It takes sustainability, perfection and passion to turn the exquisite cocoa beans from equatorial regions in South America and Africa into our melt-in-the-mouth chocolate creations. Only top quality cocoa beans with a richly aromatic character undertake this fascinating journey.
The cacao tree and its fruit
The cocoa bean comes from either South America or Africa. The rainy climate with its high humidity and temperatures of around 25 degrees creates perfect conditions for the cacao tree and its fruit to grow.
At the end of the rainy season, the ripe cacao fruits are harvested by hand by the farmers, and the seeds and pulp are separated from the pod.
Fermented then sun-dried
The loose beans and the pulp are put in large crates and covered with banana leaves – the fermentation can begin. The sugars in the fruit pulp trigger a fermentation process lasting several days, one that is essential to unlock the countless aromas of the cocoa beans.
As they dry in the hot sun, the fermented beans are turned constantly until they reach the desired dryness.
By ship to Europe
After drying, the cocoa beans are sorted by quality and size and packed into jute sacks – ready for transport by ship to Europe.
The first production step involves cleaning the beans, using steam heated to a temperature of 127 °C to remove all bacteria and germs.
Roasting for intense aromatics
After cleaning, the cacao beans are slowly and gently roasted in small batches by our partner Felchlin until they attain their optimum flavour. The temperature and roasting time is adjusted to suit the bean’s characteristics and achieve the desired roasting aromas.
Breaking, grinding and kneading
The cacao beans are broken into pieces and the shells removed. This results in what are known as cocoa nibs – small fragments of raw cocoa, which are then ground to obtain cocoa mass. The pressure generates heat and the cocoa butter in the beans slowly liquefies, creating a viscous mass.
This is followed by lengthy kneading and rolling to produce a smooth mass without any grittiness at all.
Conching to perfection
The cocoa mass is continuously agitated for hours in a machine called a conche, true to the original method, giving it its delicately smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture. The longer the mass is conched, the smoother and glossier it becomes. The constant agitation also eliminates the undesirable bitter substances, and the subtly complex aromas of the cocoa gradually come to the fore. Combined with the finest Swiss milk, a little sugar and real vanilla, this produces a lusciously smooth-melting couverture according to our secret recipe, which we transform into delicious Sprüngli specialities as we passionately pursue the fine art of confectionery.
