4. The origin of chocolate

5. The cocoa tree “Theobroma Cacao”
Only grows in the warm
and humid equatorial belt,
within 10°N and 10°S
of the equator.

6. Thousands of male and female flowers adorn the trees.
The cocoa tree flowers in two cycles of 6 months the whole year round.
No more than 40 will eventually develop into cocoa pods.

7. After 6 months the cocoa pods are fully-grown,
and have changed colour from green to yellow-orange.
With great care, not damaging the branches,
the pods are harvested by hand.

8. The cocoa pods ripen for a few days after the harvest.
The outer peel is opened using long knives
and a very precise cutting movement, without touching the beans.

9. After fermentation they are
The beans are then
left to ferment for
five to seven days.
After fermentation they are
spread out, and left to dry in the sun for about six days.

10. The beans are weighed and packed into bales
of kg and shipped off around the world.

11. How chocolate is made

12. Cocoa beans from different sources are mixed according to the recipes.
The blend of cocoa beans from the different regions will always determine the characteristic flavour of each chocolate.

13. The cocoa beans are first cleaned of any stones,
dirt and sand and quickly dried under heaters.
This makes it easier to break the beans and remove the shell.
Only the pieces of kernel or “nibs” remain.

14. The cocoa liquor is now ready for use as an ingredient of chocolate.
The cocoa nibs are roasted, which develops their characteristic aromas. 
The nibs are firstly ground coarsely, then to a super fine cocoa liquor.
The cocoa liquor is now ready for use as an ingredient of chocolate.

15. Cocoa liquor can be processed further.
It is made up of two different components,
cocoa butter and cocoa powder,
both are essential for several different applications. 

16. Dark chocolate is made of:
cocoa liquor
cocoa butter
sugar
Milk chocolate is made of:
cocoa liquor
cocoa butter
sugar
milk powder
White chocolate is made of:
cocoa butter
sugar
milk powder

17. This mixture is then pressed between rollers
to form a fine powder.
These ingredients are mixed together and then blended into a chocolate dough.

18. This chocolate powder is kneaded for hours
in the conches.
At the end of the conching process, cocoa butter and soya lecithin are added to make the chocolate liquid.

19. The liquid chocolate can be transformed into blocks or transported as liquid.