Traditional Mexican Chocolate - A Memory Revisited

My mother’s parents were from Mexico.  I remember sneaking into the pantry, looking for the yellow and red box of Abuelita.  The hexagon tablets with the aroma of cinnamon and chocolate.  My grandfather would make me Mexican hot chocolate but when he was unavailable, I was happy to bite into a gritty wedge.

http://www.nestleusa.com/brands/drinks/abuelita

The flavor profile of Mexican chocolate is truly different from European style chocolate. Mexican chocolate is a type of chocolate which is prepared with an assortment of spices for a very distinctive and rich flavor. Typical Mexican chocolate is made with roasted and ground cacao nibs, sugar, and cinnamon. Other spices such as nutmeg and allspice may be added, along with nuts, and chilies are sometimes used as well.

June of this year (2016) I traveled to Cabo San Lucas.  This trip as all my others incorporated a search for chocolate.  I came across a  French style bistro in the heart of the colonial square of San Jose del Cabo, French Rivera Los Cabos.    The counter case was filled with truffles, I bought one of each.  Upon returning to my hotel room, I sat on the balcony overlooking the beautiful sea and began to taste.  I was thrilled to bite into a lovely chocolate truffle in the shape of a cacao pod and taste the familiar flavor of   Aubelita.  However, this truffle was a more sophisticated version.

http://frenchrivieraloscabos.com/

The beginning of July (2016) I ordered a batch of chocolates from Kahului, Hawaii a small chocolate maker; Tiki Bar Candy.   http://www.tikibarcandy.com/.  Because I am a self-professed chocophile and because the bars are reasonably priced at $2.75/each, I order 1 of each flavor.  Tiki Bar’s are smooth and creamy. Their dark chocolate is absent of bitterness. The milk chocolate was the perfect balance of sweetness and milky.   Naturally, I consumed all the traditional Hawaiian style flavors first.  One of the last bars I tried was “Dark & Chocolatey Chile Peppers”.  My first bite and there it was again, my childhood in the pantry.

Then just last week in August (2016) received my order from Lagustas Lucious.  This company was founded by a vegan chef committed producing high quality chocolates located in New Paltz, New York.  I ordered a box of the “12 Vandanas”.  The chef has named these chocolates after Vandana Shiva  an Indian scholar, environmental activist and femmanist.  It is my opinion the chef has done well in honoring this extraordinary woman.  The chocolates carry a bold Mexican cinnamon flavor, with a subtle hint of heat  from ancho chile, tempered with Maui vanilla beans.

http://www.lagustasluscious.com/shop/

It’s funny how  a childhood memory can become buried for years.  Then suddenly and with true delight return to greet you. 

Who Wants Chocolate?

Who Wants Chocolate?

Author: Marisa Mudge 2015

 The global chocolate industry is an $82 billion dollar business.  It is expected to have 2% annual growth per year now until 2030.  A chocolate bar is often considered an “affordable luxury.” (Marcia Mogelonsky, Global Food Analyst at researcher Mintel. Chocolate) Even during difficult economic times when consumers spend less on big ticket items, sales continue to strengthen in the chocolate industry.

 A KPMG industry report segments chocolate consumers into 3 types of buyers.  These segments are: the convenience buyer, the value buyer and the luxury buyer.  Each of these markets have unique demands. (KPMG, 2012)

 First, is the convenience buyer looking to “grab and go.”  This buyer is time deficient and requires accessibility that is in alignment with their lifestyle.  The need for convenience will give rise to new sales channels for chocolate.  The convenience buyer will also want to consume part of their bar and save the rest for later.  Mars has developed the “memory wrapper” it is reusable chocolate bar wrapper, allowing the consumer to keep the uneaten potion of the bar fresh for later consumption.

Second, is the value buyer, this buyer is looking for a premium product at a medium to low price point.  The value buyer is becoming a significant segment in the emerging market economies. The emerging markets are BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey) countries.  Research from financial services provider Rabobank, a 45g chocolate bar accounted for less than 1% of the weekly shopping budget in the US and UK in 2010, but in India the same bar made up 18% of the weekly food allowance. (Bhosale, 2014) Three of the major players in the chocolate world Mars, Nestle and Hershey are already set to launch lower priced bars into these EME (emerging market economies).  These companies will lower the cost of the bars by producing a smaller size bar, with lower quality ingredients and less cocoa. However, it is also expected that the growing middle class with disposable income will develop a taste for fine premium chocolate.

            Third, is the luxury buyer, this consumer is the connoisseur.  They possess knowledge about the art and craft of chocolate. Price is a secondary consideration after quality. This buyer seeks extended flavor offerings as well as exclusive chocolates with limited production.  The luxury consumer will go to great lengths to procure the highest quality product.

 

How is chocolate made?

How is chocolate made?

Roasting- the cacao beans are roasted in large, rotating ovens, at temperatures of about 210-290F. Roasting lasts from half an hour up to two hours. The heat brings out more flavor and aroma, and it dries and darkens the beans

Cracking-The husk must be removed from the shell, roasting will make the husk loose. When the husk is cracked the process of removing the husk from the nibs (winnow) can begin.

Winnowing (discarding the shells) - The beans are transferred to a “winnower” that removes the shells of the beans and leaves the “nibs”—the essence of the cocoa bean that’s full of cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Milling (grinding)-The nibs are then transferred to a mill where they are ground to a liquid. The liquefied beans are called chocolate liquor, but no alcohol is involved. The term means "liquid." The liquor is poured into molds and, when it hardens, is plain unsweetened chocolate.

Pressing- To produce cocoa powder and cocoa butter, the unsweetened chocolate is pumped into giant hydraulic presses that weigh up to 25 tons. Under pressure—up to 6,000 pounds per square inch—the cocoa butter becomes a yellow liquid that drains away through metallic screens and is collected for later use. What remains is a dry, pressed brown cake that is cooled, pulverized, sifted and sold as cocoa powder.

Big Chocolate versus Small Batch

Big Chocolate versus Small Batch

Author: Marisa Mudge May 2015

Figure 2 (Bean, nd)

 “Big Chocolate” is used to describe multi-national food producers. Cargill, Barry Callebaut and ADM. Together they control 40% of global cocoa processing and supply chocolate to industrial food companies that use chocolate in their products. Mars Incorporated, Nestlé, Hershey, Mondelez International, and Ferrero together control 57.4% of the chocolate market.

Top 10 “Big Chocolate” Companies

Mars, Inc: Brands- Snickers, Mars Bar, Milky Way, M&Ms, and Twix

Nestl USA: Brands- Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Kit Kat, Milky Bar, Matchmakers, Nestl Crunch, Oh Henry, and the Wonka Bars

Ferrero SpA: Brands- Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, Mon Cheri, and Giotto

Cadbury (Kraft): Brands- Cadbury, Fry's and Green & Black's

The Hershey Company: Brands- Hershey's Milk Chocolate, Hershey's Special Dark and Hershey's Cookies & Cream

Barry Callebaut AG: Brands- Sarotti in Germany, Jacques in Belgium and Alprose in Switzerland

Kraft Foods, Inc: Brands- Toblerone and Oreo

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprngli AG: Brands –Lindor

Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd: Brands - Hello Panda and Yan Yan

 Russell Stover Candies Inc: Brands – Russell Stover

(O'Coughlin, 2009)

The “Big” mass market chocolate companies must compete on a global scale and typically at competitive price points.  Big chocolate can offer lower priced chocolate and maintain profitability because they lower the cost and quality of the inputs. Mass produced chocolates may contain more than the basic ingredients in an attempt to lower cost.  Production costs can be decreased by reducing cocoa solids content or by substituting cocoa butter with another fat.  Wax may be used to achieve a high gloss instead of the more costly tempering technique. “Big Chocolate” will abandon quality and technique in exchange for lower costs and higher margins.

Small-batch producers are interested in producing a high quality premium chocolate. Craft Chocolate contains a simple list of ingredients: pure cacao, butter, cacao powder and a sweetener. This craft makers produce in small batches and often from beans they have personally sourced. A small batch producer will use between 2 and 200 MT of cocoa beans per year. They will make bean-to-bar chocolate in one facility using traditional techniques

Small batch chocolate and Big chocolate have different goals. Big chocolate targets the mass market with a medium to low price point. Craft chocolate targets the connoisseur at the premium price point. (Green, 2014)

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)

Chocolate - Small Batch, The Artisanal Culinary Movement

The Artisanal Culinary Movement; A movement towards Small Batch

Author: Marisa Mudge - The Chocolate Distribution Company , May 2015

The Anthropology of Contemporary Culture in 2006 featured an article claiming the emergence of an artisanal culinary movement in the United States. (Ness, 2006)  Among the food categories named are cheese, salt, bread, pickles, quick serve restaurants, chocolate, beer, olive oil and ice cream.  The article then identifies 10 cultural components driving the artisanal culinary movement. Below are the 10 key drivers with a brief explanation:

1.      A desire to experience things that are human scale or in tiny batches.  The author illustrates the point by comparing Morton’s salt, a large industrial scale produced product to small batch sea salt production.

2.      Consumers are developing a preference for things that are handmade. This notion is a departure from the past when mechanically manufactured products were more desirable and a handmade product were a sign of poverty.

3.      Foods that are raw and untransformed.  This aspect can be traced to the hippie movement of the 1960’s when a philosophy of no transformation is the best transformation prevailed.

4.      Unbranded foods have gained prestige over brands.  The example is used of cheese from a farmers market is considered better because it is unbranded.

5.      Personalized purchasing experience.  Consumers want to see the faces and know the stories of the people producing the products they purchase.

6.      Traceability, foodies want to know where food came from and how it arrived.  Farm to Table. 

7.      Authenticity; The James Beard website praises "an artisanal movement that’s bringing back flavors of a world untainted by Wonder-bread and Kraft singles."

8.      Locally grown or made. The article references a quote from Sally Bany, co-owner and brand manager for the west coast chocolate company, Moonstruck.

"We add chili pepper to it and it becomes a conversation piece for the sales person. ‘Have you tried this particular chocolate. It has these flavors because it’s grown in this region.’ People learn where in the world it came from, the variety and taste characteristics."

9.      Connoisseurship; knowledge and awareness of small batch products has become a sign of sophistication.

10.  Simplified. Artisanal small batch products are perceived as being simple and in their purist form.  (McCracken, 2006)

Chocolate-“Food of the Gods”-In the Beginning

Chocolate-“Food of the Gods”

Made from the cocoa bean that is found in pods from the cacao tree, the earliest documented record of chocolate was over fifteen hundred years ago in Central America. (Wilbur Chocolate, nd) With its’ tropical climate of high temperatures year round and high rain fall, Central America provides the ideal climate for the cacao tree,  or “food of the gods” per its Latin name, the Obroma Cacao. The origins of chocolate are believed to have begun with the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations, who made a spicy chocolati drink from roasted cocoa beans. The Aztec drink was described as “finely ground, soft, foamy, reddish, bitter with chilli water, aromatic flowers, vanilla and wild honey” from roasted chocolate beans.  (Wilbur Chocolate, nd) The Aztecs considered the drink a luxury, and consumed it in large quantities. The Maya brewed a spicy, similar drink by roasting and pounding the seeds of the cacao tree with maize and capsicum peppers and then letting the mix ferment. Both drinks were considered ceremonial, and the Aztecs considered it an aphrodisiac. It is reported that Montezuma, the Aztec emperor drank the drink fifty times a day from a golden goblet, and is quoted  to saying “the divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.” in regards to the chocolate drink.

When the Spanish invaded Central America, they found more than just gold. Don Cortes, a Captain General and Governor of Mexico returned to Spain in 1528 with his galleons filled with cocoa beans and equipment for making the chocolati drink. The drink soon gained popularity in Spain. (Maya, 2011)

An Italian traveler to Central America, Francesco Carletti, learned how to make the drink from watching the Indians preparing the beans and making the drink. He brought the recipe and equipment back to Italy and by 1606 chocolate was well established in Italy. In 1615, Anne, daughter of Phillip 2 of Spain married King Louis 13 of France, and brought the chocolate recipe with her. The drink was well accepted in the French Court, as they believed it had medicinal benefits as well as nutritional merit. The custom of drinking chocolate made its way to England in around 1520, and the first chocolate house opened in London in 1657. (Wilbur Chocolate, nd)

The first chocolate factories opened in Spain, where the dried beans from Central America were transported to, stored, and turned to chocolate powder that was then exported throughout Europe. 

Sir Hans Sloane, an English doctor, is believed to be the first to bring from Central America back to Europe a recipe for chocolate blended with milk to create milk chocolate. The original Cadbury milk chocolate recipe was based on Sir Hans Sloane’s recipe. (MacDougall, 2003)

When the pilgrims came to North America, they brought their chocolate powder and recipes with them. Quakers, became well entrenched in chocolate, with some of the most well-known names in chocolate being tied to Quakers. Fry, Rowtree and Cadbury were all chocolate manufacturers known to have Quaker roots. (Office at West Hills Friends, nd) In the mid 1600’s bakers in Europe began to add chocolate powder to cakes, beginning the start of eating chocolate in solid form. In 1828, Johannes van Houten, a Dutch chemist, invented the method of extracting the bitter tasting fat or “cocoa butter” from the roasted beans, leading the way for solid chocolate manufacturing. In 1847 Joseph Fry (of Fry & Sons) is credited with producing and selling the worlds’ first chocolate bar, mixing sugar with cocoa powder and cocoa butter. (Quakers In the World, nd) In 1875, Daniel Peters, a Swiss manufacturer combined cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sugar, and dried milk powder to produce the first milk chocolate in solid form. (annmariekostyk.com, 2011)