ABOUT THE CHOCOLATERY

A chocolatery (or 'chocolaterie') derives from the French term for a factory or shop where artisan chocolates are manufactured. We felt like it was the perfect term to capture what we do. Our chocolatery is a 2,000 square foot space located in Petoskey, Michigan, where we meticulously craft small batches of chocolate from bean to bar. Our chocolate is made using just two ingredients: cacao and organic cane sugar, which allows for the full expression of flavor within the cacao itself. From here, we might go on to add small amounts of inclusions (such as fruits, spices, nuts or teas) that harmonize with and compliment the chocolate, or we might use it to craft confections such as chocolate covered cherries or bon bons or chocolate inspired bakes. You can find our full collection of chocolate bars here.

ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE

1. JUST TWO INGREDIENTS

By adding only organic cane sugar to our cacao, we ensure the true-to-bean flavors can shine through, uninhibited by added emulsifiers and unnecessary flavorings.

2. SUSTAINABLE SOURCING

We source our cacao from the very best producers. Transparency is important to us, and we can proudly tell you what farm each of our beans came from and ensure that they were grown to the highest standards of economic and environmental sustainability.

3. REAL FLAVORS

Every flavor captured within our bars comes from real, whole-foods ingredients like spices, teas or fruits; no extracts or artificial flavors allowed.

OUR PROCESS

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STEP 1

Weighing and Hand Sorting

We pick through the beans by hand, removing any undesirables (over/under fermented, combined or mutated) that maybe affect the overall batch quality. 

STEP 2

Roasting

We use double turbofan convection ovens with perforated sheets trays to give our cacao a slow & low subtle maillard reaction to keep our chocolate as true-to-bean as possible.

STEP 3

Cracking and Winnowing

To separate the cacao nibs from the husk we using the Aether Winnower from Chocolate Alchemy with a Champion Juicer for cracking all hooked up to a 2 hp dust collector. 

STEP 4

Refining and Conching

Twin Diamond 45 kg Melangers grind our cacao and organic sugar for 4 days, slowly reducing the particle sizes in the cocoa liquor for a true artisan texture while mellowing volatile organic compounds through its gentle process.

STEP 5

Vibrating Filtration

It wouldn't be artisan without the need to filter out some solids that made it through the refining process, we cycle all our cocoa liquor through a Eco-Worth Vibrating Sifter with a 60 mesh screen.

STEP 6

Tempering and Molding

Once our cocoa liquor has had a chance to mellow and solidify we melt it down and temper it in our Savage Bros 150 lb workstation before vibrating out any air bubbles, then onto the speed racks and into the walk-in fridge for a 20 minute cool down before demolding and packaging.

ABOUT THE CACAO

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La Mosquitia, Honduras

HONDURAS WAMPUSIRPI

The remote stretch of dense jungle Wampusirpi calls home remains one of the last conservation strongholds for threatened species like the jaguar and scarlet macaw. The cacao is cultivated by the indegenous Miskitu and Tawahka communities, where it has likely been grown for hundreds or perhaps thousands of years.

Anamalai, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

INDIA ANAMALAI

The cacao from the Anamalai Estate is organically grown by producers Harish Manoj and Karthi Palaniswamy in the foothills of Inda's Western Ghats. The trees are inter-cropped with coconut palms, where desi cows meander and elephants enjoy the coconuts by night. The cacao is sun-dried on raised beds.

Duran, Ecuador

ECUADOR CAMINO VERDE

Vicente Norero grows these organic beans on a 381-hectare cocoa estate, where his innovative approach to fermentation yields exceptional flavors. With years of experience in microbiology and a deep understanding of fermentation methods, he produces a variety of flavor profiles, using enzymes and inoculants to push specific flavor precursors in the beans.

Cibao, Dominican Republic

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ZORZAL

These organic, direct-trade beans come from Dr. Charles Kerchner's 1,019 acre bird sanctuary in the mountainous Reserva Zorzal, where the beans are grown, dried and fermented with meticulous attention to detail. The first cacao to receive Bird Friendly® certification, seventy percent of the land is set aside to be forever wild.

TRY A SINGLE ORIGIN CHOCOLATE

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