The bean to bar or how to reinvent chocolate
You may have heard of bean to bar chocolate, which is often translated in French as chocolate from the bean to the bar ? Bean to bar refers to the artisanal production of chocolate from raw cocoa beans. Pretty simple, isn't it? Yes and no!
[custom_headline type="left" level="h2" looks_like="h6" accent="false"]Now some history...[/custom_headline]
At one time, chocolatiers made the chocolate themselves to make chocolate candies. Today, hardly any chocolatiers actually produce their own chocolate. In fact, chocolatiers rather buy chocolate pastilles made by European manufacturers to make truffles and companies. The art of cocoa processing has gradually been lost over the last century, to the benefit of a powerful network of multinationals (Nestlé, Mondelez, Bimbo, Mars, etc.). This type of production obviously favors quantity before quality. The result? The diversity of dark chocolate flavors has gradually been lost because the offer is divided between a handful of large manufacturers.
[custom_headline type="left" level="h2" looks_like="h6" accent="false"]The rise of the bean to bar movement[/custom_headline]
Since the beginning of the 2000s, there has been a return to the manufacture of chocolate in an artisanal way, the famous bean to bar . Some chocolate artisans ( chocolate maker ) will refurbish machines that date from the beginning of the 20th century, others turn to machines that they manufacture themselves and or buy small-format models to allow micro-processing. -batch. The epicenter of this small bean to bar movement is in the United States, but this trend is seen in most industrialized countries today. In Canada, there are already more than twenty micro-factories of this type. The goal of bean to bar chocolate factories is to showcase all the flavors of the different cocoa regions and give consumers the choice to taste a unique chocolate with unique flavors.
[custom_headline type="left" level="h2" looks_like="h6" accent="false"]The bean to bar , a trend?[/custom_headline]
Small-batch artisanal chocolate production is clearly more than a passing fad or trend. It is part of consumers' desire to know the origin of what they eat and to (re)discover the flavors of food. A similar transformation is visible in many other areas, one need only think of microroaster coffees (3rd wave), microbreweries or small cheese factories.
Think a little about wine... barely 20 years ago, in Quebec, there were two types of wine: red and white! Then we started talking about origin, country. And then someone started talking about grape varieties: Beaujolais, Cabernet, Merlot! And today, it's possible to talk about a little biodynamic Pinot Grigio from Napa Valley without looking like a complete snob!!!
I really feel like the world of chocolate is going through a similar transformation. We must not forget that barely a generation ago, it was almost impossible to find dark chocolate.
If you are interested in seeing the cocoa processing steps from farm to chocolate bar, click here!
[custom_headline type="left" level="h2" looks_like="h6" accent="false"]Now some history...[/custom_headline]
At one time, chocolatiers made the chocolate themselves to make chocolate candies. Today, hardly any chocolatiers actually produce their own chocolate. In fact, chocolatiers rather buy chocolate pastilles made by European manufacturers to make truffles and companies. The art of cocoa processing has gradually been lost over the last century, to the benefit of a powerful network of multinationals (Nestlé, Mondelez, Bimbo, Mars, etc.). This type of production obviously favors quantity before quality. The result? The diversity of dark chocolate flavors has gradually been lost because the offer is divided between a handful of large manufacturers.
[custom_headline type="left" level="h2" looks_like="h6" accent="false"]The rise of the bean to bar movement[/custom_headline]
Since the beginning of the 2000s, there has been a return to the manufacture of chocolate in an artisanal way, the famous bean to bar . Some chocolate artisans ( chocolate maker ) will refurbish machines that date from the beginning of the 20th century, others turn to machines that they manufacture themselves and or buy small-format models to allow micro-processing. -batch. The epicenter of this small bean to bar movement is in the United States, but this trend is seen in most industrialized countries today. In Canada, there are already more than twenty micro-factories of this type. The goal of bean to bar chocolate factories is to showcase all the flavors of the different cocoa regions and give consumers the choice to taste a unique chocolate with unique flavors.
[custom_headline type="left" level="h2" looks_like="h6" accent="false"]The bean to bar , a trend?[/custom_headline]
Small-batch artisanal chocolate production is clearly more than a passing fad or trend. It is part of consumers' desire to know the origin of what they eat and to (re)discover the flavors of food. A similar transformation is visible in many other areas, one need only think of microroaster coffees (3rd wave), microbreweries or small cheese factories.
Think a little about wine... barely 20 years ago, in Quebec, there were two types of wine: red and white! Then we started talking about origin, country. And then someone started talking about grape varieties: Beaujolais, Cabernet, Merlot! And today, it's possible to talk about a little biodynamic Pinot Grigio from Napa Valley without looking like a complete snob!!!
I really feel like the world of chocolate is going through a similar transformation. We must not forget that barely a generation ago, it was almost impossible to find dark chocolate.
If you are interested in seeing the cocoa processing steps from farm to chocolate bar, click here!