Our chocolate process starts by hand-sorting the cocoa beans. They are then lightly roasted before we crack the shells to release the cocoa nibs (a process called cracking and winnowing). The nibs are then ground between a pair of stone wheels for 48 hours (a process called melanging and conching). Doing this for 48 hours would not be economic for industrially-produced chocolate, but has a profound effect on the flavour – driving out the bitterness often found in dark chocolate, and revealing the subtle fruity flavours unique to each region. To finish our exquisite chocolate, it’s put in a tempering machine to give it the shine and ‘snap’ before being moulded in our moulds.
Our beans are carefully sourced, tried and tasted from a company called Silva Cacao in Belgium. They source and promote premium cocoa growing in sustainable agroforestry systems. They also take pride in their farmers, really caring for the communities our beans are sourced from as well as the planet. All our cocoa beans are carefully chosen and are a single origin, with the vast majority coming from organic sources.
Our chocolate just has cocoa nibs, cocoa butter and sugar. For our milk chocolate, we also add British milk powder, but that’s it. We use only the finest varieties of cocoa beans – which are exceptionally aromatic and lack bitterness. Come and taste the subtle differences between beans from a variety of different countries, each exciting your taste buds in different ways, and really appreciate what our chocolate has to offer you.