OUR PROCESS
PART ONE: IN ORIGIN
GROW
THEOBROMA CACAO WHICH ROUGHLY TRANSLATES TO “FOOD OF THE GODS” IS A TREE THAT IS GROWN AROUND THE WORLD ROUGHLY BETWEEN THE TROPIC OF CANCER AND THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN. NATIVE TO THE UPPER AMAZON REGION OF PERU, AND ORIGINALLY CULTIVATED BY THE MAYANS AND AZTEC CULTURES, THE CACAO TREE IS THE BASIS FOR ALL THE CHOCOLATE PRODUCED WORLDWIDE. NOT ALL CACAO IS CREATED EQUAL HOWEVER. GENETICS AND GROWING CONDITIONS GO HAND IN HAND TO IMPACT THE POTENTIAL QUALITY OF THE BEANS. OF ALL THE CACAO GROWN IN THE WORLD, ABOUT 1% IS CONSIDERED “FINE” OR “FLAVOR GRADE.” WE SEARCH FAR AND WIDE FOR THAT 1% TO USE FOR OUR UNIQUE SINGLE ORIGIN CHOCOLATE BARS.
HARVEST
CACAO PODS DEVELOP FROM THE TINY POLLINATED FLOWERS OF THE TREE. IT TAKES APPROXIMATELY 140 DAYS FOR THE PODS TO FULLY MATURE AFTER POLLINATION. IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE PODS ARE HARVESTED AT THEIR PEAK OF RIPENESS. IF THEY ARE HARVESTED TOO EARLY, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SUGAR IN THE PULP TO DRIVE A GOOD FERMENTATION; TOO LATE AND THE BEANS CAN GERMINATE IN THE POD RENDERING THEM USELESS. THE WINDOW FOR PERFECT RIPENESS CAN BE AS NARROW AS 7-10 DAYS. ONCE RIPE, THE PODS ARE CAREFULLY CUT FROM THE TREES BY HAND AND COLLECTED INTO HEAPS TO BE CRACKED OPEN AND HAVE THE BEANS REMOVED. THIS STEP IS TYPICALLY DONE IN THE FIELD AND THE EMPTY PODS LEFT TO DECOMPOSE BACK INTO THE SOIL PROVIDING NUTRIENTS TO FEED THE TREES FUTURE GROWTH.
FERMENT
FERMENTATION IS HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL STEPS IN THE ENTIRE CHOCOLATE MAKING PROCESS. WITHOUT PROPER FERMENTATION, THE CACAO BEANS ARE COMPLETELY DEVOID OF THE WONDERFULLY COMPLEX ARRAY OF FLAVORS THAT ARE DISTINCTLY “CHOCOLATEY.” THE FRESHLY HARVESTED BEANS, STILL COVERED IN A WET SUGARY PULP, ARE COLLECTED IN HEAPS OR BOXES TO NATURALLY FERMENT FOR 3-7 DAYS. FERMENTATION FACILITATES A COMPLEX ARRAY OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS THAT NOT ONLY KILL THE SEED AND PREVENT IT FROM GERMINATING, BUT ALSO DEVELOP ALL THE FLAVOR PRECURSORS REQUIRED FOR AN OUTSTANDING CHOCOLATE BAR. THIS PROCESS IS DEPENDANT ON THE SKILL OF THE FARMER, AND DICTATES THE FUTURE POTENTIAL OF THE CACAO. WE RELY HEAVILY ON THE SKILL OF THE FARMERS WE WORK WITH TO PROVIDE US WITH A SOLID FOUNDATION WE CAN BUILD ON.
DRY
THE NEXT PIVOTAL PROCESS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CACAO BEAN IS DRYING. THIS IS THE STEP THAT CAN TAKE AN AVERAGE CACAO BEAN AND MAKE IT SING. AS MOISTURE IS REDUCED, FERMENTATION BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN, BUT THE FLAVOR AND COLOR OF THE BEAN CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND CHANGE. SLOW AND CAREFUL SUN DRYING CAN GREATLY REDUCE ACIDITY IN THE BEAN AS WELL AS DEVELOPING THE SIGNATURE BROWN COLOR OF THE FINISHED CHOCOLATE. THIS 5-7 DAY PROCESS IS COMPLETE WHEN THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE BEAN REACHES 6-8%; HIGHER THAN THAT, AND THE BEANS WILL DEVELOP INTERNAL MOLD THAT WILL RENDER THEM USELESS. THE BEANS ARE THEN BAGGED UP AND ARE READY FOR EXPORT.
EXPORT
THE NOW BAGGED CACAO BEANS ARE TYPICALLY STORED IN WAREHOUSES IN-COUNTRY WAITING FOR A LARGE ENOUGH VOLUME TO FILL A CONTAINER FOR SHIPMENT. WE WORK WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT BEAN BROKERS TO GET THE FERMENTED AND DRIED CACAO TO OUR DOORSTEP. WE HAVE CHOSEN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNERS CAREFULLY TO INSURE COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF EXPORT/ TRANSPORT/ IMPORT. BECAUSE THE CACAO PASSES THROUGH SO MANY HANDS DURING THIS TIME, IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO VERIFY THAT PEOPLE ARE PAID FAIRLY THROUGHOUT, STARTING WITH THE PRICE PAID AT FARM GATE. AFTER A PROCESS THAT CAN TAKE MONTHS, THE BEANS ARRIVE AND ARE READY FOR THEIR DRASTIC TRANSFORMATION.
PART TWO: IN FACTORY
SOrt & CLEAN
BEFORE WE DIVE INTO FLAVOR DEVELOPMENT VIA ROASTING, WE GO THROUGH AN INITIAL SORTING PROCESS TO REMOVE ANY UNWANTED DEBRIS AND POOR-QUALITY BEANS. THIS IS DONE BY HAND, WITH EVERY BEAN GOING PAST AN EMPLOYEE'S EYE, TO ENSURE ONLY THE HIGHEST-QUALITY BEANS MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE FINAL PRODUCT.
roast
THIS IS THE FIRST INTERACTION WE HAVE WITH THE FLAVOR OF THE BEANS. THROUGH THE ROASTING PROCESS, CHEMICAL REACTIONS NOT ONLY HELP DEVELOP THE CHOCOLATE FLAVOR OF THE BEAN, BUT ALSO HELP TO EXPEL, OR TEMPER, THE BITTER NOTES IN THE CACAO. WE TAKE TIME TO DEVELOP A UNIQUE ROAST PROFILE FOR EACH BEAN WE USE, AND OFTEN BLEND ROAST PROFILES IN A SINGLE BATCH TO UNIQUELY SHAPE THE FLAVOR OF THE CHOCOLATE. ROASTING ALSO HELPS TO REDUCE THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE BEANS AND LOOSEN THE HUSK FROM THE NIB. FUN FACT! AFTER YEARS OF ROASTING ON OUR TRUSTY OLD ROYAL #5 FROM 1910, WE’VE JUST UPGRADED OUR ROASTER TO A BARTH SIROCCO MODEL 300 FROM 1934. ORIGINALLY FROM SCHARFFEN BERGER, AND SOLD TO OUR FRIENDS AT SOMA CHOCOLATE, AND THEN TO US LAST YEAR.
winnow
AFTER ROASTING AND COOLING, THE CACAO BEANS ARE CRACKED INTO SMALLER PIECES. USING VACUUM PRESSURE AND VIBRATORY SCREENS, WE REMOVE THE LIGHTER HUSK FROM THE DENSER NIB. THE CLEAN NIBS ARE COLLECTED AND READY FOR CHOCOLATE PRODUCTION, WHILE THE HUSKS ARE REPURPOSED AS GARDEN MULCH.
refinE
THE COCOA NIBS ARE FED INTO A HAMMER MILL, WHERE THEY ARE CRUSHED TO RELEASE THEIR NATURAL COCOA BUTTER. THIS PROCESS TRANSFORMS THE SOLID NIBS INTO A LIQUID, KNOWN AS CHOCOLATE LIQUOR (100% CACAO WITH NO SUGAR), SIMILAR TO HOW PEANUTS BECOME PEANUT BUTTER. THE LIQUOR IS THEN RUN THROUGH THE BALL MILL FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 HOURS, WHERE IT FURTHER REFINES THE PARTICLES DOWN TO 20 MICRONS (LESS THAN HALF THE THICKNESS OF A HUMAN HAIR).
mill
THE VISCOSITY AND FLOW PROPERTIES OF CHOCOLATE ARE INFLUENCED BY MANY INTERRELATED FACTORS, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BEING PARTICLE SIZE. SUGAR HAS A COARSE, HARD CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE, WHICH CONTRASTS WITH THE SOFT, FIBROUS TEXTURE OF THE NIB. AT THIS STAGE, WE CREATE AN APPROXIMATE 50/50 BLEND OF SUGAR AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR AND PASS IT THROUGH THE ROLL MILL THREE TIMES. THIS MILLING PROCESS ALLOWS US TO ACCURATELY GRIND THE COARSE SUGAR AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR INTO A DRY, DEFATTED CHOCOLATE FLAKE. IN ADDITION TO REDUCING PARTICLE SIZE, THE FRESHLY BROKEN SOLID SURFACES OF SUGAR BECOME COATED IN COCOA BUTTER. THIS STAGE IS ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVING THE SILKY MOUTHFEEL AND DELICATE MELT THAT DEFINE OUR CHOCOLATE.
conchE
AFTER MILLING, THE CHOCOLATE IS READY FOR CONCHING, A CRITICAL STEP TO REFINE ITS TEXTURE AND FLAVOR. AT THIS STAGE, THE CHOCOLATE CONTAINS PARTICLES OF IDEAL SIZE BUT IRREGULAR SHAPE, WITH FRESHLY GROUND SUGAR PARTICLES THAT ARE COARSE AND SHARP-EDGED FROM THE ROLL MILL. THE FLAVOR IS ALSO BRIGHT, RETAINING SOME INITIAL BITTER NOTES. CONCHING INVOLVES EXTENDED AGITATION, STIRRING, AND AERATION UNDER HEAT, ALLOWING THE CHOCOLATE'S FLAVOR TO MATURE AND DEVELOP OVER 24 TO 48 HOURS, DEPENDING ON THE BATCH.
WE INCORPORATE A VERY UNIQUE STEP CALLED DRY CONCHING, A PROCESS TO ENHANCE FLAVOR AND TEXTURE. THIS DEFATTED FLAKE IS CONCHED FOR THE FIRST 24 HOURS, A PROCESS AKIN TO KNEADING THICK BREAD DOUGH. THIS STEP FACILITATES EFFICIENT OFF-GASSING OF VOLATILE FLAVORS AS WELL AS ROUNDING OF PARTICLES AND DE-CONGLOMERATION OF FAT & SUGAR. THE FOLLOWING DAY, WE ADD THE RESERVED COCOA LIQUOR TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED COCOA PERCENTAGE, THEN INCREASE THE CONCHE'S SPEED TO AERATE THE MIXTURE. THIS FINAL STAGE YIELDS A GLOSSY, SILKY-SMOOTH CHOCOLATE WITH PEAK FLAVOR NOTES AND A REFINED TEXTURE.
temper & MOLD
BY NOW THE CHOCOLATE IS FINALLY FINISHED AND READY FOR TEMPERING. ENTIRE CHAPTERS IN TEXTBOOKS ARE DEVOTED TO THE ELABORATE PROCESS OF TEMPERING. TO OVER-SIMPLIFY IT, COCOA BUTTER IS POLYMORPHIC, MEANING IT FORMS DISTINCT CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURES AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES. WE ARE TRYING TO ISOLATE A SPECIFIC CRYSTAL STRUCTURE THAT GIVES CHOCOLATE ITS WONDERFUL SHEEN, SNAP AND MELT PROPERTIES. WE USE A SOPHISTICATED MACHINE ALONG WITH EXPERT CHOCOLATE MAKERS TO HELP US DO THIS ACCURATELY AND EFFICIENTLY. ONCE WE HAVE ACHIEVED TEMPER, THE CHOCOLATE IS DEPOSITED INTO BAR MOLDS AND VIBRATED TO ELIMINATE AS MANY BUBBLES IN THE CHOCOLATE AS POSSIBLE. AFTER A QUICK REST IN THE CHILLING ROOM THE TEMPERED CHOCOLATE BARS ARE DROPPED OUT OF THEIR MOLDS AND LOADED ONTO TRAYS FOR FUTURE PACKAGING.
WRAP & ENJOY
FINALLY, THE BARS ARE WRAPPED AND PACKAGED. IT IS IMPORTANT TO US THAT THE PACKAGING REFLECTS THE CRAFTSMANSHIP THAT WENT INTO MAKING THE BAR. EACH ONE OF OUR ENVELOPES IS HAND LETTERPRESSED USING VINTAGE PRINTING PRESSES WE RESTORED OURSELVES.