Production Process

Preparing the Cocoa Mass

In the first step of the production process the cocoa beans are processed into intermediate products which are required later on: cocoa mass, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter.

Beans of different origins with different characteristics are mixed and then cleaned and de-dusted.  The beans are roasted to release their aroma and finally sterilized to get rid of any bacteria.  The beans are then broken into shells and kernels after which the shells are removed.  The kernels are grinded which produces the actual cocoa mass.  Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are obtained from the cocoa mass. 

Chocolate Production

In the actual production process the cocoa mass gets mixed with other ingredients and processed to create the actual chocolate.

All the ingredients are mixed and kneaded to create a batter.  That batter is then heated and aerated to obtain the final aroma.  Finally, lecithin and cocoa butter are added to the mass to create the right fluidity and then pumped into storage tanks.

Moulding

In the last step the finished, liquid, chocolate needs to be processed for consumption.  It gets poured into various molds and cooled to create chocolate bars or other chocolate forms.  The  final product is then packed and shipped to the consumer.

Sometimes chocolate is sold and shipped in its liquid form to factories who then make other chocolate products.