Elevate Your Creations with Callebaut

Callebaut chocolate is for people who demand nothing less than the best chocolate for their baking and dessert delicacies. Since they made their first products in 1911 in the small Belgian town of Wieze, Callebaut has been using the finest cocoa beans in each recipe to create delightful chocolate for bakeries, restaurants and home consumers. Their experts carefully select bean blends from West Africa, South America and Asia to create recipes that have just the right fullness, fruitiness and other notes. At World Wide Chocolate, you can experience the bliss in every bite when you buy Callebaut chocolate from the world’s leading high-quality cocoa manufacturer.

SUSTAINABLE COCOA FARMING

Callebaut collaborates closely with farmer cooperatives in Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Ecuador through the Cocoa Horizons program to produce cocoa that is sustainable and traceable. This initiative focuses on training and implementing social and environmental projects to achieve three key goals: ensuring the long-term prosperity of cocoa farmers, empowering local communities, and protecting the environment by preventing deforestation.

FERMENTING COCOA BETWEEN BANANA LEAVES

After harvesting, the proper fermentation of cocoa beans is essential for developing the flavors that give chocolate its distinctive taste. In West Africa, farmers traditionally ferment the beans using banana leaves right in the fields.

SELECTED FOR PREMIUM QUALITY

Callebaut meticulously selects large, high-quality cocoa beans from the main crop to ensure a richer and more intense chocolate flavor. Each batch of beans is pre-cleaned and undergoes multiple quality checks before being chosen and shipped. Utilizing beans of similar sizes in the subsequent processes is crucial for achieving consistent roasting results.

ONLY JUTE-BAGGED BEANS

For Callebaut’s Finest Belgian Chocolates, they exclusively source jute-bagged cocoa beans. Jute is a natural material that allows the beans to breathe and helps regulate their moisture content. The beans are then stacked in containers for shipping to the Antwerp port, where they undergo final quality checks.

COCOA FLAVOR ANALYSIS

To ensure quality, a sample is taken from each bag of beans to determine the taste profile of the cocoa lot. This taste profile is recorded in Callebaut’s bean library and is then utilized by their master blenders to craft the perfect blend.

WHOLE BEAN ROASTING

Callebaut honors the dedication of cocoa farmers by roasting whole beans while they remain in their shells using a unique continuous flow method. This roasting technique gently exposes the beans to heat for a brief period, enhancing their rich and nuanced flavors. Callebaut is committed to this method as the optimal way to unlock the full potential of each bean.

REFINING COCOA LIQUOR

After roasting, Callebaut breaks the beans and carefully removes the shells from the cocoa nibs through a process called winnowing. The nibs are then ground in three stages to produce Callebaut’s fine cocoa liquor, which is essential for crafting their dark and milk chocolates.

MIXING INGREDIENTS

Callebaut’s cocoa liquor is expertly blended with premium ingredients such as beet sugar. Depending on the recipe, a variety of milk types and natural vanilla are blended to create a rich and indulgent chocolate dough.

CONCHING THE CHOCOLATE

Conching shapes the final flavor of Callebaut’s chocolate by first addressing its initial acidity. In a two-step process, expert conchers meticulously maintain the perfect balance of fruity and sour notes while eliminating excess acidity. This careful technique not only enhances the overall taste but also creates the smooth, velvety texture that chefs appreciate in Callebaut’s chocolates.