OUR CRAFT

Bean-to-bar Chocolate

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Taste the difference of chocolate made from scratch, directly from cacao beans, no gimmicks, no fillers, your mouth will thank you!

 

It starts at the cacao farm, selecting the finest cacao for the most exquisite fine flavours!

1. Cacao Harvest: Twice a year, the cacao is harvested. All fruits are hand picked because the cacao grows in a forest where mechanical harvesting is not possible.

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2. Ferment the cacao beans: Farmers open the pods to collect the beans, then immediately pour them into fermentation boxes where the beans remain for a few days, developing delicious chocolate flavours!

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3. Dry the beans. The beans sun-dried, raked onto terraces and drying beds for 2 to 3 weeks.

 

From there, they are transferred into jute bags, then loaded onto cargo ships where they make their way to our chocolate lab at Medford Beach for processing.

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4. Hand sort the beans to remove defective beans, twigs, leaves and other foreign material.

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5. Slow roast the beans at low temperatures to further develop the chocolate flavours, also ensuring any harmful pathogens such as salmonella is destroyed.

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6. Crack the beans, then winnow them to remove husks.

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7. Grind the resulting cacao nibs takes days. Using stone grinders, the nibs are transformed into chocolate liquor as the friction generates enough heat to melt the cacao butter locked into the nibs.

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8. Day two of grinding continuously, this is when we add sugar, extra cocoa butter, no vegetable oil substitutions here, no long list of ingredients or preservatives.

 

9. Conch (churn) the chocolate to reduce acidity, incorporate sugar and cocoa butter for smooth consistency. This happens on the third day. We know when the chocolate is ready by mouth-feel, tasting the silkiness and creaminess.

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10. Chocolate is aged for one month where it becomes even more decadent, absolutely amazing flavours become more defined.

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11. Temper the chocolate to develop the right crystals, ensuring great texture, shine and snap.

 

This is where the chocolate maker's job typically ends.

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12. Chocolatiers and chocolate makers then pour the tempered chocolate into molds to create bars and used to create other confections, such as chocolates, truffles and bonbons.

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Did you know chocolatiers do not make their own chocolate?

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Only a handful of Canadians make chocolate bean to bar. Petite Patrie actually makes chocolate, it takes over a week to make a small batch of chocolate from the cacao beans.

 

How can you tell the difference?

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Ask those who sell chocolate where they get their cacao beans from, as 98% of all chocolate you consumed is made by large corporations such as Barry Callebaut.

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Why we make our own chocolate?

Because we wanted to ensure our chocolate was made in harmony with the well-being of the cacao farmers, their land and their families.

Our cacao is direct traded through MABCO, a fabulous Canadian importer who ensures our cacao is child labour free.

This is so important to us as millions of children as young as 6 years old work on farms, because the farmers can't afford to hire as the price for cacao is kept ridiculously low.

 

Fairtrade is the solution for child labour free chocolate.

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