Our Process
Our chocolate contains 2 basic certified organic ingredients:
cacao & cane sugar (or coconut sugar)
Our handcrafted chocolate processes from bean to bar in
1-3 weeks per batch.
We use original Mayan methods combined with the convenience of modern custom-crafted equipment. A difference you can taste!
Step 1: Direct Sourcing
We source our cacao from three different farms; Haiti, Chiapas and a small family farm in Belize. Each region and farm are unique. Read more below about each one.
The self-managed nursery allows full control of the quality of the nutrients and growing process.
The farms of the Reyen co-op in Chiapas, Mexico.
A farmer checking the readiness of the bean.
After the fermentation process (5-7 days) they are dried in the sun to prepare for shipping.
Bags of cocoa beans ready for processing.
Luciano Sho - Our main cacao farmer in Belize for our house region.
Step 2: Roasting & Winnowing (shelling)
When we receive the cacao beans, we slowly roast them at a low temperature to prepare them for processing. The beans are then cracked using our custom-built “winnower” creating our delicious and versatile, Cacao Nibs, which are delicious all on their own.
Some of our cacao nibs are transformed and the cacao butter is extracted to create our single-origin bars & white chocolate.
The remaining powder (cacao powder) is then used in our chocolate syrup that can be found at Kream Coffee in Phoenix and also used for our nut butters, truffles, and more.
Our custom winnower
Our cacao butter press in action.
Step 3: Stone Milling
The cacao nibs are milled as fine as they can be milled without releasing the cacao butter (half the bean). This is so it can be easier on our stone grinders. At this stage, the cacao can be brewed as a coffee alternative. It will not melt because the butter has not been released yet, it is similar to a coffee coarse grind. This crucial step sets the foundation for our high-quality final products.
Step 4: Stone Grinding & Aging
Cacao, cane sugar (or coconut sugar) and (occasionally) freshly pressed cacao butter are added to the stone grinder to combine. This magic takes 48–72 hours. Once complete, the chocolate is formed into blocks and stored at room temperature for 2 weeks to fully develop its flavor.
Step 5: Tempering
Once fully aged, we begin the most difficult stage of tempering the chocolate, through a process of heating and cooling. Tempered chocolate is very glossy, has a firm finish, and melts smoothly.
See hand tempering in action on our Instagram.
Step 6: Creation
We now mold the chocolate in our custom-made molds and box our creations in our beautiful eco-friendly packaging custom created by Ross Schmid.
