PART ONE: AT ORIGIN

Harvesting

The colourful ripe pods are harvested from the Theobroma cocoa trees and cut open manually to remove the beans. Each pod contains only around 20-60 beans. On average, 40 cacao beans are required to make a 70% dark chocolate bar.

Fermentation

Once harvested, the beans are fermented. This process determines the flavour profile of the bean. Fermentation methods can vary from farm to farm and can take up to 8 days depending on the climate and the type of cacao bean.

Drying

The cacao beans are then dried under the sun or in sheds depending on the weather and region. Once dried, they are bagged and shipped to our factory.

PART TWO: IN FACTORY

Sorting

Once the cacao beans arrive at Delavoye Chocolate Maker, we hand-sort each batch. We remove any debris or defective beans and inspect them for their quality.

Roasting

Roasting is an art and science. Our beans are carefully roasted at precise temperatures and durations to create the perfect flavour profiles.

Cracking & Winnowing

The beans are then cracked and processed through a winnower. This separates the cacao bean (nibs) from its outer shell (husk) due to differences in weight.

Grinding & Refining

Once separated, the nibs are added to a stone grinder (melanger), along with other ingredients such as cocoa butter and sugar. This is the start of the grinding and refining process. On average, we refine our batches between 2-3 days to create a smooth mouthfeel chocolate.

Conching

Using friction, heat, and airflow, the conching process develops the viscosity, texture, and flavour of our chocolate.

Tempering

Through various stages of heating and cooling, cocoa butter crystals (beta crystals) align, giving the chocolate its perfect snap and shine.

Moulding & Packaging

The tempered chocolate is moulded into bars, rested and hand-wrapped, creating impeccable chocolate bars ready for you to enjoy!