Bean to Bar Process
From Bean to Bar: Our Chocolate Making Process
At Tucson Chocolate Factory, every bar begins with raw cacao beans sourced directly from small-scale farmers in Bolivia and Mexico. As a true bean-to-bar maker, we roast, grind, and craft every batch by hand in our Sonoran Desert workshop using a traditional stone grinder for all our chocolate. This direct-from-farm approach, combined with meticulous craftsmanship, has earned us multiple International Chocolate Awards, including for our 70% Bolivian Dark Chocolate, 70% Mexican Dark Chocolate (made with Almendra Blanca), and 59% Dark Chocolate "Cafecito" Mocha Bar made with Savaya Coffee.
Below is our complete process—tailored to highlight the unique character of each origin and how we transform award-winning beans into extraordinary chocolate.
1. Sourcing Premium Raw Cacao Beans
We begin with unroasted, fermented, and sun-dried raw cacao beans delivered straight from trusted farmer partners.
Bolivian Heirloom Beans (Beni Region): Sourced from wild and semi-wild groves in Bolivia’s Amazon basin, these Criollo-dominant heirloom beans are recognized by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund. Farmers ferment them in wooden boxes for 5–7 days and sun-dry under partial shade, developing delicate notes of red fruit, toasted nuts, and honey. Full traceability and premium pricing ensure sustainability.
Mexican Almendra Blanca (Finca Frida, Soconusco): A rare single-estate, single-variety white Criollo cacao known as “Carmelo,” rescued and promoted by Soconusco’s cacao research center. Grown on a family-owned estate with 15 hectares of cacao alongside mango and timber trees, these beans are carefully grafted, pruned, and irrigated daily. Located near the coast and isolated from other farms, cross-pollination is minimized—preserving the bean’s signature white color and purity.
Farmers use small-batch fermentation (100–200 kg per box) in tropical-wood crates, followed by sun-drying on individual beds for 6–7 days. Each batch is hand-sorted and marked with date and origin.
Social Impact: Finca Frida participates in the Program for People in Social or Natural Emergency on the Southern Border, employing migrants from Central America, Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Africa. Despite language barriers and high turnover, the farm provides dignified wages and training in planting, pruning, harvesting, and post-harvest care.
Each shipment arrives pre-fermented and dried to exacting standards—ready for our craft to begin.
2. Roasting: Awakening the Flavor
The first step in our hands: small-batch roasting in a vintage drum roaster.
Bolivian Beans: A low, slow roast protects their heirloom subtlety—resulting in the smooth, fruity elegance that won our 2024 International Chocolate Award for 70% Bolivian Dark Chocolate.
Mexican Almendra Blanca: A gentle roast preserves the bean’s light color and delicate profile—nutty, caramel, fruity, with cream and coffee undertones. This is the heart of our award-winning 70% Mexican Dark Chocolate and the base for our 59% "Cafecito" Mocha Bar, where it blends beautifully with single-origin Mexican coffee also from Chiapas.
3. Cracking & Winnowing: Shell Off, Flavor On
Roasted beans are cracked open, then passed through a winnower. A precise airflow removes the thin shell, leaving pure cacao nibs.
Bolivian nibs are handled gently to preserve their fragile structure.
Almendra Blanca nibs retain their pale hue and are processed with extra care to maintain purity.
4. Stone Grinding: From Nib to Liquid Silk
All of our chocolate is made in a traditional stone grinder—heavy granite wheels slowly crush the roasted nibs into a smooth, fluid cocoa liquor over 48–72 hours. The natural friction melts the cocoa butter, refining texture and developing deep, rounded flavors in a single, continuous step.
At this stage, we add only:
- Organic cane sugar
No lecithin. No fillers. No separate conching—our stone grinding does it all.
5. Aging: Flavor in Repose
The finished chocolate rests in blocks for 2–4 weeks in a climate-controlled room. Like aging whiskey, this step deepens and marries flavors.
6. Tempering & Molding: Snap, Shine, Melt
The aged chocolate is tempered—precisely heated, cooled, and reheated—to form stable cocoa butter crystals. This gives every bar:
- A crisp snap
- A glossy sheen
- A slow, luxurious melt
Finally, it’s poured into molds, cooled, and hand-wrapped.
Why Our Stone-Ground, Bean-to-Bar Craft Stands Apart
We honor the farmers who grow, ferment, and dry the beans—especially the remarkable work at Finca Frida, where single-variety Almendra Blanca is cultivated with precision and compassion. By mastering every step from roasting onward with artisanal stone grinding, we:
- Showcase the true terroir of Bolivia and Soconusco, Mexico
- Celebrate a rare white Criollo that stays light in color and bold in flavor
- Earn International Chocolate Awards through purity, craft, and purpose
- Support migrant workers and sustainable farming on the southern border
Taste the craft. Taste the origin. Taste the story.
Explore our award-winning single-origin bars—including the uniquely light, creamy 70% Mexican Almendra Blanca—and desert-inspired creations. Each one is a testament to farmer resilience, stone-ground tradition, and Tucson artistry.