PRODUCTION AND RAW INGREDIENTS
Our Ragusa, Torino, So Nuts and liqueur chocolates are made in Courtelary in Switzerland from naturally sourced raw ingredients. What makes us stand out is our exacting quality demands in all areas of our business. Every day, our employees are totally committed to following our recipes with the utmost care, making use of the very latest technology.
Our exacting quality demands also cover the environmental and social conditions in the regions where our ingredients are grown. Because sustainable development is important to us. We can guarantee the traceability of our cocoa beans right back to the village in Ghana or the cooperative in Peru where they were harvested. We source the rest of our raw ingredients such as hazelnuts and almonds from producers accredited for their ethical stance on their working and growing conditions.
Our annual production amounts to around 3,500 tonnes, of which less than 20% is exported.
ORIGIN OF OUR COCAO BEANS
Sustainability is at the heart of our concerns: we can trace ou cocoa beans from Ghana and Peru to the village community.
TRANSPORT
The cocoa beans are transported by boat to Amsterdam and then by road to Courtelary, Switzerland.
ROASTING
It reveals the typical aromas of cocoa, almonds or hazelnuts.
ROASTING
It reveals the typical aromas of cocoa, almonds or hazelnuts.
ROASTING
It reveals the typical aromas of cocoa, almonds or hazelnuts.
CRUSHING
Little hammers turn the beans into nibs. The peels are removed.
GRINDING
The nibs are ground until a pure cocoa paste is obtained. Hazelnuts and almonds are also ground.
MIXING OF INGREDIENTS
We mix our top quality ingredients, such as sugar or Swiss milk powder, into our pure paste to create the chocolate and fillings.
REFINING AND CONCHING
The chocolate mass is refined and then passes through the conches. We achieve the typical creaminess thanks to the conching.
HAZELNUTS
The hazelnut has been the basic ingredient for the success of our Ragusa specialities since 1942.
MOLDING
The chocolate mass is either poured into the molds for our Ragusa specialities or extruded to form our Torino chocolates.
MOLDING
The chocolate mass is either poured into the molds for our Ragusa specialities or extruded to form our Torino chocolates.
PACKAGING
We use recyclable materials as much as possible.
WE SHARE OUR PASSION FOR CHOCOLATE
In our Visitors Center you will discover more about the history of this traditional Swiss family owned company, our values and commitment to sustainability and social responsability, and how we make Ragusa and Torino.
OUR COCOA
We import our cocoa from Ghana and Peru. Both of these countries have a tradition of cocoa cultivation and a stable infrastructure.
Since 2011, we have stepped up our commitment in Ghana, working with Sustainable Management Services. This organisation advises cocoa producers locally and encourages environmentally and socially sustainable cultivation. We support real projects that make a difference by paying a higher price for the raw ingredients we buy. We also maintain a direct relationship with the plantation managers, visiting the plantations in person. In this way, we foster mutual trust and create a solid basis for long-term cooperation.
the hazelnut
Each year, Chocolats Camille Bloch uses almost as many hazelnuts as it does cocoa beans, approximately 600 tonnes. Did you know that almost one third of a Ragusa bar is made of hazelnuts? It goes without saying that the quality of the raw materials we use is our top priority.
Most of the hazelnuts we use come from Turkey. This country produces 70% of the hazelnuts consumed worldwide.
The hazelnuts are mechanically calibrated.
The quality of the hazelnuts is very important for our products.
Daniel Bloch, CEO of Chocolats Camille Bloch, talking to hazelnut farmers in 2013.
René Meier, Procurement Manager, visits the plantations on a regular basis.
Hazelnuts as far as the eye can see, laid out to dry.
NATURAL INGREDIENTS
We source our almonds from ethically accredited producers in the USA and our hazelnuts from a producers in Turkey, who are also ethically accredited. In the future, we plan to cover our hazelnut requirements ourselves. In 2021, we began an innovative sustainable development planting programme of our own hazelnut trees in Georgia.
To ensure our creations such as Ragusa and Torino maintain their characteristic delicate consistency, we use a mixture of cocoa fat and cocoa butter. We process only unhardened vegetable fats and do not use trans fats. We use powdered milk and sugar from Switzerland. Our natural vanilla extract comes from Madagascar. Our liqueur chocolates contain only products of the highest quality, sourced from Switzerland and Europe.
