WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF CHOCOLATE PRODUCTION?
Chocolate, that sweet treat that can be pleasant, sugary, powerful, or bitter, brings joy to many gourmands. But do you know how chocolate is made? To create our little chocolate treats, chocolate goes through many production stages, from harvesting the cocoa pods to molding and enrobing the chocolates. Embark on a journey around the world to discover the secrets of chocolate making!
The stages of chocolate production
At Fauchon, master chocolatier, our gourmet sweets are made from cocoa beans found inside the pods, the fruit of the cocoa tree. This tree grows in various equatorial regions of America, Indonesia, and Africa.
From harvesting to processing cocoa beans
The cocoa tree is an astonishing tree. It can only grow in a few specific regions of the world to provide us with its fruits. Even then, after planting, it takes three years before the first fruits appear. Furthermore, of all the flowers that cover the cocoa tree, only 1% will produce a pod.
Working with cocoa beans: harvesting and shelling
As you can see, the first stage of chocolate production is harvesting the cocoa pods. This is a very delicate stage that requires great precision from the producer. They must cut the peduncle connecting the pod to the tree without damaging the floral cushion, allowing for future harvests.
Three days later, the producer opens the pods with a knife to extract the precious cocoa beans from the pod before sending them for fermentation. This is called shelling. The pods contain an average of forty beans that are just waiting to develop their aroma before being transformed into gourmet and delicious chocolate pieces.
Developing cocoa aroma: fermentation, drying, and roasting
Fermentation allows the beans to be preserved more easily before their long journey in chocolate production. They stop germinating and are stored for a week in wooden baskets that must be stirred every 24 hours. This step later helps to develop the chocolate's aromas and reduce its bitterness, to the delight of young and old alike.
Then comes an essential step: drying. The goal is to stop fermentation by drying the precious beans for 1 to 4 weeks. Once thoroughly cleaned and dried, they are sent to the factory to be transformed into paste and then liquor.
It is only during roasting that the taste of chocolate is truly revealed. Here, the cocoa beans are cleaned and heated for 20 to 30 minutes between 120°C and 160°C.
The beans are finally ready! Now they just need to be ground to obtain a beautiful cocoa paste, also called cocoa mass, which will later yield cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
From cocoa liquor to conching for finesse and smoothness
The finesse of Fauchon artisanal chocolates depends entirely on these essential first steps that guarantee a unique and wonderfully gourmet taste and aroma to the chocolate.
Mixing
The cocoa liquor is mixed with different ingredients to obtain our famous and delicious chocolates that we know. For example, to obtain a dark chocolate with a powerful aroma, cocoa paste, cocoa butter, and sugar are mixed, while for a sweet and smooth white chocolate, cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder are mixed. The paste is kneaded with the other ingredients until it becomes homogeneous.
Conching
To achieve perfect homogeneity and create our chocolate confections, the paste goes through conching, where it will be constantly and vigorously agitated to acquire finesse and smoothness.
From tempering to enrobing for an infinite array of flavors
During the production of our artisanal chocolates, Fauchon and its partners use all their know-how and expertise to prepare unique, gourmet, and refined chocolate pieces.
Tempering
Tempering is a stage in chocolate production that requires extreme precision. The chocolate is brought to a precise temperature to crystallize the cocoa butter. It is this step that gives the chocolate its shiny, melting, and brittle quality.
Molding and enrobing
Finally, the chocolate is molded and enrobed before being refrigerated. It can then be unmolded into delicious chocolate pieces and enjoyed.
Fauchon chocolate expertise, the best to enjoy on all occasions
Thanks to this vast and meticulous chocolate production process, Fauchon offers chocolate wonders to be savored every day, to the delight of young and old alike, with an infinite array of flavors, scents, and aromas.
Making chocolate is not just about producing chocolate pieces. This gourmet commodity comes in a multitude of recipes that we continue to innovate with our Executive Chef to constantly invent new textures, flavors, creations, and new sensory experiences.
Artisanal Piedmont hazelnut praline spread, dark chocolate truffles, or even marshmallow and milk chocolate bears for the most indulgent, nothing is too good or too beautiful for chocolate lovers, even the most demanding!
