Bean-To-Bar

What is Bean-To-Bar?

Bean-to-Bar is a straightforward term used in the chocolate industry, meaning that the chocolate comes directly from the cocoa bean to the product, a delicious chocolate bar.

The journey a cocoa bean takes from the tree to the bar requires many stages, which Jika takes into very careful consideration which requires time, care, and patience. We believe that this is something that is extremely important, ensuring that the end product is of the highest quality. At Jika, we deal directly with the cocoa farmer cooperatives to ensure that all processes are executed correctly with care from the moment they are harvested. This will also give the farmers the opportunity to learn how to properly take care of the beans which will give them a better price, helping the farmers who live in poorer regions. The care, consideration and skill that goes into every step of production of our chocolate is what makes our product special, not just in its decadent taste, but also that it helps the local farmers’ quality of life.

The process begins with harvesting the beans. Ripe cocoa pods are harvested twice a year, varying by region. The region will also impact the flavor profiles, see more on our single origin page to read about where our chocolate comes from along with their unique flavors. After harvesting, we ferment our beans, a crucial stage that is sometimes skipped at other chocolate manufacturers. Fermentation ensures that the unique flavor profiles are expressed in the chocolate. This process takes around 5 days but is vital in creating the unique and exotic flavor profiles you can only find at Jika. Then we move on to the drying process, where the beans are spread evenly and then left to dry for up to 2 weeks before they are transferred into sacks that are then sent out for transport from the farms to us in Jakarta.

After the beans are carefully sorted and then roasted the cocoa nib is left. The cocoa nibs are then grounded with stone rollers until they are made into a paste, the paste is then pressed together with 100% cocoa butter, something that Jika takes pride in as some other chocolate companies will use a cheaper variant such as vegetable oil. After this, the cocoa is sent to tempering. This is a process whereby the chocolate’s temperature is carefully raised and lowered. By tempering the chocolate, we are left with a product that gives you the melt-in-your mouth texture and a delicious taste. And now the chocolate is ready for its mould! We then pour the liquid chocolate into moulds by hand, where they are then left to cool until they are hard and ready to enjoy!