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Bean-to-bar is a business model [1] in which a chocolate manufacturer controls the entire manufacturing process from procuring cocoa beans to creating the end product of consumer chocolate. [2] [3]
Starting in the 1970s and 1980s, some chocolate makers engaged in bean-to-bar manufacturing. They often used single-origin flavor cocoa and vintage equipment. [4]
The term "bean-to-bar" emerged from the artisan and craft chocolate movement around 2010. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the terms "small batch chocolate" and "craft chocolate". Several hundred small chocolate manufacturing companies were started to meet the demand for bean-to-bar products and a wider variety of flavors emerging from new consumer requirements. [5] [6] Bean-to-bar manufacturers take great care in selecting their cacao beans [7] with many traveling to plantations in tropical regions to meet with growers in order to establish direct-trade relationships, some have managed to gain access to control the fermentation process. Over 2,500 bean-to-bar manufacturers have emerged around the world in less than 20 years.[ citation needed ] Entrepreneurs from Australia, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom [8] and the United States [9] with aptitudes for culinary arts, science, technology have all proven to be successful as chocolate makers, one of the most successful was a lawyer named Askinosie.
All bean-to-bar chocolate makers process whole cocoa beans into a final product versus melting chocolate or starting with ground cocoa mass for use as a base, coating, filling or for mixing and molding into truffles, pralines, or other chocolate confectionery. [10] One of the largest startups, the Mast Brothers, that was "widely credited for introducing artisanal chocolate to mainstream American culture" actually employed commercially produced chocolate from a third-party, making them better known as the creators of fake bean-to-bar chocolate in 2015. [11] Big Chocolate has also been using the term to compete with the craft chocolate industry developed around the bean-to-bar concept. [12]
As a result of the rise in consumer demand for fine and aromatic dark chocolate created by bean-to-bar (craft chocolate movement) and the idea of small batch recipes, new types of processing equipment and machinery have been developed facilitating small business development. Bean-to-bar chocolate makers are revolutionizing the world of chocolate [ citation needed ] leading to the development of many new legal marketing terms to better describe their products to match consumer demand and expectations. Schools and universities have developed classes and courses in bean-to-bar chocolate making and business development. New certifications, endorsements and labelling schemes based on ethical consumer values have also appeared. [13] Big Chocolate has outright acquired several craft bean-to-bar operations. [14]
Some bean-to-bar producers are large companies that own the entire process for economic reasons; others aim to control the whole process to improve quality, working conditions, environmental impact, and the source. Some cacao farms in tropical America have incorporated the trade model to add-value to make the supply chain more sustainable by producing "tree-to-bar" [15] [16] and "farm-to-bar" [17] chocolate.
Cacao growers and buyers hire certification companies to inspect plantations, take soil samples, guarantee pricing to farmers and develop regional cooperative associations for cocoa growers. Bean-to-bar chocolate makers pay for these certified labels to address issues important to their consumers. [18]
Unlike the large scale secondary processing from general chocolate liquor mass, the bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturing style must follow the guideline that the primary company handles the entire process from the purchase of cacao beans to the making of the chocolate bar. Because the term is not limited to small craft chocolate manufacturers, and in light of consumer demand for bean-to-bar brands, larger companies have adopted the term and some of the other related terms used by smaller chocolate makers. [19]
It is believed the industry was started in the late 90's, in San Francisco, where two men — John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg — spent a decade beginning a movement while building their business, and then spreading that movement by selling their business. [20] The predominant theory of the start of the craft chocolate industry is that a boom occurred around the Mast Brothers, who entered the chocolate making industry after Scharffenberger from different industries in New York around 2008. [21] By 2014 in Japan, the brand "Minimal", was introduced as a pioneer for the inspiration of bean-to-bar makers there, its taste has been recognized at international competitions.
Many bean-to-bar chocolate makers are based solely online, some have stores for their product, some use other retail locations to sell their product, some contract their facilities and some even private label chocolates for other companies.
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Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring in other foods. The cacao tree has been used as a source of food for at least 5,300 years, starting with the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador. Later, Mesoamerican civilizations consumed cacao beverages, of which one, chocolate, was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.
The cocoa bean, also known simply as cocoa or cacao, is the dried and fully fermented seed of Theobroma cacao, the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids and cocoa butter can be extracted. Cacao trees are native to the Amazon rainforest. They are the basis of chocolate and Mesoamerican foods including tejate, an indigenous Mexican drink.
A chocolate bar is a confection containing chocolate, which may also contain layerings or mixtures that include nuts, fruit, caramel, nougat, and wafers. A flat, easily breakable, chocolate bar is also called a tablet. In some varieties of English and food labeling standards, the term chocolate bar is reserved for bars of solid chocolate, with candy bar used for products with additional ingredients.
J.H. Whittaker & Sons, Ltd (Whittaker's) is a New Zealand confectionery manufacturer specialising in palm oil-free chocolate, based in Porirua. Whittaker's is the largest chocolate brand in New Zealand. Approximately 30% of their production is now exported. The company controls its entire manufacturing process in its facility in Porirua, identifying itself as a "bean-to-bar" manufacturer. James Henry Whittaker (1868–1947) started the business in Christchurch in 1896 and it was later moved to Wellington.
White chocolate is a form of chocolate made of cocoa butter, sugar and milk. Unlike milk and dark chocolate, it does not contain cocoa solids, which darken the chocolate. White chocolate has an ivory color, and can smell of biscuit, vanilla or caramel, although it can also easily pick up smells from the environment and become rancid with its relatively short shelf life. Like milk and dark chocolate, white chocolate is used to make chocolate bars and as a coating in confectionery.
Scharffen Berger is an American chocolate manufacturing company, which was a subsidiary of The Hershey Company after it had been acquired in 2005. Scharffen Berger was established as an independent Berkeley, California-based chocolate maker in 1996 by sparkling wine maker John Scharffenberger and physician Robert Steinberg.
The history of chocolate dates back over 5,000 years, when the cacao tree was first domesticated in present-day southeast Ecuador. Soon introduced to Mesoamerica, it gained cultural significance as an elite drink among different cultures, including the Mayans and Aztecs. Cacao was extremely important: considered a gift from the gods, it was used as a currency as well as medicinally and ceremonially. Chocolate was often associated with the heart, and was believed to be psychedelic. It is unclear when chocolate was first drunk, and there is evidence of Mesoamerican groups drinking an alcoholic drink made by fermenting the pulp around cacao seeds.
Côte d'Or is a producer of Belgian chocolate, owned by Mondelez International. Côte d'Or was founded in 1883 by Charles Neuhaus in Schaerbeek, Belgium, a chocolate manufacturer who used the name "Côte d'Or" referring to the old name of contemporary Ghana, the source of many of the cacao beans used in chocolate manufacturing.
Swiss chocolate is chocolate produced in Switzerland. Switzerland's chocolates have earned an international reputation for high quality with many famous international chocolate brands.
Barry Callebaut AG is a Swiss-Belgian cocoa processor and chocolate manufacturer, with an average annual production of 2.3 million tonnes of cocoa & chocolate . It was created in 1996 through the merging of the French company Cacao Barry and the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut. It is currently based in Zürich, Switzerland, and operates in over 30 countries worldwide. It was created in its present form by Klaus Johann Jacobs.
The environmental impact of cocoa production includes deforestation, soil contamination, and herbicide resistance. The majority of cocoa farms are now located in Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Taza Chocolate is a Mexican-inspired stoneground, organic chocolate manufacturer based in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. The factory was founded by Alex Whitmore in 2005 and is home to over 40 different products that can be found in 2,800 retail stores across the country.
Castronovo Chocolate is a micro-batch chocolate maker headquartered in Stuart, Florida.
Mast is an American artisanal chocolate company headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The company was founded in 2007 by brothers Rick and Michael Mast from Primghar, Iowa. Mast Brothers, according to Vanity Fair, is "widely credited for introducing artisanal chocolate to mainstream American culture" and has been instrumental in popularizing the bean-to-bar movement in America,. However, Mast Brothers has also faced criticism and allegations that did not make their chocolate in the "bean-to-bar" style they claimed.
Organic chocolate is chocolate which has been certified organic. As of 2016, it was a growing sector in the global chocolate industry. Organic chocolate is a socially desirable product for some consumers. Major brands, such as The Hershey Company, have begun to produce organic chocolate.
Dark chocolate is a form of chocolate made of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Without added sweetener, dark chocolate is known as bitter chocolate or unsweetened chocolate. Dark chocolate, above white and milk chocolate, is valued for claimed, albeit unsupported health benefits and for being a sophisticated choice of chocolate. Like milk and white chocolate, dark chocolate is used to make chocolate bars and as a coating for confectionery.
The chocolate industry in the Philippines developed after the introduction of the cocoa tree to Philippine agriculture. The growing of cacao or cocoa boasts a long history stretching from the colonial times. Originating from Mesoamerican forests, cacao was first introduced by the Spanish colonizers four centuries ago. Since then the Philippine cocoa industry has been the primary producer of cocoa beans in Southeast Asia. There are many areas of production of cacao in the Philippines, owing to soil and climate. The chocolate industry is currently on a small to medium scale.
Ruby chocolate is a style or distinct variety of chocolate that is pink or purple in colour. Barry Callebaut, a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company, introduced it as a distinct product on 5 September 2017 after beginning development of their product in 2004. It has a pink color, and Barry Callebaut says it is a fourth natural type of chocolate. Some other industry experts have said that some cacao pods are naturally pink or purple in colour, and thus pink chocolate has been available before.
Bulk cocoa is a class of cocoa beans. It is contrasted with flavor cocoa. They generally grow in West Africa.
French chocolate is chocolate produced in France. France is considered the "home of dark chocolate", and French chocolate has a smooth texture and is characterised by its dark roast flavour.
