Variety and blend of the beans are the components in making a good chocolate, and we prefer to use the Criollo bean, which accounts for the top 5% of world production, and is a very high quality bean which is deeply aromatic and lacking in bitterness. We source the beans ourself, and visit individual plantations to find the very best. We maintain close contact with the plantation, and will be there, working with the farmer, throughout the harvest.
Once harvested and dried, the cacao is shipped to our atelier in France, where we work with a team of artisans who are each talented in their own right. It is here that the lengthy process of cleaning, roasting, conching and tempering gets underway; taking up to a week the end result is the couverture. |
The art of creating the perfect chocolate means using natural ingredients of the highest quality sourced from around the world, and we pays equal attention to this as we do to the chocolate beans themselves. Thus vanilla is sourced from Tahiti, hazelnuts from Piedmont in Italy, almonds from Faro in Portugal.
Once we has assembled the ingredients he is able to fashion what The Times call 'the most perfect pralines and tantalising truffles' by building up layers of textures and tastes. The same care and attention that goes into making the finest wine is applied to making the finest chocolate, and from bean to bar we are wholly responsible for the product.
No compromises are made for the sake of mass production, no dilution of profits is permitted just to build profits. No resting on laurels is accepted, no matter how many awards are won. Our philosophy is "to aim to be the best, and always improve." |