How It's Sourced Refined Crafted Sold
Curious about how we craft our products? Read more to know all the details about our chocolate and jewelry making processes!
GROWING
Our cocoa is shade grown in the Congo by small scale farmers. This forest friendly method protects the natural biodiversity of the mighty rainforests in the Congo.
Harvesting
Our small-scale farmer partners select the ripest pods through their expert knowledge of the crop and extract the wet beans from within.
Fermentation
The fleshy beans that are extracted from cocoa pods are wrapped in banana leaves and put in a special box for about a week to develop a bold flavor profile.
Sun drying
Sun drying is the most eco-friendly way to dry the beans and reduce their water content so the flavor profile is preserved, and they can move on to the next stage of chocolate making.
Sorting & Grading
Sun-dried beans are manually sorted to ensure the highest quality of beans make it through to the finished product. The process is repeated twice.
Traceability & Incident Reporting
As we work a lot in conflict-affected areas, transparency is a huge part of what we do. From farm to factory, we ensure that the cocoa we source is 100% free of conflict, child labor and forced labor, so that you can enjoy superior quality chocolate with a clean conscience.
No supply chain is free of incidents, but transparency goes a long way in ensuring that history does not repeat itself. We value public disclosure of all incidents and our efforts to address them, so they do not happen again.
If you have any questions about our responsible sourcing practices or would like to learn more, send us a message and we will get in touch with you.
Roasting
Very similar to how coffee beans are roasted, we carefully roast our premium beans ensuring that their flavor profile is maintained so you can taste the unique characteristics of each origin where we work.
Cracking & Winnowing
Roasted cocoa beans are cracked, and the husks are separated from the nibs. At this point, the nibs can be used as they are in a variety of different ways, from using in baking to adding into a smoothie!
Triple Refining
This is a process unique to our chocolate. To ensure the smoothest texture and flavor, we grind our cocoa in three different ways. You’ve got to taste it and feel the difference from a regular chocolate bar!
Aging
Aging the chocolate allows it to breath, reducing bitterness often associated with darker chocolates. Our unique process allows the more nuanced flavors that represent the origin of the beans to come forward and be appreciated.
Adding of Ingredients
This is a process unique to our chocolate. To ensure the smoothest texture and flavor, we grind our cocoa in three different ways. You’ve got to taste it and feel the difference from a regular chocolate bar!
Tempering
Considered one of the most challenging techniques of the chocolate making process, we use a unique method to give your chocolate the snap, glossy finish, and appealing texture demanded by the world’s best chocolate connoisseurs.
Molding
Tempered chocolate is poured into custom made molds, cooled, and left to set.
Packaging
Once the chocolates are out of the molds, they are carefully packaged and ready to come your way!
Time to Indulge
Click here to be a part of the final and most exciting step of our bean to bar YOU chocolate…
Extraction
We work with artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) cooperatives in the Congo and Kenya who mine gold ores from regularly inspected and approved mine sites. Our involvement in this sector is supported by donor-funded programs that work towards formalization and professionalization of ASGM to make it safer and legal. We buy ore directly from mining cooperatives to cut out the middlemen and ensure the miners receive a living wage and are paid above Fairtrade value.
Ore Crushing
Raw ore is pulverized, making it easier to extract any valuable gold.
Gravity Separation
We carry out a stratified separation of different particles of the gold ore by weight and density.
Traceability & Incident Reporting
As we work a lot in conflict-affected areas, and in a sector that has a lot of illicit forces at play, transparency is a huge part of what we do. We do our due diligence to ensure that the gold we source is fully traceable, 100 % free of conflict free, child labor and forced labor. We are completely transparent with our incident reporting so that we can ethically formalize the ASGM sector. No supply chain is free of incident, but transparency goes a long way in ensuring that history does not repeat itself. We value public disclosure of all incidents and our efforts to address them, so they do not happen again.
If you have any questions about our responsible sourcing practices or would like to learn more, send us a message and we will get in touch with you.
Smelting and Refining
Using electro-magnetic induction, the gold ore is melted, and any undesirable trace elements are removed, providing a clean and green refining process using no harsh or toxic chemicals
Custom Alloy Design
Elements such as copper or silver are measured and added to create unique metallic alloys.
Mold Making
Molds are made using a special clay, to cast and form unique jewelry pieces.
Casting
The gold alloy is cast into the clay molds, and one step closer to you!
Tempering
The gold is slowly and moderately heated to increase the hardness and toughness of the metal. This prevents any cracks from forming on the surface and leads to a high quality product that will be around for eternity.
Grinding & Polishing
For a smooth, shiny, and perfect finish, your custom piece of jewelry is then carefully ground and polished.
Time to Shine
Click here to be a part of the final and most exciting step of our jewelry making…