Forum Activity for @Sacred Steve

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Sacred Chocolate is a TRUE BEAN TO BAR MAKER in SAN RAFAEL, CA, USA. I know first hand because I built the machines and the whole factory for that matter.Hearts!Sacred StevePS. Scharffenberger Plant recently closed, so you may want to remove them from the list...

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I would say so.Not that I'm defending them or anything, but one of the most important processes of making chocolate next to fermentation, is roasting. If they control the roast and processing of the beans they use, I don't really think it makes much difference whether or not they use someone else's equipment.Economically speaking if I had access to the roasting/cracking/winnowing facility to do all of our beans before we shipped them, I'd most likely do the same thing.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

They do say that they supervise the roast. However, they have claimed that they are a bean-to-bar chocolate maker. Can this be accurate if they use other companies to do a large part of the production. Even if they are "supervising"?

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I've read in other online locations that TCHO in fact DOES supervise the roasts. However don't take my written word here at gospel. It's only a regurgitation of my previous research.Having said that, as a chocolate maker myself, I can completely understand the economics behind their decision to roast and process the liquor in the country of origin. Some of the following reasons are:1. Cheap Cheap Cheap Labour2. Big savings in transportation costs (roasted beans weigh less, and processed liquor is as much as 20-25% less than the roasted beans due to no need to ship the shell.3. Disposal costs for shell are non existent4. Equipment costs are less (no destoning equipment, roasters, winnowers, etc etc)The fact that people have seen boxes from other origins may not mean what it appears. I am currently sitting on 3800lb of cocoa butter from Cargill. It's made and boxed in Brazil and labeled in big red letters as a product of Cargill. I also have Callebaut Cocoa butter in my shop. The boxes are labeled as such too. However beside that I also have over 7,000lb of sacked cocoa beans.Just my two cents for what it's worth.Sometimes things aren't all they appear to be - and that saying goes both ways.Regards

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

So I thought this was an interesting new addition to Tcho and their claims of being a bean to bar chocolatier. I have been hearing rumors about this for the past year and, unfortunately, now it looks like it is official. This is taken directly from their website.We generally roast and convert our cocoa beans to cocoa mass (also called cocoa liquor) at the country of origin then import the cocoa mass to our San Francisco factory, where we continue the process of making our chocolate from scratch. While more difficult for us, roasting at origin has many advantages: its more efficient and it creates more "value add" at origin. And we personally manage each individual roast, with one of our San Francisco obsessives traveling to origin to ensure all of our carefully-researched optimum roast times and temperatures are used.Now it sounds to me like they are saying this is a good thing for their chocolate?! What do you think?So what happens at the other factory is:1) bean sorting and cleaning2) roasting (the most important step in flavor development)3) winnowing4) grinding of cocoa nibs into liquor5) molding liquor into blocksThis means that Tcho:1) Sources beans2) Ships them to someone elses factory.3) grinds sugar4) conches5) Molds barsSince there are a lot of companies who make chocolate from liquor, what do we call them? Sugar grinders?Why has it taken Tcho over a year -- this whole time talking about transparency and saying that they do it all -- to make a public statement such as this?I would love if someone who has actually seen Tcho making chocolate comment on this. Ive heard several people say they have been there but never seen the machines operating and that they have seen boxes of cocoa products from Costa Rica. Will the next thing we find out be that they don't make their own chocolate?I would love for someone to tell me that I have this all wrong. Please give any feed back that you may have.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Brad Churchill here from Choklat ( www.SoChoklat.com ) in Calgary Alberta.We're definitely a bean-to-bar company.Opened in August 2008, and to date have sold over 10,000 hand made bars, and over 35,000 hand dipped/rolled truffles.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

i found a great bean to bar in brooklyn called Mast Brothers.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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Holy Cacao Chocolate is a bean to bar chocolate maker in Israel (sold 49th and 50th bar today). -We're young still!

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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Sacred Chocolate is a bean to bar maker in the USA.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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I'm currently tasting a bar (Ecuador 75%) by Baratti & Milano, an Italian company. It appears that they are fondeurs NOT B2B. Can someone confirm this?
updated by @ChocoFiles: 09/08/15 22:07:35

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Sacred Chocolate is a Bean to Bar Manufacturer of Chocolate Bars located in San Rafael, CA USA. http://www.SacredChocolate.com

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hawaii, KauaiGarden Island Chocolate

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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Here's a new updated list with one more addition: Pacari Chocolate, an Ecuadorian Organic Chocolate: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 & CaribbeanArgentinaFenixColombiaSantanderEcuadorPacari ChocolateVintage PlantationsGrenadaGrenada Chocolate CompanyNicaraguaEl Castillo del CacaoVenezuelaEl ReyHacienda Bukare

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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I posted a couple of links to less expensive options in a forum thread on Winnowers in the Home Brew Chocolate group. Sam Madell posted a picture of the winnower she mentions below in Photos.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

How did you do that? I would love to know. As of now I have to pay almost double for them when I get them from different growers. I'd love to try to make my own.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

That is the least expensive cocoa bean winnower being manufactured in the US or Europe--by far. You can find some used machines for less than that, but they'll need quite a bit of work.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Thanks for the insight. I was just curious as to whether or not he should be added to the list.In his case the reason he uses nibs is that he is a new company and small ans doesn't have the money to buy the winnower yet. Maybe when he gets a little bigger he'll truly become bean to bar.By the way, any idea what a winnower would cost? Do they make small ones. The cheapest I have found is $70,000.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

The reason I asked is that this guy does just what you mentioned of making chocolate from raw unroasted nibs. Sounds pretty crazy but he is sending me some samples for me to try as I am going to be getting him some of the nibs from a few other countries. I can't wait to try it. So, in this case do you think it qualifies as bean to bar?

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Could a company that starts from nibs be considered bean to bar? I know that is not "bean to bar" but what do you think. I know a company that does this.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

As always, thanks for the knowledgeable replies to my LCC question.Now, I'm curious about this one too-- Why is Kraft on this list? What chocolate do they make from bean to bar?

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Lake Champlain is definitely not b-2-b. They are just down the interstate from St Albans VT where Callebaut has a factory. All of the chocolate LCCC uses comes from Callebaut. The clue is to take a look at the origins and percentages.:: Clay

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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99.99% sure that they don't.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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Mark,Here is the American bean-to-bar topic. You'll find Merckens and more there: http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topic/show?id=1978963%3ATopic%3A7700&page=2&commentId=1978963%3AComment%3A7847&x=1#1978963Comment7847

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Is Lake Champlain, in Burlington VT, a bean to bar maker?From their website they seem to be, but I'm not sure.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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Why is Kraft on this list? What chocolate do they make from bean to bar?

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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"I don't see World's Finest Chocolate listed here. "What country are they in?

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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No. Bean-to-bar requires roasting, winnowing, and grinding the cocoa beans.starting from cocoa liquor would be liquor-to-bar.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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Would you consider cocoa liquor to bar "bean to bar"????

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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I can confirm this.

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

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Chocolaterie de L'Opera is not a bean to bar company and should be removed from the list.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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Neuhaus is a Callebaut customer and not a bean to bar company.

Bean to bar chocolate makers

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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

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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.