Sort and Clean!

     When the shipment of cacao arrives at the factory, the workers take each bag of cacao beans and sort the beans according to the country of origin.

     Next, the beans are poured into a big cleaning machine that takes off all the bits of pulp, removes pebbles or anything else that needs to be taken away.

Roasting!

     The clean cacao beans now move down a conveyer belt and are put in a big rotating oven that roasts or toasts the beans. The temperature is 250 degrees Fahrenheit. It can last 20 minutes to an hour. It all depends on the kind of bean that is being roasted and what flavor the company want's to bring out in the bean. By the time the cacao beans come out of the oven, they have lost a lot of moisture. Soon the beans turn dark brown like coffee beans.

Cracking, fanning, and Winnowing!

     When the cacao beans are all done roasting, they move into a big willowing machine. In this machine, "cones that are placed like the ridges of a knife", crack open the shells to get out the beans. Next, the machine brings out giant fans to blow away the shells. The broken seed bits, called nibs, get to go through a bunch of holes. It strains and sorts the nibs. This processing is called winnowing.

Grinding and Pressing Chocolate Liquor!

     Next, the nibs are crushed by heavy steel discs. This makes the cacao nibs into a thick cocoa paste, called chocolate liquor. Some, but not all chocolate liquor is taken and placed in a huge 25 pound ton presser, which squeezes out the cocoa butter. Now this fatty yellow stuff gets drained away through metal screens. Then it can be added to dark, or milk chocolate, or used in medicines. Once the cocoa butter is removed, all is left is solid cocoa which is made into cocoa powder. It is used in drinks, for cooking, and baking.

Grinding and Pressing Chocolate Liquor!

     Next, the nibs are crushed by heavy steel discs. This makes the cacao nibs into a thick cocoa paste, called chocolate liquor. Some, but not all chocolate liquor is taken and placed in a huge 25 pound ton presser, which squeezes out the cocoa butter. Now this fatty yellow stuff gets drain away through metal screens. Then it can be added to dark, or milk chocolate, or used in medicines. Once the cocoa butter is removed, all is left is solid cocoa is made into cocoa powder. It is used in drinks, cooking, and baking.

Mixing Chocolate Liquor!

     The workers blend the unpressed chocolate liquor with condensed milk, sugar, and extra cocoa butter to make chocolate. You need extra cocoa butter because it keeps the chocolate solid at room temperature. That explains why chocolate doesn't’t spoil and why it "melts in the warmth of your mouth". The raw mixture of milk, sugar, and cocoa butter is mixed really well until it becomes "crumbly", like brown powder called crumb.

    
Refining The Chocolate Crumb!

     Next, the chocolate crumb goes through steel rollers which are stacked on top of each other. This breaks down the milk, cocoa, and sugar mixture. The workers must be careful. If they don’t crush the crumb enough, then the chocolate will be grainy. If they mix it to much, then the chocolate will be gummy.

Conching the Chocolate!

          Next, the refined chocolate paste is poured into a large heavy roller that kneads, blends, and grinds the chocolate. This makes the chocolate smooth and silky. This process called conching can take up to six days to complete! The more the workers conch it, the better the chocolate tastes and the more expensive it is!

Tempering Chocolate!

Finally, the refined chocolate gets cooled and warmed again and again in a process called tempering. This gives the chocolate a silky taste and it make it melt in your mouth.

Molding The Chocolate!

The workers take the chocolate and they put it in a molding machine. This makes the shape of the chocolate. Companies mold bunnies at Easter time and santas at Christmas time. Now the chocolate goes to a cooler that hardens the chocolate. After, they take the chocolate from the molds, wrap it and ship it. The shops get the chocolate and they sell it so that every one gets fresh, sweet chocolate!

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/making_manuf2.html