Do They Really Make Chocolate?
9 March 2009 in Info
Chocolate Makers make
chocolate from the bean
One question we get asked a lot is whether other companies make their own chocolate. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion over the term “making chocolate.” Only about a dozen manufacturers within the United States make chocolate all the way from the bean to use in chocolate bars.
Most people who say that they are “making chocolate” are actually buying their chocolate from one of these manufacturers and then molding it or otherwise making chocolate confections (candies). In Belgium, the term “Chocolatier” may be used only to refer to those who make chocolate all the way from the bean. They then have a separate term for those who make chocolate confections. We wish there were a similar delineation in the United States, because as it now is, the term “making chocolate” creates a lot of confusion.
We like to reserver the name chocolatier in America for those who remelt other people’s chocolate to make chocolate bars or confections. We then use the term chocolate maker only for those who actually make chocolate from the bean. To help people (especially the press) with this distinction several American chocolate makers formed The Craft Chocolate Makers of America.
6 Comments to Do They Really Make Chocolate?
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I don’t really see the point in this distinction — other than if someone makes untrue claims (I’m thinking about Noka…). Does it make the bread better if you milled the flour yourself? What is wrong with sourcing excellent material to work with if you are an outstanding truffle maker, knowing exactly how to make the perfect taste combinations using a variety of superior chocolates and other ingredients?
If you don’t do anything else than remelt — not even adding anything to the chocolate bar — then, but only then, can I see your point. So why this the need to put down others in the business of chocolate?
Hi Maria, thanks for the comments. I certainly don’t mean to put others down. That wasn’t my intention at all. I do think it is important to be clear what people are doing. When we go to chocolate shows a lot of people are confused about what we are doing different from all the other people selling chocolate. It’s sometimes hard to explain to people the difference between making chocolate and using chocolate. It’s a distinction that in Europe is much better understood. Yet of course in Europe people appreciate both the chocolate makers and then the people making wonderful desserts with other peoples chocolate.
One thing I do think can be important though is in promoting the individual flavors of small plantations. Allow me to give an example with an other crop. There is a large worry in Mexico that people are buying their corn from large conglomerates such that the unique flavors of corn each village had are lost. If I go to a village and expect to find something unique in how their corn tastes I’ve lost that if the corn is all the same.
A reason I love eating is the variety of experiences I can have. When food becomes only a commodity with no local uniqueness something important about eating has been lost. So I think there is a big difference between chocolate that tries to capture to unique flavor of a small plantation versus commodity chocolate that tends towards an uniformity of taste.
That vision of the small farmer and being true to the product they grow is something very important to me. I want people to realize chocolate can be more than just a small range of commodity tastes. I think maintaining that diversity at the plantation level is amazingly important as well.
I also think that any chef would agree that good ingredients are crucial for cooking. There are only so many good cocoa beans in the world. And they cost a lot more. So the limited supply of ingredients simply affects the kind of chocolate that large companies can make. But there’s nothing wrong with using someone else’s chocolate. We sell our chocolate to many chefs and we hope they continue to buy from us. Chocolate making is difficult enough that it would be unreasonable to expect people to make their own chocolate just to make their own truffles.
I can understand the importance of making this distinction. I didn’t feel there was any putting down of other chocolatiers or chocolate makers in the posting.
I appreciate and recognize the enormous amount of work that Amano puts into creating its chocolate. I have done a lot of candy making and chocolate dipping and it’s a totally different process than what goes into making chocolate. It makes sense to distinguish the different processes by different names.
I also make a lot of bread, and I think it does make a huge difference what kind of wheat is used, where your wheat comes from and when, where, and how it is milled before it goes into your bread.
Dude, Amano chocolate is da BOMB! I love the rich flavors and enjoy breaking off a tiny piece each morning to enjoy before breakfast.
Keep on a makin’m, baby!
I was putting together a post about Chocolate that’s made in America and found your site.
Thanks for the education, I’d love to sample your product in the near future!
Liz
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language ;)
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo