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			e're very proud to be one of only a few specialist chocolate retailers in the world whose chocolate making still begins with the raw cocoa bean. A quality product can only be created using the best ingredients. This is why at Haigh's, we insist on complete control from start to finish.
			The cocoa tree (theobroma cacao) is a small evergreen tree that grows naturally under the rainforest canopy. Like wine grapes, cocoa beans have different characteristics depending on variety, area of origin and processing. We have agents who source the very best cocoa beans for us - from plantations in Ghana, Ecuador and Papua New Guinea as well as other locations which are kept a close secret. Simon Haigh oversees the blending and processing of beans as meticulously as any winemaker, using his highly developed sense of taste and smell.		The art of turning a cocoa bean into chocolate involves a number of carefully controlled processes. • First, the beans are roasted at high temperature in a revolving bean roaster. The heat changes the colour and flavour and removes moisture from the bean. • The winnower is attached to a series of blowpipes, rather like a church organ. Here, the beans are cracked and the outer husk blown away. Cocoa beans have now become cocoa 'nibs'. • The nib mill grinds the beans into a cocoa liquor.		• In the melangeur (French for 'to mix'), the cocoa liquor is pressed and mixed with extra cocoa butter and icing sugar. If we're making milk chocolate, we also blend in milk powder. • The roller mill then refines the chocolate paste to an extremely fine powder. • In the conching machine, extra cocoa butter is added and the chocolate paste is then beaten for up to 72 hours in what is the final critical stage of achieving the correct smoothness on the palate. The liquid chocolate is stored in large holding tanks until we need it to make any one of our delicious products. And with over 200 Haigh's varieties to choose from, we think we've created something to tempt everyone's tastebuds.