Raaka’s Unique & Unroasted Bean-to-bar Chocolate

At The High Five Company, we’re dedicated to bringing the finest bean-to-bar craft chocolate to Europe and beyond. Our partnership with Raaka Chocolate enables us to distribute their exceptional chocolate, crafted through a meticulous process that preserves the natural, fruity flavours of cacao and pairs them with ingenious and enticing ingredients. Raaka uses some of the finest cacao single origin cacao in the world, and they are pioneers in transparent trade.

Raaka Chocolate specialises in unroasted chocolate to highlight the unique flavours of the cacao bean itself. By skipping the roasting process, Raaka preserves the bean’s natural and inherent aromas, which vary depending on the genetics, the region, the soil, and the climate where the cacao is grown. The unroasted approach allows them to showcase the pure complexity and character of each bean.

Let’s take a deeper look at Raaka’s mesmerising bean-to-bar chocolate making process…

Harvesting and Fermentation

Cacao beans are the seeds of the Theobroma cacao fruit tree, which produces large, football-shaped pods filled with sweet pulp and about forty to sixty seeds. These seeds, known as “wet cacao,” are harvested by hand and undergo fermentation in wooden boxes covered with banana leaves for four to seven days. This fermentation process generates heat, reaching around 50°C, which is crucial for developing the flavours and aromas associated with chocolate. Although it’s the pulp that ferments, the cacao seeds are affected by the fermentation, enhancing their flavour and aroma.

Drying the Beans

After fermentation, the cacao beans are dried either in the sun or in solar drying tunnels for up to a week. This drying process reduces the moisture content of the beans to about 7%, preventing mould growth. The beans are raked periodically to ensure even drying. Once dried, they’re sorted and packed into burlap sacks for shipment to Raaka’s factory in Brooklyn, New York.

Receiving and Sorting

After travelling across the ocean, the beans arrive at the Raak factory and are carefully sorted. Raaka’s team inspects the beans to ensure only the highest quality are used in their chocolate-making process.

Recipe Development

Raaka tailors each recipe to highlight the unique flavors of the specific cacao beans they are working with. For instance, particularly fruity beans might be used in fruit-forward bars, while beans with earthy notes might feature in seasonal varieties like Ginger Snap or classics like the Bourbon Cask Aged bar.

Grinding and Conching

The next step involves grinding the cacao beans into a fine paste. Raaka then conches the chocolate paste, a process of stirring and aerating it for an extended period, up to around 72 hours. This technique helps evaporate volatile compounds and excess acetic acid, allowing the flavors to saturate the cacao butter more completely and bringing out a delicious depth in each batch.

Tempering and Molding

Tempering is the process of stabilising the crystalline structure of chocolate’s fat molecules, achieved through precise heating, cooling, and reheating. This ensures the finished chocolate has a beautiful sheen and a satisfying, crisp snap. Once tempered, the chocolate is poured into molds and placed on racks to cool in Raaka’s cooling room.

Demolding and Wrapping

After cooling, the chocolate bars are demolded by hand. For the first four years, Raaka hand-wrapped every chocolate bar, but they have since adopted a specialized wrapping machine from Switzerland to ensure consistency and efficiency.

Sharing and Enjoying

With the bean-to-bar process complete, the chocolate is ready to be shared with the world!

Why We Value This Partnership

The High Five Company is dedicated to sourcing bean-to-bar chocolate from passionate makers who prioritize ethical practices and exceptional quality. Raaka Chocolate embodies these values through their admirable transparent trade practices and innovative approach to chocolate making.

By distributing Raaka’s unroasted chocolate throughout Europe and beyond, we offer our customers uncommonly well produced products that align with our commitment to quality and sustainability. Raaka Chocolate is an ideal collaborator in our mission to make people happy with good, honest chocolate.

Check out the full Raaka range and place your wholesale order today!

Photos courtesy of Raaka Chocolate.