STEP 1
Sourcing and Sorting
The process of making great chocolate starts by finding great beans (or seeds, to be technical). For us, that means sourcing beans from organic farms where the cacao has been harvested, fermented, and dried. Once we receive them, they are hand-sorted and classified so the bad ones don’t make it any further.
STEP 2
Roasting
Just like roasting coffee beans, this is the most important step in developing the flavor of what becomes delicious chocolate. Each origin goes through multiple roasting tests where we dial in the profile that best highlights the unique flavors of that region’s beans while delivering a pleasing overall taste. Invariably there are differences batch to batch, and that’s where the art of engaging the senses — especially smell and hearing — becomes important for getting the best results.
STEP 3
Cracking & Winnowing
After roasting, the beans go through a machine that cracks them open, finally freeing the roasted cacao nib inside the shell. But at this stage the shells and nibs are mixed together, and making chocolate out of both would result in strange, off-putting flavors. To solve that, we run the mixture through our home-built winnower, which separates the shell from the nib.
STEP 4
Grinding & Conching
Now that we have the cacao nibs, we’re finally ready to start turning them into something that resembles chocolate. The nibs are generally 50% cocoa solids / 50% cocoa butter, so with heat and friction, crushing them between stones releases a semi-viscous liquid we call chocolate liquor. Conching helps develop flavor further and improves the consistency of the chocolate. This whole step takes about 72 hours to transform the nibs into a smooth, delightful liquor. It’s also where we add additional ingredients such as sugar.
STEP 5
Tempering & Moulding
Tempering changes chocolate from something soft that melts instantly in your hands to something with a nice snap when you break it—giving you a chance to enjoy it before it makes a mess all over your fingers. Once we achieve a good temper, the chocolate is poured into moulds and cooled to set the desired crystalline formation. And yes, we use the British spelling for “mould,” since the other option just feels wrong next to our chocolate.
STEP 6
Packaging
After all this work, we want to make sure everybody enjoying the chocolate has the best experience possible and that the chocolate has been preserved well, reducing the possibility of food waste. After all, imagine these beans traveling thousands of miles and then not reaching your mouth because a package split open. Today, we ship all orders in completely recyclable outer packaging (even the tape!) and are currently working on ways of moving to compostable bar packaging as we grow in influencing our suppliers, further strengthening our commitment to caring well for the earth we’ve been given.
STEP 7
Eat & Enjoy
What’s the point of going to all these steps if we don’t share in the delight of great food? We hope our chocolate brings you real enjoyment and becomes something you love sharing with others.