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Bean-to-Bar

 

Bean-to-Bar Process

 

For us, Bean-to-Bar means to have control over the whole process, and to reduce sugar wherever possible. That is easy when working with fine cacao, which is expensive, especially when fair or directly traded. But that was essential to us: no children should work on the plantations and the farmers should be remunerated fairly for the great job they are doing. We wanted a sustainable relationship with the plantations.

We are using organic cacao beans, organic beet sugar, organic cacao butter, and organic milk powder from the Belgian Ardennes. And no nonsense like vanillin, palm oil, or soy lecithin. Typical ingredients used by the industry to mask bad beans, cut costs or speed up the process. We also aim to be a transparent company: we invite our customers to take a look at our machines, watch us at work. We share our philosophy and concept with anybody who asks.

 

1-4-min

 

SOURCING

STEP 1: ORIGIN! ORIGIN! ORIGIN!

Not the place where the cacao is transformed to chocolate (hence, Belgium). We work with fine cacao from various plantations all over the world, and they all do a great job to turn this gift by nature into our main ingredient.

Our partner plantations are child-labor-free, eco-responsible, organic and are properly remunerating their workers for their excellent work and cacao. How it should be.

 

 

ROASTING

STEP 2: ROASTING PROCESS

Roasting cacao liberates the fine aromas and is filling the air with joy.

After cleaning and sorting of the beans, we roast them in our new cacao roaster. Like with coffee, roasting gives a nice toasted flavor, extracts remaining humidity in the beans, and kills potential bacteria. On average we process 35kg per session, at 120 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes.

 

2-1-min
3-1-min

 

WINNOWING

STEP 3: WINNOWING PROCESS

The Winnower helps us cracking the freshly roasted beans, and separating the inside of the beans, the nibs, from the husk.

Only the nibs are needed for making chocolate; the husk are used to make cold cacao brew or to enhance teas.

 

 

GRINDING

STEP 4: GRINDING PROCESS

The nibs are put in a stone grinder. The friction of the wheels on the granite bottom creates heat and liquifies the nibs to a paste. This is when ‘cacao’ becomes ‘chocolate’. We add organic beet sugar, extra cacao butter, and milk powder.

The grinding takes up to 48 hours. In order to get rid of remaining acidity, we are adding up to 24 hours conching process, where we release the pressure of the wheels and let additional air go through the chocolate paste.

 

4-2-min
5-2-min

 

TEMPERING

STEP 5: TEMPERING PROCESS

The chocolate paste needs to have a very specific temperature when it’s poured into the molds, between 29 and 32 degrees. It’s all about the crystallization that makes the chocolate shiny and snappy.

This is the job of our tempering machine. The filled forms are then cooled down for 20 minutes in a fridge and can finally be demold.

 

 

PACKAGING

STEP 6: PACKAGING

Finally, we package the chocolate bars in biodegradable plastic pouches, and place them in our carton wrappers. The CO2 from the production of the wrappers is off-set with a hydro-power project in Congo. The ink used on the cartons are mineral oil-free and food-safe.

We are committed to continuing our mission of implementing methods to become even more sustainable….

 

6-2-min