The origin of the cocoa bean

The basic ingredient in chocolate is the cocoa bean, which comes from the tropical jungle. The fruits of the cocoa tree are harvested in Central Africa, cut open and then covered with banana leaves. The sun's rays warm the pulp and the beans, which leads to a natural fermentation process during which precious flavours develop.

The viscosity of chocolate

The liquid chocolate is checked for its flow property, known as viscosity. If it is right, this means that the ingredients have all combined in a fine, smooth chocolate mass during the production process.

From cocoa bean to chocolate

After roasting, the beans are broken and ground, then pressed to separate them into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. The cocoa powder is enriched with ingredients such as sugar and milk powder, rolled, and then stirred in heat to remove any unwanted tannins. The last step on the way to chocolate is conching, when it is refined with cocoa butter.

Samples

Like the quality check, the enjoyment of chocolate appeals to every one of the senses. Whereas the weight is checked using scales, the sheen on the surface is obvious on sight, and the consistency when the chocolate is broken and bitten into. The flavour and aroma develop as the scent enters the nose and the chocolate melts on the tongue.

Around the globe

Every day, SWISS hands out around 45,000 pieces of the chocolate that are its thank-you to passengers – and a delicious taste of the things for which Switzerland is famous.