After cleaning, we roast the beans. This has a number of goals: chemical changes occur in the bean that change the flavour from the fermentation acidity to the chocolate flavour that we all know and love, it separates the outer hull from the bean and finally, it sterilizes the bean.  

This goal of this stage is to remove the hard outer hull of the bean. This can be done by hand but it is very time consuming and wreaks havoc on your fingernails!  This machine is a winnower which, using suction, separates the hull from the bean. The result of this stage is cacao nibs, which are roasted  and cracked cacao beans.

This stage is where the cacao is turned into something that most resembles chocolate. First, the nibs are liquified by further grinding them. Then they are placed in the melanger, the machine at left. This tool grinds the liquified cacao between two granite plates for 2-4 days, depending on the bean type. Sugar and any spices are added during this stage.

Once the chocolate comes off the melanger, we let it age. Once aged, it needs to be tempered.  By heating the chocolate to a specific temperature, lowering it, and carefully raising it again, the fatty acid crystals within the chocolate align into a stable form. A good temper holds the chocolate stable over time, limits melting in the hand and produces the wonderful snap of a great chocolate.