Development and manufacturing of the chocolate

Blending

To make chocolate, the basic raw materials (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder) are mixed in a blender.

Rolling

From the mixer, the mass is first moved to a pre-refiner, pressed between two rolling wheels, and thus crushed. Fine rolling takes place on a five-roll refiner. This is where the chocolate obtains its final fineness with particle sizes of 20 - 40 µ.

Conching

Via a conveyor belt, the now powdery raw mass enters the conche, a large container with an agitator and a water jacket in the outer wall. Depending on the recipe, the chocolate is conched for between six and 24 hours, during which time it heats up considerably due to the frictional energy arising and has to be cooled with the aid of the water jacket. During conching, the individual particles are coated with fat, which gives the chocolate its melting properties. In addition, the unwanted bitter substances are eliminated.

Interim storage

From the conche, the finished chocolate is transported to the casting lines for further processing. Chocolate for further processing by our customers is temporarily stored in tanks until liquid loading into tankers or IBCs.

Tempering

The shape-retaining, storable crystal structure of cocoa butter is achieved by heating and then cooling the chocolate mass. It is this crystalline form that makes the chocolate crisp and gives it a shiny surface.

Shaping

The tempered chocolate is further processed into the desired end product using specialized equipment. The main distinctions are:

• molding lines
• roller depositor lines
• cluster lines
• enrobing lines