Sweet Success

Spray Foam Magazine – Winter 2024 – Imagine a place that makes the most delicious chocolates and wine—and it could easily be Hill Country Chocolate in Fredericksburg, Texas. Dan McCoy, now a chocolatier for over two decades, retired from his previous profession as a dermatologist and quickly took on a new hobby. It was here that he ultimately created a quality-focused business by sourcing great ingredients and hiring dedicated employees.

Dan graduated from Texas Tech with dual certifications in viticulture and winemaking from the university’s department of plant and soil science. Additionally, he studied with famous chocolatiers over the years. Quality and doing things right are a theme throughout his career and now his business, so specifying SPF to help climate control a building was the obvious choice.  

Double P Spray Foam Insulation & More, LLC offers quality services for residential and commercial properties. Their SPFA-trained staff are experts in SPF insulation, concrete lifting, and roofing. Strong advocates of energy efficiency, they also replace doors and windows with energy-efficient alternatives. Owner Paul Purlia started his career in the oilfield industry where he worked for nine years. “I made the decision to explore options that would allow me to be at home while owning and operating my own business. I began researching the spray foam industry because the science behind it was interesting to me,” said Paul.

Paul then spent two years educating himself on processes, procedures, and safety of spray foam before opening his own business, Double P Spray Foam Insulation & More, in the summer of 2020. His spray foam company covers multiple counties like Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, and Mason within the Texas Hill Country.

Dan previously had SPF applied to two buildings at Hill Country Chocolate and wanted to use a local spray foam contractor for another, so he reached out to Paul. The 400-sq.-ft outbuilding was used to store wine and chocolate. Closed-cell spray foam is reliable for its air sealing and moisture control properties, which are common problems when it comes to insulating and temperature regulation and are imperative to keeping the wine and chocolate at the correct temperature all year round.

The proper storage of chocolate is not in a refrigerator as many people may believe. Even though a cooler temperature could prevent melting, it can also harvest unwanted moisture on the chocolate. Temperature fluctuation from cold to warm may also cause “sugar bloom.” This is when the sugar clings to the moisture assembling on the chocolate and causes a white powdery look leaving the chocolate with a chalky texture and a change in taste. If it meets air and light, it causes oxidation which will also affect the texture and taste. Chocolate likes to be stored in a dark, cool place with the ideal consistent temperature of 59°F – 64°F.

The ideal storing temperature for wine is 55°F. However, for long-term storage, anywhere between 45-65°F will help keep the wine at its best. The lower end of that temperature range can cause small tartare crystals at the bottom of the bottle, and the higher end can change the wine more quickly. Even though these factors will not totally spoil the wine, to play it safe it’s best to keep a constant middle temperature point. Therefore, having both chocolate and wine storage keep an even and consistent temperature is crucial.

Double P worked on this project during a hot June day in Texas. Paul was the sole sprayer that day and he knew that using UPC 2.0 Max closed-cell foam would help keep the building climate controlled. Arriving on site with his PMC PH-2, Paul first did his prep work applying four mil plastic along the floor, windows, doors, and HVAC system. Putting on his SAS spray socks, 3M Ultimate FX Full Face Respirator, cool suit coveralls, and Gorilla gloves, he was ready to begin. In a half-day of work, Paul applied three inches of the closed-cell foam onto oriented strand board (OSB) in the roof line and two inches on the OSB smart siding exterior walls.

Once Double P completed the project, Hill Country Chocolate’s Dan McCoy, invited Paul to sit down for a tasting. He must have thought it was a job well done as Paul got to enjoy dark chocolate caramel pecan clusters, Fredericksburg peach yogurt bonbons, and dark chocolate almond butter toffee. Not only was that a sweet ending to a project, but both Paul and Dan can pop a cork in celebration that closed-cell SPF will help block moisture and help provide a climate-controlled environment for the chocolate and wine to stay fine over time.