How do you make chocolate from the cocoa bean?

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20 minutes

  • Taking advantage of the confinement, an ice cream parlor located in Villeneuve d'Ascq, near Lille, decided to launch into the production of chocolate from the bean.

  • With this process, he seeks to find all the aromas of chocolate.

Upon entering the small workshop, the smell of cocoa takes on the nose.

Taking advantage of the confinement, an ice cream maker based in Villeneuve d'Ascq, near Lille, decided to embark on the production of chocolate from A to Z, that is to say from the bean.

A fairly rare artisanal process in the North.

But Corrado Barberis seeks above all to find all the aromas of cocoa.

A new challenge for this former finance student who worked for the World Bank for six years in Washington, DC, before setting up, with three partners, a wind farm project company in Italy, his native country.

In 2013, his box was bought by a large group.

He decides to drop everything.

“I was tired of going back and forth between Lille and Italy because my wife was working at the University of Lille.

In addition, our wind turbine project was becoming too industrial, ”he explains to

20 Minutes

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"The confinement has accelerated things"

He then put his business studies into practice by opening a workshop for the manufacture and sale of homemade ice cream.

“I didn't know anything about ice cream making, but there was a market.

I learned, ”he slips.

And well learned, because gelato & Coffee stamped ice creams - the name of his company - quickly become a benchmark among gourmets.

Except with the health crisis linked to Covid-19, ice cream sales have slowed down a bit this year.

“For two or three years, I had had the idea of ​​making my own chocolate for use in ice cream.

The confinement has accelerated things ”, admits Corrado Barberis.

The first step in making chocolate from the cocoa bean.

- G. Durand / 20 Minutes

In the fall of 2020, next to his ice cream workshop, he is setting up another dedicated to chocolate making.

“Traditionally, fall has been a quieter time for ice cream.

While the chocolate factory is in full swing before the end of the year holidays.

It is complementary.

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An oven to roast the beans

Since the beginning of December, the first products have been coming out of the chocolate machines, namely the oven to roast the beans, the crusher to obtain the cocoa nibs, the refining room where the mature chocolate and the mixer which allows to '' obtain a smooth paste.

And all this fits in 15 m², manual know-how included.

See dossier on chocolate

“I only use three ingredients: cocoa, hazelnut and organic beet or cane sugar,” says Corrado Barberis, who now offers chocolate bars and spreads or to taste, among others, in addition to its ice creams .

New flavors for 100% cocoa chocolate lovers.

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  • Artisan

  • Gastronomy

  • Christmas

  • Chocolate

  • Confinement

  • Lille