Our Process
Cocoa
It all starts with Cocoa. This fruit grows in tropical climates 10 to 15 degrees north and south of the equator. When the fruit is ripe it is harvested and opened up to reveal the seeds inside.
All of our cocoa is sourced ethically and higher than fair trade prices are paid. The cocoa used to make Metiisto chocolate is all ‘fine flavor cocoa’ this means it is grown for flavor rather than high volume.
Fermentation and drying
Once enough cocoa seeds have been collected, they are put in wooden boxes lined with Banana leaves. Bacteria and yeast in the wood and air start eating the white pulp surrounding the seeds. This generates heat so the farmers will turn the cocoa several times over the 2 to 7 days it takes for the desired result.
After fermentation, the seeds are spread in a thin layer to dry in the sun. This halts the fermentation and drys the cocoa low enough for shipping.
Roasting
Once the cocoa arrives at our factory we can get to work. After hand sorting the cocoa to remove any defective beans, rocks, sticks etc. we are ready to roast.
This is one of the most important steps in chocolate making. It is where we create the base flavors for our chocolate. we roast very gently to keep as much of the cocoa’s subtle flavors as possible. Industrial chocolate is roasted very heavily to create a very one dimensional cocoa flavor.
Refining
After Roasting the cocoa is cooled and broken open. We extract the ‘nibs’ from the husks and begin the process of refining.
The process passes through three separate machines to bring every particle of cocoa and sugar to a size undetectable to the human pallet (under 20 microns)
Conching
Our conche is based on a design from the 1920’s and takes up to 96 hours to create our signature texture. Its what gives our chocolate that old-fashioned, creamy mouth feel.
During the 96 hour, the chocolate is continuously being masaged. this polishes every little particle and also refines the flavor by evaporating undesirable flavors and revealing delicate ones.
Tempering
When conching is done we age the chocolate for several weeks before moving on to Tempering. Tempering is the process of creating a very specific cocoa butter crystal. This one crystal makes the chocolate hard, gives it a beautiful shine, and also happens to melt at body temperature. If you have ever seen chocolate that looks grey it is simply out of temper.
The tempered chocolate is placed into our molds one at a time and gently cooled. now the solid bars can be hand wrapped and sent out all over the world.