Learn about the key stages of preparation and all the efforts made by our planters and craftsmen to enhance this exceptional product.
From tree to bean
Harvesting
Cocoa pods are harvested twice each year: in spring and in autumn.
Bean extraction
Cocoa pods are opened with a machete.
They contain ‘cocoa honey’ which is consumed on the plantations along with the pulp – mucilage – that protects the beans.
The first aromas of the bean can be detected at this point.
Fermentation
Fermentation = bringing out the aroma of the cocoa
Shortly after harvesting, the beans and some of their pulp are collected for fermentation.
This process takes place in special containers covered with banana leaves that keep the heat in. Alcohol is produced by the pulp and the beans acquire their cocoa aromas. At a precise moment, the process is stopped; this determines the unique flavour of the cocoa. The initial aromas from the extraction phase are enhanced and established.
This process takes between 4 and 7 days.
Drying
The beans are dried in the sun to bring their humidity down from 7% to 3%.
This is another delicate and precise process as they must be sufficiently dry that they do not rot but not so dry that they burn in the roasting process.
Sorting & Calibration
Mouldy or damaged beans are removed from the batches.
The rest are put into sacks in which they are transported to the chocolate-producing factories.
The route from bean to bar…
The cocoa beans arrive at the workshop, where they will go through several stages before being transformed into chocolate!
From bean to bar
Storage
The beans are stored in a dedicated area beside the production workshop.
They are kept in jute bags weighing between 60 and 70kg (132 to 154 pounds).
Roasting
"The art of roasting"
The most delicate and carefully-timed step of the whole process: roasting brings out the character of the beans and amplifies their aromas without burning them.
A cocoa bean can contain up to 115 different aromatic notes: some bitter, some fruity, some floral, and some woody. Pierre Marcolini roasts the cocoa beans at 120˚c for 40 minutes.
With each batch this is checked.
Refining
The roasted beans are crushed with sugar to produce a smooth paste with grains 25 microns in size.
Did you know? By finely crushing cinnamon or pepper their full flavour is released. The same is true of cocoa beans.
Conching
At Maison Pierre Marcolini, artisanal conching increases the smoothness, fluidity and delicacy of the chocolate paste. Depending on the source of the beans or the type of chocolate being produced, this step takes between 18 and 48 hours. We conch for 48 hours.
This process makes couverture chocolate.
Most chocolatiers only begin working with chocolate after this process. Very few chocolatiers produce their own couverture chocolate; most buy it from larger factories.
Production of the tablet
The couverture chocolate is solidified to stabilise the cocoa butter contained in the bean. This takes place at temperatures between 28 and 32°C depending on the type of chocolate. It is set in one of the Maison’s iconic moulds.
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