Chocolate Manufacturing

In the chocolate manufacturing process, cocoa liquor is mixed with cocoa butter and sugar. In the case of milk chocolate, fresh, sweetened condensed or roller-dry low-heat powdered whole milk is added, depending on the individual manufacturer's formula and manufacturing methods. In the crumb or flake process, liquor is blended with sugar and pre-condensed milk, or sweetened condensed milk. It is then dried on heated rollers to produce the flavor more typical of European chocolate or mixed with slightly acidified milk to produce the typical United States flavor. These distinctions are a matter of taste, not quality.

After the mixing process, the blend is further refined to bring the particle size of the added milk and sugar down to the desired fineness. The mixture is then placed into conches, i.e. large agitators which stir it under heat. Normally, it is at this stage that cocoa butter is added, although some manufacturers add it during the original blending process. Conching eliminates undesirable odors and further smoothes the particles. Generally speaking, the longer chocolate is conched, the smoother it will be. The process may last for a few hours to three full days, and in the case of coatings, even longer.

After the conching process, the liquid chocolate is either stored or delivered to the confectionery industry in tanks or it is tempered and poured into moulds for sale in blocks to the confectionery, dairy and baking industries. It may also be converted into proprietary bars for sale direct to the consumer market

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