Processing
Philosophy

From the Source Region to Ibach-Schwyz ...

Felchlin imports cacao from various regions spanning five continents. The journey of the cocoa beans from the respective country of origin to Switzerland takes place under the highest hygienic and quality requirements. Our mission is to guarantee that only the best cacao beans are processed.

... from Cacao to Couverture

The cacao beans once again enjoy tender loving care at the headquarters in Ibach-Schwyz: processing takes place in specific, gentle and traditional stages; depending on the type of bean and the desired flavour. This is the only way to turn the cacao into the couverture from Felchlin that is popular all over the world.

Cleaning and Roasting

The first step in the manufacturing process is to clean the cacao beans. They are debacterised by treating them with steam at a temperature of 127°C . This is followed by the traditional roasting of the cacao, which is carried out slowly and carefully in small batches. The temperature and roasting time depend on the characteristics of the bean and the desired roast aromas.

Crushing, Grinding

The beans, once cooled, enter the crusher, where they are broken up and the shell parts are separated out. In the triple mill, the crushed beans are then ground to a fineness of 25 to 30 micrometres over three pairs of grinding stones. Small ceramic balls weighing 150 kg then process the mass in the ball mill and reduce its fineness once again to around 15 to 20 micrometres.

Kneading, Rolling

The preparation for the dark couverture is mixed in the kneading machine: liquid cacao pulp, liquid cacao butter, granulated sugar and, if required by the recipe, natural vanilla from Madagascar. The same raw materials are supplemented with milk and cream powder for the milk chocolate. The mixture is kneaded for several minutes. The kneaded material is transferred to the fine roller mill via the pre-roller and is reduced to a fineness of around 16 micrometres.

Conching

Using the traditional process in the longitudinal conche, the flavours in the cacao can be best brought out through hours of agitation and aeration. Conching can take up to 72 hours and will depend on the properties of the bean and the recipe. Slowly warming the couverture brings the delicate flavours to the fore.

Reinigen roesten
Brechen vermahlen enet
Kneten walzen enet
Conchieren enet

Cleaning and Roasting

The first step in the manufacturing process is to clean the cacao beans. They are debacterised by treating them with steam at a temperature of 127°C . This is followed by the traditional roasting of the cacao, which is carried out slowly and carefully in small batches. The temperature and roasting time depend on the characteristics of the bean and the desired roast aromas.

Reinigen roesten

Crushing, Grinding

The beans, once cooled, enter the crusher, where they are broken up and the shell parts are separated out. In the triple mill, the crushed beans are then ground to a fineness of 25 to 30 micrometres over three pairs of grinding stones. Small ceramic balls weighing 150 kg then process the mass in the ball mill and reduce its fineness once again to around 15 to 20 micrometres.

Brechen vermahlen enet

Kneading, Rolling

The preparation for the dark couverture is mixed in the kneading machine: liquid cacao pulp, liquid cacao butter, granulated sugar and, if required by the recipe, natural vanilla from Madagascar. The same raw materials are supplemented with milk and cream powder for the milk chocolate. The mixture is kneaded for several minutes. The kneaded material is transferred to the fine roller mill via the pre-roller and is reduced to a fineness of around 16 micrometres.

Kneten walzen enet

Conching

Using the traditional process in the longitudinal conche, the flavours in the cacao can be best brought out through hours of agitation and aeration. Conching can take up to 72 hours and will depend on the properties of the bean and the recipe. Slowly warming the couverture brings the delicate flavours to the fore.

Conchieren enet