FOOD NEWS
What Does Bean To Bar Mean When Buying Chocolate?
By Ashley Reut
If you're not familiar with the process of making chocolate, the term "bean-to-bar" can seem a little confusing. Ultimately, when you learn what bean-to-bar means, it will be easier to differentiate between chocolatiers and chocolate makers.
Chocolatiers, also called confectioners or candy makers, take already-made chocolate and melt it down into their own creations. A chocolate maker, on the other hand, creates the chocolate from scratch, from cacao beans which are roasted and ground up then mixed with other ingredients like sugar and cocoa butter.
A bean-to-bar producer will definitely be a chocolate maker, making them the chocolate world’s equivalent of a farm-to-table producer. However, all categories of chocolate — dark, milk, or white — can be "bean to bar," as it really boils down to the producer rather than the type.
Hershey's, for example, is obviously not going to fall under that category, but smaller brands like Raaka or Dandelion can proudly call themselves bean-to-bar brands. Whatever your taste buds draw you to, there's going to be a range of bean-to-bar and mass-produced chocolate in whatever form you like best.