Fermentation: The Centuries-Old Process That’s Shaping a New Future of Chocolate

Cheese, coffee and chocolate. What do these three tasty things have in common? You guessed it: fermentation! Let’s take a closer look at this magical process that’s key to unlocking a world of deliciousness and a myriad of aroma profiles in chocolate, choc, cheese and beyond. 

The fermentation process

Just like the key steps in how your favourite chocolate bar is made, the process for our choc is no different, only there’s no cocoa beans involved in our products. It’s essential to start with sustainable and high-quality ingredients. With conventional chocolate, you take cocoa beans, ferment them and then roast them. We do the same thing, only we use cereals and legumes instead of cocoa.

 

What is fermentation exactly?

Here’s where the fun begins. Once exposed to the air, our cereals and legumes – think oats, barley and carob – begin a wild fermentation. This is where naturally occurring microorganisms get down to business, breaking down sugars and unleashing a symphony of new flavours and aromas. Think fruity, floral and deep – all thanks to fermentation.

 

Timing is everything

Fermentation isn’t always a quick affair; it’s all about patience and perfect timing. Depending on factors like climate and which ingredients we’re fermenting, this flavour transformation can take days or even weeks. Timing is crucial and our skilled team are experts at controlling fermentations and ending them when the time is just right.

 

The final path to deliciousness

Once fermentation has worked its magic, chocolate makers – or ‘choc’latiers’ as we call them – begin crafting the final masterpiece. They carefully roast, grind, and conch the ingredients, coaxing out unique flavours and aromas developed during fermentation. It’s an art, with a range of different flavours created depending on variables such as roast time, grind and conching which are distinct for different products. 

 

Eat, indulge and enjoy!

The next time you bite into that blissful piece of choc, remember the funky fermentation journey it embarked on. It’s not just a sweet treat that’s more sustainably and ethically made than conventional chocolate, it’s a flavour adventure, all thanks to the deliciousness brought about by fermentation.