What Bean-to-Bar Means
Bean-to-bar producers handle every stage from raw cacao bean through finished bar — sourcing, roasting, winnowing, conching, tempering, and molding. Most chocolate brands buy industrial chocolate base and remold it; bean-to-bar makers do not.
Reading a Chocolate Label
- ▪Cacao percentage (40-50% milk, 65-75% dark, 80%+ very dark)
- ▪Single-origin or blend
- ▪Country and region of cacao (Madagascar, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru)
- ▪Maker's name and country
- ▪Ingredients (real chocolate has 2-4: cacao, sugar, sometimes cacao butter and lecithin)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does single-origin chocolate mean?
Single-origin chocolate is made from cacao beans grown in one country, region, or even single estate — preserving the flavor characteristics of that specific terroir. It contrasts with blended chocolate, which mixes beans from multiple origins for consistency.
Why does artisan chocolate cost more?
Bean-to-bar makers buy higher-grade cacao at premium direct-trade prices, process in small batches with longer conching, and operate at much lower scale than industrial chocolate companies.