The Factory
Handcrafted, quality, award-winning artisanal chocolate.
Following a short journey from the farm to the factory, the cacao beans begin the transformation from bean to bar.
The chocolate-making process from bean to bar is one of many steps, following many trials and taste development to determine a specific recipe.
Sorting
Beans are firstly selected and transported from warehouse to factory where they undergo a final sort for size and quality before beginning the roasting process.
Roasting
Here at Argencove, we have a purposely designed cacao roasting machine that rotates and roasts the beans evenly and accurately, all the while adhering to a strict minute-to-minute roast profile as developed by the chocolate maker.
Winnowing
Once roasted we must extract the cacao from the surrounding shell and transform it into cacao nibs. This is completed through a process called cracking and winnowing.
Grinding
Our cacao nibs are then transferred to a large grinder that transforms the nibs into a paste and eventually, with the help of the natural cacao butter within the bean, into cacao liquor. This process can take anything from hours to days affecting the particle size and chemical structure of the chocolate. The formula is developed and refined by the chocolate maker and can greatly impact the flavor notes of the end product. During this process flavors, cacao butter, and sugar are added in line with the recipe.
Tempering
Next, the chocolate is transferred to the tempering machine. The tempering process assists to stabilize the chocolate. The process raises and lowers the temperature of the chocolate so that the final product has the exact crystal structure to maintain shelf life and color, melt evenly on the tongue, and to give that all-important shine and snap when you break a piece off to enjoy.
Molding
Molding, setting, and wrapping the chocolate is the final process in the chain. Our molds are traditional square molds, as is our preference to be able to break off perfectly bite-sized pieces. Our chocolate is larger in the front surface area yet slimmer in-depth than most bars on the market. This allows for that smoothness, even melt and all-around mouth feel of the chocolate.
Packaging
The design is inspired by the gorgeous hand-made Spanish colonial tiles in Granada, Nicaragua where we have our chocolate factory. We use 30% post-consumer recycled paper certified by FSC