from cacao to chocolate

Cacao pods are cut and the beans are removed from the pods, all by hand. After being picked they are fermented for about five days and then dried in the sun for another five. Once dried, they are sent to processing plants where they are roasted at between 100 to 200 degrees centigrade. The roasting increases the beans' flavor.

After they're roasted they are shelled and the nib (body) is milled by machinery. The remaining ingredient, after milling, is referred to as the “liquor” or “mass.”

In 1828 a Dutchman named Van Houten designed a way to separate the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter. This invention, referred to as “pressing,” made it possible to form the chocolate into cakes that could be ground into “cocoa.” The cocoa could be combined with the cocoa butter, sugar, nuts, and fruits into a solid form.