Our Chocolate Process

Here at the chocolate Studio we conch our own chocolate for 72 hours and hand make all our chocolates and bespoke pieces such as Wedding favours, Corporate pieces and displays for events and exhibitions. We also run tours of the Studio for schools, businesses and groups of chocolates fans whether it’s a child’s party or a hen do – we will make your occasion very special and ensure you leave us with a smile on your face and chocolates galore!
The start of the process at our Chocolate Studio is the Cocoa Liquor – the base ingredient that forms all the chocolate we make is put into the conching machine. The cocoa plants that we source from are in Panama and Venezuela and cocoa beans are grown 20 degrees north and south of the equator.
The conching machine is set at 60 degrees as an average – Bill and the team gently move this temperature depending upon the external factors such as weather as well as the differences in any raw materials in particular the cocoa bean – this is a fine art that the experienced Chocolatier monitors very carefully.
The conching machine mills the ingredients down to around 17 microns during the 72 hour – 3 days conching process. Conching is a milling and refining process which removes tannins - it is a long and slow meticulous process.
The conching machine was invented by Rodolphe Lindt (1855-1909) in 1879 in Switzerland. He left his machine on overnight by mistake but the result was fantastic – it made the first smooth chocolate. Prior to this time chocolate bars were gritty and not very popular – indeed most chocolate was consumed as a drink.
Lindt’s invention rapidly changed chocolate from mainly being a drink to being enjoyed in both the bar and individual chocolate formats.
After the conching process the chocolate is like a raw metal that needs to be refined into magnets – it is not a finished product and has no shine or polish! It is not aligned properly and requires tempering.
We have 3 tempering machines, one each for milk, white and dark chocolate. The tempering process not only provides the shine but also the “snap” of the finished product thus ensuring the texture and appearance are as we need them.
The chocolate is taken from the conching machine where it has been running at around 60 degrees and starts the tempering at 45 degrees, the temperature is then moved throughout the process and provides the product that we work with for all our wonderful boxed chocolates, bars, beads and beans and seasonal decorations.
Do come and visit us at The Studio - see Tours