Bean to Bar
laflor sources the cacao directly from the farms. The peeled beans (cacao nibs) arrive at our manufactory in Zurich, where we process them into chocolate on site. This process is called bean to bar and is the foundation for the production of laflor chocolate. We take the individual Origins with their very own characteristics into account, which becomes apparent when tasting our Single Origin bars.
Regardless of how diverse the flavors of our chocolates are, there is one thing that all 11 bars have in common: they are made from sustainable cacao and organically grown, regional sugar.
We do not use any additives at all. In each case, the cacao is sourced from a single area of cultivation, which is why we speak of Single Origin.
Chocolate manufacturing process
From cacao bean to chocolate bar: a long and memorable process.
Did you know that it takes at least 9 months from the moment the cacao is harvested until the chocolate bar is ready to be enjoyed?
There are nine steps between the cacao fruit and holding a chocolate bar in your hand.
The first step in the process of making good chocolate is the careful cultivation of the land and the cacao trees. The fruits, which must be harvested ripe, contain 30-40 beans each. The fruits are opened, and the beans are removed for the next step of fermentation.
The white, humid beans and their pulp are placed in banana leaves or wooden boxes. A careful fermentation process is the key to the development of a good cacao flavor. Fermentation can take as long as two to eight days, depending on the type of cacao bean. The time spent and the system used for the fermentation of the cacao greatly influence the flavor quality of the future chocolate.
After fermentation, the beans dry in the sun for several days. Packed in jute bags, they are ready for transportation to laflor. The cacao, as these fermented and dried beans are called, is then delivered to us by container ship or, in case of our cacao from Colombia, by the carbon-neutral sailing ship Tres Hombres.
At this point, the beans are split open, the shell is removed, and the beans are ready for roasting. This process is carried out by the chocolate company Felchlin, as the laflor manufacturing facility is too small for a cacao bean crusher. Then, the cacao beans are taken to our production facility in Zurich for roasting and further processing.
Depending on the type of chocolate, the cacao beans are now roasted. Temperature and duration of roasting depend on the recipe of the chocolate. Flavorful cacao nibs are obtained, which we also enjoy simply for snacking or for cooking and baking.
The intense smell of chocolate, coffee, citrus fruits, berries and many other flavors is deceptive, because the nibs are pure and without any other additives.
To produce a cacao mass out of the roasted hard cacao nibs, they are ground and further refined (conched). These two processes usually take place in a single machine, the stone mélangeur. There, the cacao is stirred and moved evenly for up to three days. It is during this phase that we add other ingredients such as sugar and cacao butter. Cacao butter gives the chocolate a smooth and silky texture.
Tempering is the process of refining the chocolate. To do this, we slightly raise and lower their temperature, and finally raise it again. This challenging process ensures the perfect consistency and gloss of the chocolate. A nice break and the typical cracking of the chocolate are signs of skillful tempering as well.
Tempering could technically be done by hand, but it would take too much time to prepare large quantities of chocolate for further processing like this. The tempering machine is a reliable method of ensuring that the melted chocolate maintains a constant temperature in order to get the desired shape.
The chocolate is ready to be poured into molds. laflor produces bars of 70 grams, bars of 30 grams, chocolate coins and chocolate dragées.
From 100% cocoa to white chocolate
From popular recipes to special editions.
