Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Would you consider cocoa liquor to bar "bean to bar"????
Forum Activity for @Grant S of Grant Candy Co.
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Would you consider cocoa liquor to bar "bean to bar"????
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Cotton Tree Chocolate is made in Belize. It is a bean to bar chocolate made at the Cotton Tree Lodge in the Toledo District of Belize.The initial batch of Cotton Tree Chocolate was made from tree (picked directly off a local farmer's trees and fermented and made at the Cotton Tree Lodge) to bar. Most batches are not fermented on the premises but instead start with freshly fermented and dried beans that are then roasted on the premises.Cotton Tree Chocolate likes to buy the freshest beans possible directly from the farmer.Cotton Tree Lodge arranges a chocolate week at the lodge which allow guests to tour cacao plantations, pick cacao, and participate in all of the steps to make their own chocolate bars. Guests can also tour the Cotton Tree Chocolate factory on the premises.
updated by @Erin: 09/11/15 16:36:40
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Hello. I see you put us on the list of Bean to Bar makers.. Thank you. Yes indeed we make chocolate from the beans we buy directly from cooperatives and individual farmers here in Nicaragua. We roast and peal the cacao, then mill it with sugar ending in very full tasting chocolate bars. The nice thing about being so close to the farmers is that you get very interesting variaties. I have seen at least 25 types of cacao in our area.We have contacts with some bean to bar chocolate makers and export small quantaties of cacao (starting at 200lbs) to the USA and Europe. We also train cacao farmers how to make chocolate using their own cacao with local technology. Lets hope we get some more bean to bar makers in this world..
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I don't think that saying that they know how their cacao is sourced is in conflict with them NOT being bean to bar. There are a lot of companies that outsource stuff that requires huge specialized machinery and large amounts of space. They can still be very involved with the cacao selection process - they just have someone else winnow & roast and possibly go so far as to have someone deliver it as liquor. (Hershey's is no longer bean to bar on all their products.)
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Huh. What about Caffarel? TSOR leaves it ambiguous. They talk about cocoa, not cacao, though that could be translation issues, but at the same time their site also says "In the main building - a hallowed hall of fine chocolate making - the processes that are performed include roasting, mixing, refinement and conching"
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
For what it is worth, I saw a video online about ESC that included a trip through their plant and there wasn't one single shot of cacao, roasting, winnowing, grinding or conching--only molding and packaging. It isn't final proof, but it might add to one's skepticism:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bZsaAqu4CA They say in the video that you can tour the factory, so if you are in or near Indianapolis, IN, that would be a possibility.Also, feel free to email the company. If they are bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers, and you ask some direct questions, they should certainly be able to answer them without any hesitation or oddly worded responses that just add to the confusion.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Here are two statements that I've gleaned about ESC:From the inside of the wrapper, "We only buy cacao grown in the natural shade of rich, diverse forests."From the blog and FAQs on their website , "Endangered Species Chocolate sources our cacao for our all-natural milk and dark chocolate bars from small, family-owned farms in Nigeria"These statements lead one to believe that they are a bean-to-bar company, but I'm still not sure. They could also be nuanced so that they merely give that impression.What do you think?
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Is Endangered Species a bean-to-bar company or a fondeur?
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Last I heard, Dagoba buys their beans pre-roasted (but this was pre-hershey). This is why Theo is very careful with their wording as the "only roaster of organic cocoa beans in the US."So while they work from the bean, it's not the raw bean.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Is Dagoba a bean-to-bar company?On the Trader Joe's 72% thread Andrea said of the TJ 72%, "Don't think it's Barry Callebaut organic. (Which is the Dagoba bar.)"I'm reviewing a Dagoba bar at the moment, so I'd like to know if Dagoba is a fondeur who uses Callebaut organic? Or are they bean-to-bar since they used to sell couverture? I always like to know where the chocolate comes from.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Chocolaterie de L'Opera is not a bean to bar company and should be removed from the list.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Neuhaus is a Callebaut customer and not a bean to bar company.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Is Neuhaus from Belgium bean to bar? It seems like they would be, but I'm not sure how to tell or how even how to find out.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Chocolove does not manufacture the chocolate from beans, they are a fondeur, or melter. While originally everything was manufactured by a co-packer, in late 2003 they opened their own bar production facility.According to information on this page , Chocolat Frey is a bean-to-bar company. They also claim to be "... the only major chocolate brand produced entirely in Switzerland." Astoundingly, they make over 350 flavors of bars. Dolfin was founded by the Poncelet brothers who are related to the family that started Belcolade if I remember correctly. If you read their web site closely, there is no mention of bean-to-bar -- which there certainly would be if they were practicing it. They talk about the art of blending, not the art of making chocolate. Interesting news is that they were recently recognized as Belgium's first CO2-neutral chocolate company.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
What about Chocolove (Boulder, CO, USA), Frey (Switzerland), and Dolfin (Belgium)-- are they bean to bar?
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
All:I have created a simple database that will enable us to track these companies more easily. It is located here .PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY MORE COMPANY NAMES HERE. Please add them in the database. If you have added a company to this list, please consider making an entry in the database for it.Thanks in advance,:: Clay
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Updated list, minus the U.S. makers:(minus the hyperlinks too)AfricaMalagasy (Madagascar)Claudio Corallo (So Tom)AustraliaHaigh's ChocolatesTavaEuropeAustriaZotterBelgiumBarry CallebautPierre MarcoliniDenmarkCarlettiTomsFranceBernachonBonnatChocolaterie de L'OperaMichel CluizelPralusValrhonaWeissGermanyCoppeneurEuromarHachezHerzaLudwigLudwig WeinrichStorckItalyAmedeiAntica Dolceria BonajutoCioccolato PeyranoDeBondtDomoriDon PuglisiFerreroICAMMajaniVenchiSpainChocovicNatraSwedenMalm ChokladfabrikSwizerlandConfiserie BernerFelchlinUnited KingdomCadbury-SchweppesSir Hans Sloane of LondonNorth AmericaCanadaSoma ChocolatemakerUnited States(On other thread)South America & CaribbeanArgentinaFenixColombiaSantanderEcuadorVintage PlantationsGrenadaGrenada Chocolate CompanyNicaraguaEl Castillo del CacaoVenezuelaEl ReyHacienda Bukare
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
To the Italian list add Venchi, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, and Don Puglisi. To the German list add Coppeneur.I am fairly certain that the chocolate Dolfin uses is sourced from Belcolade.Also, although Vintage Plantations is headquartered here in New Jersey, manufacturing is all done in Ecuador.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Casey,Thank you very much for this thorough and excellent list!How about Dolfin from Belgium? Are they bean to bar? If they're not, then does anyone know where they get their chocolate from? I've been sampling a lot of Dolfin's flavors recently, so It would help to know.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
There is a similar discussion on American bean-to-bar companies here .Any questions or updates about the American companies on this list should be directed to that forum thread .Information, comments, and thoughts about non-US companies (including Mexico and Canada) should go here.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Casey:Thanks for posting this and pointing me to that discussion. It's quite interesting and nuanced, even discussing whether or not a company that starts from liquor (as opposed to roasting their own beans should be included).
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Here is a list of bean to bar makers. It is not a list of ethical companies or artisan chocolate makers. It simply means that these companies all make their chocolate all the way from raw cacao beans to the molded bar. This list is the result of an ongoing project conducted at 70%, where members maintain a discussion and make attempts to verify that each company on this list actually makes chocolate from raw beans. The reason for verification is that sometimes companies wish to sound hip and trendy and so they claim to be bean bar. The idea is to have some type of definitive list going of who actually makes chocolate from the bean for RETAIL (not solely commercial, industrial, sale).
Africa
Madecasse (Madagascar)
Claudio Corallo (So Tom)
Divine Chocolate
Australia
Haigh's Chocolates
Tava (factory is currently not operational)
Zokoko
Europe
Austria
Zotter
Belgium
Barry Callebaut
Pierre Marcolini
Denmark
Carletti
TOMS Gruppen
France
Bernachon
Bonnat
Michel Cluizel
Pralus
Valrhona
Weiss
Germany
Euromar
Hachez
Herza
Ludwig
Ludwig Weinrich
Storck
Italy
Amedei
Casa Don Puglisi
Cioccolato Peyrano
DeBondt
Domori
Ferrero
ICAM
Majani
Spain
Chocovic (now owned by Barry Callebaut)
Natra
Sweden
Malm Chokladfabrik
Swizerland
Confiserie Berner
Felchlin
United Kingdom
Cadbury-Schweppes
Red Star
Sir Hans Sloane
Willie's Cacao
North America
Canada
Soma Chocolatemaker
United States
Amano
Askinosie
Black Mountain Chocolate
Cacao Atlanta
Cacao Prieto
DeVries
Escazu
Jacques Torres (no longer in production)
Kraft
Lindt (not a US company)
Mars
Mast Brothers
Mindo Chocolate Maker
Nestle (technically not a US company)
Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory
Patric Chocolate
Rogue Chocolatier
Scharffen Berger
Latin America/ Caribbean
AMMA (Brazil)
Chocolates Condor (Bolivia)
Chocolates Para Ti (Bolivia)
Cooperativa Naranjillo (Peru)
Cotton Tree Chocolate (Belize)
Danta Chocolate (Guatemala)
El Castillo del Cacao (Nicaragua)
El Ceibo (Bolivia)
El Rey (Venezuela)
Fenix (Argentina)
Grenada Chocolate Company (Grenada)
Hacienda Bukare (Venezuela)
Kallari (Ecuador)
Momotombo Chocolate Factory (Nicaragua)
Pacari (Ecuador)
Rain Republic Chocolate (Guatemala)
Santander (Colombia)
updated by @Casey: 04/09/15 09:57:06
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Most welcome. I would like to add that Kee's Chocolates in Soho is a special favorite of mine and even though there are no chairs or tables where one can sit, there is ample room to stand and enjoy several chocolates. So do keep that in mind and if you do go there, be sure to taste the pitachio truffle (a favorite), the creme brulee truffle (a cult fave), the key lime and passion fruit truffle.
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Pierre Marcolini on 57th & Park Avenue where there are exquisite chocolates to sample.Richart on 55th between Madison & 5th Avenues.Neuhaas in Grand Central on the upper level as you enter from the side of Vanderbilt Avenue.La Maison du Chocolate which Clay mentioned has a second branch at Rockefeller Center and also has their signature ice creams and their chocolates and chocolate related patisseries flown in from Paris.Enjoy!
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
The forum post Chocoflyer refers to is this one .
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
BTW Max Brenners is truly a cafe with a sit down menu a la chocolate- its quite large and painted kinda like a choc factory- really fun!
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
In addition to Clays list, I recommend Max Brenner's Chocolate cafe for a really fun, unique experience. Also please see my Top Ten list of Choc in NYC!! its a Forum....
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Thank you so much for your reply Clay! I knew I was only recalling a few, but I didn't realize what a tiny tip of the iceberg it was! Wow!I was thinking Michel Cluizel's place would be a good place to start since I know his chocolate so well. Are there any among these that you would specifically recommend (maybe instead)?
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Jacques Torres in NoTri (north of TriBeCa - corner of King and Hudson) and on the UWS (73/Amsterdam) has coffee and chocolate beverages and you can sit at the bar or at tables or couches.Not all that far from the NoTri JT is The Chocolate Bar in the West Village.Charbonnel et Walker the UK chocolate company has a lounge in Saks on 5th across from Rock Center.La Maison du Chocolat - both in Rock Center as well as on the UES on Madison Ave.Way downtown in the Wall Street area is Christopher Norman. A couple of table tops and a counter. My favorite there is their champagne, white chocolate, and goat cheese truffle dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with roasted herbs.On the UWS not sure if the Scharffen Berger boutique is still open, but it's at 83/Amsterdam.Out in Brooklyn you could try The Chocolate Room (5th/Warren/Prospect - thechocolateroombrooklyn.com).
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Can anyone recommend a chocolate cafe in New York City? I have a friend coming to visit who's a chocophile as well and I'd like a place that's good to sit and talk for a bit. I'd also like to be able to sample chocolate squares and/or bonbons as opposed to drinking chocolate or chocolate desserts.The only ones I can think of at the moment are Vosges Haut Chocolate in SoHo, Michel Cluizel cafe in ABC Carpets and MarieBelle on Broome St.Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
updated by @Sera: 04/09/15 14:34:41
Importing Flickr albums
Posted in: Opinion
It turns out that it was really, really easy to set up, so I did it. When you go to the photo upload page you'll see the links. Simply follow the instructions. Note: you must have a Flickr account to do this.Flickrlicious is right! Nearly 500,000 photos tagged with chocolate, nearly 8,000 with cacao, and over 44,000 with cocoa.
Importing Flickr albums
Posted in: Opinion
A new member posted a link to an album of photos on Flickr.The software I use for this network does have the ability to enable people to import Flickr albums. I haven't done this because I don't use Flickr. But, if enough people want me to, I will.What do you think? Should I set up Flickr importing?
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/19/15 13:08:53
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
New Mexico Lottery Serves Up Chocolate-Themed Game Net Revenues Support Legislative Lottery Scholarships New Mexico Lottery March 19, 2008ALBUQUERQUE The New Mexico Lotterys latest Scratcher game looks good enough to eat.The $10,000 Hersheys Milk Chocolate* Scratcher is inspired by the candy manufacturer that produced the first affordable milk chocolate candy bar more than a century ago. The games ticket is a replica of Hersheys well-recognized chocolate-brown and silver-foil candy wrapper. In the play area, 10 potential winning numbers are concealed under images of Hersheys milk chocolate candy bars. Available now, the $2 game features top prizes of $10,000.Until Milton Hershey perfected his milk chocolate recipe in 1900, chocolate was a luxury item. Hershey sold his chocolate bars for 5 cents apiece - a price that didnt change for 69 years. Today, Hershey sells 4.5 billion candy bars each year.$344 Million Raised for College EducationThe sale of lottery games benefits an in-state college tuition program. Since 1996, the lottery has raised more than $344 million for education and more than 48,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. Information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships and student eligibility is available at www.nmlottery.com .
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Thieves Steal Truck With 20 Tons Of Chocolate AHN - All Headline News March 26, 2008Isabelle DuermeMichigan City, IN (AHN) - Authorities in Indiana reported that a semi-trailer loaded with more than 20 tons of Hershey's chocolate had suddenly disappeared.The vehicle disappeared 24 hours after driver Daryl Rey parked it at the Gas City truck stop, after picking up the haul near St. Louis. He discovered that the 53-foot trailer, and all the chocolate, were gone when he returned the next morning.A satellite device used to locate the truck had also been removed from the vehicle, and thrown into a pond, hinting that professionals had been involved in the theft."There's so many dishonest people in the world," commented Rey, 53. "It never used to be like this."Officials from the LaPorte County Police Chief of Detectives were on the case, and officer John Boyd was puzzled as to what the thieves were thinking of doing with all the chocolate, which amounted to 41,000 pounds."I don't have any idea," Boyd said, as quoted by the Post-Tribune.According to the UPI, police surmised that the thieves stole the vehicle not knowing what was actually loaded on it, as the trailer did not bear the name of the chocolate, but the name of the trucking company, Buske Lines.There was speculation of the thieves planning to sell the vehicle to be sold for scrap, or used for personal means.Patricia, Rey's wife, said that while her husband was not hurt, he was utterly depressed."He's really bummed out," she said.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Terrorism act stamps out chocolate factory tours National ROD MICKLEBURGHMarch 25, 2008VANCOUVER -- Except for crabby parents worried about their kids' dental bills, what could possibly come between children and chocolate?Step forward the U.S. Bioterrorism Act of 2002.Thanks to stringent food safety regulations imposed by the Act after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, "choc and awe" public visits to the famous factory operated by Rogers' Chocolates are no more.The Act applies to Rogers because the venerable company, by now a Canadian institution with its century-old store in downtown Victoria an official National Heritage Site, has a thriving mail-order business shipping individual orders of big fat chocolates to salivating customers in the United States.Print Edition - Section FrontSection S Front Enlarge ImageMore National Stories* Businesses applaud proposed immigration law* Ontario's Chief Coroner wants to restructure its operation* Powering down* Defence lawyer probes 'play hard' military culture* Ford called police night before arrest* As Emerson weighs options, Tories contemplate hefty loss* Go to the National sectionThe Globe and MailCompanies that export food to the United States are required to ensure there is no risk that anyone can tamper with their products, and who knows what a 10-year-old high on sugar might do."Our factory had school buses full of kids pulling up all the time. Sometimes seniors, too," Rogers' president Steve Parkhill said yesterday."They'd all been going through without the appropriate level of security. We found it just too onerous to take the measures we would have needed in order to comply with the regulations. So we stopped. It is sad, I grant you."The company's decision ended years of magical mystery tours that had entranced Vancouver Island kids with the up-close view of melting, dripping and pouring of chocolate, not to mention the sweet aroma and fresh samples at the end.Even though the tours were ended more than a year ago, e-mails asking for group tours of Rogers' factory keep coming in."They are very disappointed when we tell them 'no'. Most people seem to enjoy coming through a chocolate factory," said Mr. Parkhill, in a mild understatement.Late yesterday, however, an official with the U.S. Food and Drug administration said that Rogers' may have raised the security chocolate bar too high.Many of the food protection measures in the Bioterrorism Act are guidelines only. They are not strict regulations, spokesman Alan Bennett said."We issue guidelines and it's up to the companies to decide how to apply them. It's their decision, not ours," Mr. Bennett insisted. "I would encourage them to take another look."But the risky factory tours aren't the only fallout to hit Rogers' from bioterrorism fears south of the border.Just a few weeks ago, an FDA inspector halted a box of wrapped Rogers' chocolates at the U.S. border because the ingredients were not printed on the box.Mr. Parkhill said complying with that condition is tough for Rogers', since most U.S. orders are customized, with buyers asking for four chocolates of one sort, three of another, and so on."Tourists come into our Victoria store, have a 'wow' chocolate experience, then want to order some shipped home," he said."When you get an assortment like that, you can't list all the ingredients on the outside. So we suddenly got some grief at the border."This time, however, the suspicious chocolates lived happily ever after, as officials on both sides of the border eventually decided they posed no threat to security and were allowed to pass safely into the mouths of Americans.Rogers' is a company like no other. More than a hundred years after its founding by Charles "Candy" Rogers in 1885, chocolates continue to be individually wrapped by human beings, rather than machines. And the best-selling product remains the age-old Victoria cream.Local residents feel part of the Rogers' family. Obituaries often note that the deceased once worked for the company, and business developments are front-page news in the city.When Rogers' recently tried to launch renovations aimed at expanding its old-style heritage store on Government Street, an enormous outcry erupted. The plan is on hold.The chocolates are not cheap. They sell at upscale retail outlets across Canada, besides the half dozen or so individual stores Rogers' has in tony areas of Vancouver and Victoria."We make our large cream chocolate big enough to be cut into four, but no one seems to want to share them," Mr. Parkhill said. "Our chocolates have a time-tested flavour, from high-quality cocoa, and we have a consistent history of our brand meeting expectations."Except, perhaps, south of the border.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
The 20 best chocolate Easter eggs (in the UK) Dateline: London Whether you are scouring the aisles for sugary, shiny treats for your kids or browsing the local deli for an organic, 70 per cent cocoa indulgence for yourself there has never been more choice for chocolate lovers at Easter.In all price ranges and across all tastes it is now possible to buy good quality chocolate eggs with a high cocoa content. Even better, garish packaging is being replaced by the likes of hand-painted wooden eggs, and pleasingly kitsch boxes with more than a nod to Victoriana. Of course, the sugar highs of the trashier end of the Easter egg market traditionally beloved of the Brits are still readily available (and this list includes a few of the yummiest) but in the post-Green & Blacks era, it is just as easy to find the dark, organic, fairtrade and handmade kind. So, here are 20 of the best arranged in price order and now it's over to you for the hard bit - choosing.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Gourmet demand revives Central America cocoa farms Mar 9 - Dateline: Panama Indigenous people grew cocoa here more than 2,000 years ago. Now, their descendants are reviving the crop to meet world demand for high-quality chocolate. Throughout Central America, farmers are planting cocoa, taking advantage of high world cocoa prices and the premium their cocoa commands.In the 1990s [many farmers in Panama] abandoned the crop when the trees were hit by fungus and world prices were low. Now gourmet chocolate companies are turning to growers in Central America to supply cocoa that can be labeled organic and "fair trade," under which companies pledge to pay third-world farmers more for their crops.A cocoa expert at the Costa Rica-based tropical research center CATIE stimates Central America's cocoa output rose 40 percent over the last three years to between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes in the 2006/2007 harvest. Planted area reached 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres), and another 2,000 hectares are expected to be planted this year."Cocoa is one of the few cash crop alternatives in poor, indigenous areas," the researcher said.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Top Ten Scientific Reasons why Chocolate is the Worlds Most Perfect Food Feb 14 - Dateline: The Internet A humorous take on this important topic. 'nuff said.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
DeVries Chocolate #7 on Saveur magazine's annual top 100 list The 2008 SAVEUR 100 Our tenth annual 100 list offers a vivid snapshot of the widevery, very wideworld of food, zipping from the Ramadan markets of Kuala Lumpur to the kitchens of Montreal's vanguard chefs and a rustic Galician tavern that serves some of the finest octopus we've ever tasted. And yet, this year's 100 is also about celebrating the fresh and wild bountyedible weeds, anyone?found right in our own backyards. So, join us. The feast is about to begin. The Editors