manufacturing

Cacao trees grow in countries with warm, dry climates, such as South and Central America, and the Gold Coast. After being harvested, cocoa beans must be fermented, dried, transported and stored. Adhering to high quality standards in all of these procedures is essential to ensure that commercial cocoa beans have desirable flavours prior to being manufactured into chocolate (Minifie, 1980).

Cocoa Seedling	Cocoa Pod
Cacao trees grow best under shady conditions. They reach a height of up to 20-30 feet (Minifie, 1980)	Cocoa pods usually contain 20-50 seeds. They are composed of 55-58% cocoa butter (Wilson, 1999: 104 )
Source: photos from Wilson (1999: 102, 105)

On Arrival at Manufacturing Firm:

Step 1: Clean and roast beans to develop flavour

Step 2: Winnowing - process in which shell is separated from the bean

Step 3: Grinding nib down to cocoa mass (a paste) to be further refined

Step 4: Mix cocoa mass with sugar , fat, and possibly milk

Step 4: Conching - to remove unwanted flavour and develop appealing ones. To develop flow process and meet any specific industry requirements.

In the final stages, liquid chocolate is either poured into molds to create solid bars or poured over other confectionary items, to create to soft centred sweets.

(Beckett, 1988)

The Chocolate Manufacturing Process

Once the beans have been prepared in their country of origin, they are transported to a manufacturing facility. Cocoa beans must then undergo the following processes: