About CACAO CROWN - 【公式】北海道ニセコのBean to Barチョコレート

A fresh challenge from a Hokkaido farm.

Niseko Takahashi Farm

Cacao farms around the world

We combined our farm’s milk with cacao from around the world.

We use a special process for the milk to bring out its natural sweetness and creamy texture.

We bring in cacao beans from around the world and roast them in Niseko ourselves.

We then grind them for many days using a stone mill.

Created with time and care,

these flavors unfold with a mellow richness or a brilliant,vibrant aroma.

We invite you to experience the passion and story infused in our chocolate.

We’re committed to using high-quality ingredients and methods

to make our premium “Bean to Bar” chocolate

right here in Niseko, Hokkaido.

Introduction

At the foot of Mt. Yotei in Niseko, Hokkaido…

With our farm owner, Mamoru Takahashi’s belief that

“we cannot raise good cows without first creating good soil and growing good pasture,”

Niseko Takahashi Farm has grown into what it is today.

By chance, Takahashi learned about “Bean to Bar” at an exhibition

and decided to make it a central part of the company’s future product development.

“We can create wonderful and unique products by combining our own milk with cacao from around the world.”

At the same time, Takahashi learned that the cacao-producing regions around the world,

which provide one of the main ingredients for “Bean to Bar” chocolate,do not always have favorable conditions.

He decided that the Takahashi Farm and the local community would work together to develop value-added products and expand sales channels,so that cacao farmers could earn a safe and sustainable income.

And so, “CACAO CROWN” was born.

CACAO MAP

Manufacturing process

〜 All processes are carried out in our Niseko workshop. 〜

You can watch the chocolate-making process in our shop.

1．Cleaning

We remove foreign matter from cacao beans that have arrived from farms around the world.

Foreign matter such as stones and twigs may be mixed in with the cacao beans in the bags that arrive from the farms. We remove these and carefully select and sort only the high-quality beans.

2．Roasting

We roast the cacao beans.

Each bean is unique, with its own individual characteristics depending on the country and farm it comes from. To bring out these characteristics, we adjust the roasting temperature and time for each origin. This is a crucial step that, like fermentation, determines the final flavor of the chocolate.

3．Breakting，Winnowing

We grind the roasted cacao beans.

By using air, we separate the crushed cacao beans into cacao nibs (the inner part) and cacao husks (the thin skin). The cacao nibs are used as an ingredient for chocolate and sweets, while the cacao husks are used for things like sweet ingredients or husk tea.

4．Grinding

We grind the cacao nibs into a paste. Since about half of the cacao nib is made of fat, grinding them finely melts the cacao butter and turns them into a paste.

To the cacao nib paste, we add sugar and milk powder and knead it for a long time. This process makes the particles finer, resulting in a smooth, velvety chocolate.

After kneading, we form the chocolate into blocks and let it rest. This allows the particles to stabilize, bringing out the chocolate’s true flavor and aroma.

We are thorough with our temperature management while grinding the chocolate with a stone mill.

5．Tempering

By tempering the chocolate, we stabilize the cacao butter crystals, which results in a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

6．Molding

After tempering, we pour the chocolate into molds. Once it has solidified at the proper temperature and set, it’s ready as a chocolate bar.

Each and every bar is carefully wrapped and delivered to our customers.。

Our thanks to the cacao farmers.

We want to deliver this chocolate to you,

a product that embodies the passion of us, the dairy farmers.