the purchase as equipment and the accountant decides how to write it off with your whole year in view.
Our books are behind from a busy Valentine's season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside 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