Processing cocoa is complex – it takes a total of four steps to turn the colorful fruits into dry beans. Bagged up in jute sacks, the precious cargo is then transported to our cocoa depot in Switzerland in the most resource-efficient way possible.

The smallholders harvest their cocoa fruits two to three times a year. Thanks to years of experience, their trained eyes can tell exactly when the fruit is ripe based on size and color, but the most important thing of all is the fruit’s slightly shiny surface. If the quality is right, workers carefully separate the fruits from the tree using a machete or pruning shears.

Even on small cocoa farms the size of a football field, the harvest takes several weeks. Cutting cocoa fruits from the trees is still done entirely by hand. The trunk of the cocoa tree must not be damaged. On average, one tree bears around 50 pods per year. That yields enough cocoa for around 10 to 12 bars of dark chocolate.

After harvesting, the shell of the fresh fruits are opened, usually still whilst on the farm. The roughly 40 cocoa seeds are then removed by hand. They are embedded in a gelatinous white pulp that tastes similar to lychee: slightly tangy, wonderfully fresh and fruity. Very few people would think of chocolate at this stage.

Fermentation is crucial to how the chocolate will eventually taste. The moist cocoa seeds are placed into wooden boxes and turned repeatedly to support the biochemical processes. Little by little, the pulp dries out and the seeds begin to ferment. This is a complex process where enzymes influence the aromas, but also the purple or brown coloring – and it’s during this process that the cocoa seeds become cocoa beans.

In total, fermentation can take anything from two to seven days. During this time, the temperature inside the wooden boxes rises to between 45 to 50 degrees Celsius. Experts continuously monitor the fermentation process and adjust it with precision. At the end of the process, the cocoa beans have to meet all of our sensory and qualitative requirements.

Before the cocoa beans make their way to us in Glarus, they are gently dried. This is done the traditional method – on wooden tables in the tropical heat. It takes five to seven days for the moisture content to reach the requisite 7% before being ready to travel. The beans are turned regularly and checked repeatedly until they’re ready and acquire their hallmark bitter cocoa taste and their chocolate-brown color.

After one final on-site quality control check, the cocoa beans are bagged up in jute sacks. After that, it’s off to Europe in a shipping container. On arrival at our small chocolate factory, the beans are examined thoroughly one more time. We pay special attention to the sensory aspects, the fat composition, and the degree of moisture. Only once our laboratory gives the go-ahead can the cocoa beans continue their journey.