The Micro-Chocolate Industry: Small Batch Chocolate

The Micro-Chocolate Industry: Small Batch Chocolate

Author : Marisa Mudge – May 2015

According to an article “The emerging world of small batch chocolates”, author Sara Green points to 2006 as the defining year for the acceleration of the Craft Chocolate Movement.  (Green, 2014) Starchef.com published an article on November 2013 “The New American Chocolate Movement”.  The authors interviewed multiple chocolatiers participating in what some have named a renaissance for the chocolate industry. (Sean Kenniff, 20132) “Just as with beer, cheese, and coffee before it, chocolate is being reconsidered by artisan producers and by consumers with high standards. Makers are taking a thoughtful approach to sourcing, origin, sustainability, and traditional manufacturing methods, in order to take chocolate to a new level of quality and craftsmanship,” says Jael Rattigan of French Broad Chocolates, who set up shop in 2006 with husband Dan Rattigan in Asheville, North Carolina.

The bean-to-bar producer takes the cocoa beans direct from the people who grew them and produces a bar containing one kind of bean alone. Similar to the “farm-to-table” movement, “bean-to bar” craft chocolatiers are touching each point in the supply chain. The result is high visibility and traceability of the sourced ingredients. (Culliney, 2012)

Sustainability is typically important to the craft chocolatier. Many of the entrepreneurs invest in the communities from which they source their beans as well as their home community where chocolates are manufactured.  Bean-to-bar manufactures are engaging in direct trade versus fair trade.  Fair trade gained popularity in the coffee industry but the certification is expensive and typically only held by the industry Goliaths. Direct trade allows the micro-chocolate manufacture to interact with the farmer to insure the quality of the product and fair treatment without an expensive certification. (Ness, 2006)

The small batch micro-chocolate industry can be sub-divided into a few product categories. Bean-to-Bar; this manufacture is involved in the complete supply chain. (Shute, 2013) Molded Artisanal Chocolates (MAC); this producer does not have relationships at the source of the supply chain. But this producer carefully selects their chocolate supplies, maintains craft quality chocolate standards and unique product offerings.  Premium chocolate producers may be a small batch company owned in part or entirely by “Big Chocolate”.  A premium company operates from corporate visions as opposed to the artistic vision that drives bean-to-bar (craft) and MAC chocolates.  All the manufacturing types are motived by some or all of the 10 drivers of the artisanal movement. (arsal810, 2011)

The fledgling Micro- Chocolate industry is taking steps to preserve its integrity.  A couple groups have formed Craft Chocolate Makers of America and Cacao Direct.   Both groups have outlined guidelines for membership based annual usage of cacao, technique and ownership stake. (Bruno, 2013)