Handmade Chocolate and the Amazing Process
Ever wonder where the food you eat comes from?
Our gorgeous 5-year-old asks us where almost everything comes from and we don't always have a great answer. But when asked about our Bare Self Chocolate Range, we could walk you through the whole process.
After the idea sparked…” A delicious healthy chocolate for women to assist their sacred cycle”; us three girls made a trip to our local organic shop and gathered the ingredients and herbs ready to trial making chocolate in the kitchen at home.
We felt like kids making mudpie in the backyard, letting our imaginations run. We were in full creative mode, mixing up about 7 different bowls, tasting as we went- the different bitterness and sweetness levels of herbs mixing with cocoa and our other ingredients. Finding balance of health and delicious flavour.
Quickly, we learned that chocolate is an art form and there is a meticulous method to produce quality cocoa products.
Since then, the chocolate making process found us in the gorgeous Byron Bay NSW, where our entire Bare Self Chocolate range is handmade by our passionate chocolatier, professionally trained in creating the finest artisan chocolate products.
We spent days in the factory, learning in fascination at the skills and steps required to form a bar of chocolate.
From grinding down the cocoa nibs in a melanger, stone mill. This machine refines the ingredients for a minimum of 48 hours, eliminating any grit texture in the chocolate. A slow process but definitely worth the time.
We learnt the tempering and moulding process. Tempering is where the chocolate heats and cools. This step is crucial to form the desirable smooth texture and sharp snap when you break the chocolate. Once tempered, the chocolate is poured into moulds and any air bubbles are vibrated out, before being put to set.
Once the delicious dark chocolates are set, they are hand packed and ready to be sold to a gorgeous Bare Self Babe, such as yourself.
We think the handmade process is so cool and interesting.
We may not be able to explain why dogs bark and why the sky is blue but darling 5-year old Ava was pretty impressed with how our chocolate come about.
Lots of love, Bare Self Babes
