Last February, I booked a visit of a chocolate factory called Chocolat des Princes, near Saint-Étienne, in France. I moderated my expectations and thought it might be just some industrial machines and some chocolate tasting, but it was actually really cool. Not as much as the movie “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory”, but better than what I expected.
First Part Of The Visit: History Of Chocolat Des Princes Chocolate Factory
Some Fun Facts About Cocoa And Chocolate
I am a big fan of chocolate, especially dark and milk, not so much white. But who is, right? In Cusco, Peru, I visited the ChocoMuseo, in Mexico, I visited the Chocolate Museum near the ancient city of Uxmal. So I’m not exactly a rookie when it comes to chocolate production.
Still, I learned a few facts that I didn’t know (or forgot):
- Dark chocolate is made out of cocoa butter, cocoa solids and sugar.
- Milk chocolate is made out of cocoa butter, cocoa solids, sugar and milk powder.
- White chocolate is made out of cocoa butter and sugar. That’s why it’s so fat and sweet.
- You need the annual production of one cocoa tree to only produce 1 kg of cocoa! And it’s getting more and more expensive, because the production doesn’t meet the demand. The woman told us they expect a 50% price increase soon. Enjoy chocolate as long as you can afford it!
- And of course, chocolate is good for your health, it makes you feel like you’re in love.
A Bit Of History About The Chocolat Des Princes Chocolate Factory
First, you have to know that this chocolate factory is not recent, it was created in 1897! Most of the time, it was managed by couples, but the factory changed hands several times.
In the 60s, Antoine Calafell took over the chocolate factory and created new chocolate. One day, as hail was falling on the Pilat region, he had the idea of the “Grêlons du Pilat” (Pilat hail). A real success because, in 1976, it was elected best chocolate in France.
In 2010, a new shop opened in Lyon. The brand expanded a little, but it remained a family business and, honestly, you can feel it when you visit the chocolate factory. It’s human. All year long, about 20 people are working there, but from September, more temporary workers come, to help prepare the Christmas chocolates.
I didn’t think of it, but visiting the factory in February was a good idea because they were preparing Easter chocolates. It was a bit magical to see them make chocolate chicken, roosters and fish. We even got to eat little fish chocolates.
What About The Actual Visit Of The Chocolate Factory?
There were two groups. My group started with the projection of information about Chocolat des Princes and some chocolate tasting, and then we visited the factory. The other group did the opposite.
Seeing How Chocolates Are Born
After putting on a cap and some sort of scrub suit, you get to see the rooms where the action happens. There are several machines, to crush hazelnuts and caramelize almonds, to mix them both and obtain a delicious paste, to make liquor-filled chocolates, to coat sweets with chocolate, and to put bright papers around the chocolates.
By the way, do you know how they put liquor inside the chocolate? If someone had asked me that, I would probably have said “with a needle”. But no, that’s not it.
In reality, they use starch. They fill a rectangular plate with starch powder and they have tools to make holes of the same size and shape inside the powder. They used to do that by hand. Since I didn’t take any pictures during the visit, here is a drawing I made (do not judge).
Then, they use some kind of funnel with a manual opening mechanism to pour the liquor inside the starch-moulds. Once its done, they cover the liquor with starch powder. Once it’s dry, you get a fine coating that you can cover with chocolate. The starch then dissolves and, when you eat the chocolate, you only taste chocolate and liquor. (Another amazing drawing…)
The chocolate factory worked with the university to create a machine, and now they have one that does exactly that. They still do the caramel by hand because it would solidify inside the tubes. Here is a photo from their website.
How About Decorations?
Some decorations are made by hand, simply using a fork, others are made using little plastic squares with edibles colors on them. You apply the plastic on the chocolate and remove it once the colors are transferred onto the sweet.
The visit ends in the shop, where you can buy some deliciousness with a 10 % discount.
To see more photos of France, you can visit the gallery France.
