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The most important ingredients in our chocolates and pralines are a good dose of passion, great attention to detail and fresh couvertures. We make the latter ourselves on a daily basis, since this is the only way to guarantee the highest quality and freshness.
Take a look behind the scenes at our chocolate factory, and follow the path of our cocoa from incoming inspection to liquid chocolate, the “couverture”.
1Checking is good. Checking again is better
As soon as the cacao beans arrive in Glarus, we check them again. Did they survive the journey? Do they smell nice? Is the moisture content acceptable? What is the fat composition? These are just some of the criteria our laboratory checks on a random sample basis. Only if all the values meet our criteria do we use the beans.
2Just cocoa. Nothing else
Before we roast the beans, they are thoroughly cleaned. We remove grains of sand, jute fibers, and small pieces of metal using fine-mesh sieves, compressed air, and magnets. After that, the beans are washed.
3Off to new realms of flavor
We heat the beans in an infrared drum while they are still wet, which causes the shells to break open and dissolve. All that remains are the cocoa nibs, the basic ingredient of our cocoa mass. The roasting process begins immediately afterwards. This is an art in itself. The temperature and roasting time need to be adapted to each type of bean. They determine the aromas and flavors the nibs develop, from balanced to slightly bitter and intense.
4Our unique recipe
In a beater blade mill, the roasted nibs are crushed and heated until the cocoa mass is formed. For our milk chocolate, we now add real Swiss granulated sugar, powdered milk from Swiss cows, vanilla extract from Madagascar, and natural soy lecithin as a binder. Everything is calculated precisely, down to each gram. Then it’s time to mix. Incidentally, dark chocolate doesn’t contain any powdered milk, and no cocoa mass is used in white chocolate, just cocoa butter.
5Melt in the mouth
After mixing, the refinement process begins. The mixture is rolled a total of five times until the chocolate mixture reach the degree of fineness we require. The powder is then stirred in the conche for six to 24 hours, where the smooth texture and exquisite taste develop. Unwanted residual acids evaporate, and the warm cocoa butter turns the chocolate liquid. The result? Fresh couverture.
6Liquid chocolate
Just a few hours later, the fresh couvertures are already on their way to our chocolate manufactory. Once the couvertures arrive, our chocolatiers refine them, delicately by hand in some cases, into the chocolate creations you see in our chocolateries, which you’re welcome to come and try, of course.
In our small chocolate factory, we craft ten exquisite couvertures, ranging from delicate white chocolate to pure-source Single Origin creations. Recently, we’ve also introduced a dark milk chocolate with reduced sugar, offering a more balanced, cocoa-forward experience. With such variety, there is truly something to delight every palate.
Did you know that we still follow many processes the same way we always have? It’s not because we’re skeptical of innovation, quite the opposite in fact. But are there certain manual processes that can’t be replicated, even with the help of state-of-the-art technologies. That’s why we rely on our chocolatiers, with their many years of experience, keen sense and attention to detail.
Our FrischSchoggi Florentine Milk requires a lot of work by hand before we can put it on display. First, almonds, sugar, butter, and fresh cream are mixed into a creamy mass and heated. The caramelized Florentine mixture is then thinly applied to a close-meshed baking net and kept warm in the oven. Before the Florentine bar has completely cooled, we press it by hand onto the fresh milk chocolate, which is still spreadable. A lot of finesse is required here to ensure nothing breaks, but enough pressure should be applied to ensure both halves stick together firmly.
A lot of dedication goes into each and every one of our pralines, and sometimes a freshly roasted hazelnut from Piedmont, too. In our Piedmontese Milk, for example, a Tonda Gentile Trilobata is coated with liquid hazelnut gianduja, with an artfully applied gianduja cream swirl providing an exclusive finish. But not just for the Piedmontese Milk: many of our pralines are decorated by hand in our factory, be it with a dipping fork, a stencil, or by adding a pistachio.
We have been enriching the world of chocolate with innovation ever since we were founded, sometimes even with mini-revolutions. Take our thin-walled hollow truffle shells, for instance, a patented technique we still use today. Yet one principle has never changed: only by lovingly refining our truffles can we transform them into exclusive, creamy masterpieces. Each hollow shell is furnished with delicately melting truffle filling before being dipped in couverture. We then roll the truffles on a grid to give them their hallmark surface texture.
Our chocolatiers are particularly busy in the run-up to Easter. After all, each of our bunnies is individually hand-painted, including Lou. First, we make the eyes, the pupils with dark chocolate, and then the rest with white chocolate. After they have hardened, we pour milk chocolate into the mold and wait for it to cool. After coming out of the mold, Lou’s ear is contoured with liquid chocolate and sprinkled with powder with edible silver. Now all that’s missing is the colored bow, and Easter is well and truly wrapped here.
If you’ve got something important to say, say it with chocolate. We start with a milk chocolate heart with freshly caramelized hazelnuts, then top it with a second, slightly smaller heart made of white chocolate. Next comes the most important bit: a steady hand. You need absolute concentration and technical finesse when it comes to lettering. After all, corrections aren’t an option here; the stroke has to be perfect the first time. Many of our chocolatiers are masters of this calligraphic art and make every greeting heart a precious, one-of-a-kind gesture.
Luxury chocolate is like a fine wine or good cheese, it reveals its full flavor only with expert tasting. This is the only way to experience all the tastes and textures and reveal hidden nuances.
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