OUR PROCESS
Every step leaves its mark on the finished chocolate. Explore the collection and taste the process for yourself.
HARVEST CHOCOLATE: OUR PROCESS
STEP 1: Harvesting, Fermentation, and drying at origin
Before we roast a single cacao bean, nature starts the magic.
At each origin, ripe cacao pods are carefully harvested by hand. Once opened, the pods reveal cacao beans surrounded by a sweet-tart fruit pulp. This is where one of the most important—and often overlooked—stages of chocolate making begins: fermentation.
The beans and pulp are gathered for fermentation, often in wooden boxes and covered with banana leaves or sacks. Over the next several days, naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria transform the cacao and begin developing its flavor. Careful fermentation can bring forward floral notes, bright fruit, nuttiness, and deep cocoa richness. Poor fermentation can leave chocolate tasting flat, bitter, or overly acidic.
After fermentation, the cacao is carefully dried to reduce its moisture, stabilize its flavor, and prepare the beans for their journey to Michigan. By the time the cacao reaches our Tecumseh shop, much of the character we want to express in the finished chocolate is already present.
Great chocolate starts at origin, long before the cacao reaches our hands.
THE PROCESS AT A GLANCE
HARVEST
Ripe cacao pods are harvested by hand and opened to reveal the fruit-covered beans inside.
FERMENT
Fermentation begins developing the flavors that will carry through to the finished chocolate.
DRY
The cacao is carefully dried to stabilize those flavors and prepare it for its journey to our Tecumseh shop.
HARVEST CHOCOLATE: OUR PROCESS
STEP 2: SOURCING WITH PURPOSE
The best chocolate begins with meaningful relationships.
At Harvest Chocolate, sourcing cacao is about more than simply buying beans. We work through a small, transparent supply network that values ethics, sustainability, direct work at origin, and flavor above all else.
We source our cacao through Daniel O’Doherty of Cacao Services. Dan works directly with farmers and cooperatives, helping them refine fermentation techniques and improve cacao quality. His work focuses on developing an economically viable and environmentally sustainable fine-flavor cacao industry while creating meaningful connections between farmers and chocolate makers. This hands-on approach gives us greater insight into where our cacao comes from and how it was grown, fermented, dried, and handled before reaching our shop.
Our Current Cacao Origins
We choose each origin intentionally, seeking cacao with a distinct character and a strong sense of place. Some offer bright, fruity notes; others bring deep, nutty richness. Each origin tells its own story through flavor, and our job is to honor that story in every bar we make.
ZORZAL, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Origin: Dominican Republic
Region: Reserva Zorzal
Crop Year: 2025
Type: Hispanola - Trinatario
Certifications: Certified Organic | Sourcing: Direct Trade
Flavor Profile: deep and fruity with notes of cherry preserves, caramel, and toasted almond
Taste it in: Our Dominican Republic Snacking Chocolate, and the Lemon Blueberry Bar - all 68% dark chocolate
KERALA, INDIA
Origin: India
Region: Kerala, Manayathadom and Kaithappara
Crop Year: 2025
Type: Primarily Forastero
Certifications: Organic | Sourcing: Direct Trade
Flavor Profile: light acidity that lends overall brightness to the chocolate, along with a smooth creaminess reminiscent of buttercream.
Taste it in: Our India Snacking Chocolate, Peach Crisp Bar, Orange Mocha Bar, and our Oat Milk Snacking Chocolate, Vanilla Sea Salt Bar
SEMULIKI FOREST, UGANDA
Origin: Uganda
Region: Semuliki Forest
Crop Year: 2025
Type: Predominantly Trinitario and Amelonado cacao types.
Certifications: Certified Organic | Sourcing: Direct Trade
Flavor Profile: rich cocoa base with tasting notes of fig and chocolate brownie
Taste it in: Our Uganda Snacking Chocolate, Cherry Crisp Bar - all 68% dark chocolate
COSTA ESMERELDAS, ECUADOR
Origin: Ecuador
Region: Costa Esmereldas
Crop Year: 2025
Type: Ecuadorian Nacional hybrids: EET-95, EET-96, EET-103
Certifications: Organic | Sourcing: Direct Trade
Flavor Profile: Strong base chocolate, roasted nuts, light floral notes. Low acidity and very low bitterness and astringency.
Taste it in: Our Ecuador Snacking Chocolate, Spiced Gingerbread Bar, S'mores Bar, Orange + Thyme Bar, 87% dark chocolate bar, Mexican Hot Chocolate Bar, and Hazelnut Bar
HARVEST CHOCOLATE: OUR PROCESS
STEP 3: ROASTING FOR FLAVOR
Roasting is where we bring out what the farm started.
Once the cacao arrives at our Tecumseh shop, roasting begins. Carefully controlled heat develops the complex flavors created through fermentation and drying at origin.
Each origin—and even each harvest—responds differently in the roaster. We adjust time and temperature to complement the character of the cacao, paying close attention to the way it smells, sounds, and transforms. Too dark, and subtle fruit and floral notes can disappear. Too light, and the finished chocolate may taste flat or sour.
From the rich cocoa character of Uganda to the roasted nut and floral notes of Ecuador, our goal is to highlight the flavors that make each origin distinctive without roasting away what makes it special.
THE PROCESS AT A GLANCE
PROFILE
We develop a roast profile around the character of each origin and harvest.
ADJUST
Time and temperature are adjusted according to how the cacao responds in the roaster.
PRESERVE
The right roast develops flavor without losing what makes the cacao distinctive.
HARVEST CHOCOLATE: THE PROCESS
STEP 4: CRACKING, WINNOWING, AND STONE-REFINING
From roasted cacao bean to smooth, flowing chocolate.
After roasting, the cacao beans are cooled and cracked to reveal the nibs inside. The nibs are the flavorful heart of the bean, but they must first be separated from outer shells through a process called winnowing.
Those shells don’t go to waste. Guided by our motto, No Bean Gets Left Behind, we use them to make our Chocolate Teas, giving another part of the cacao bean a delicious purpose.
The nibs then move into our stone melangers, where heavy granite wheels continuously refine them. As the cacao releases its natural cocoa butter, it gradually transforms from crunchy nibs into smooth, flowing chocolate. Ingredients are added according to each recipe; for our single-origin dark chocolate, that means only cacao and organic cane sugar.
The chocolate continues refining until its texture is silky and its flavors have developed into the balance we’re looking for.
THE PROCESS AT A GLANCE
CRACK
Roasted cacao beans are cracked open to reveal the nibs inside.
WINNOW
The nibs are separated from their outer shells, which we save for our Chocolate Teas.
REFINE
Granite wheels transform the nibs into smooth, flowing chocolate.
HARVEST CHOCOLATE: THE PROCESS
STEP 5: TEMPERING + MOLDING
The final steps from flowing chocolate to finished bar.
After days in the stone melangers, the chocolate is smooth and flowing—but it isn’t quite finished. To become a chocolate bar with a satisfying snap and glossy finish, it must first be tempered. This precise process involves carefully heating and cooling the chocolate to form stable cocoa butter crystals.
Tempering gives the chocolate structure and stability while creating the smooth melt we want in every bite. Once it reaches the right temperature and consistency, we pour it into molds and allow it to set.
Then comes one of our favorite parts: wrapping each bar by hand. Every bar is wrapped and packaged right here in our Tecumseh shop—the final expression of our care before the chocolate makes its way to you.
THE PROCESS AT A GLANCE
TEMPER
Careful heating and cooling give the chocolate its glossy finish, satisfying snap, and smooth melt.
MOLD
The tempered chocolate is poured into molds and allowed to set into its finished form.
WRAP
Every bar is wrapped and packaged by hand in our Tecumseh shop.
FROM OUR PROCESS TO YOUR CHOCOLATE
Every step—from cacao grown at origin to the final wrap in our Tecumseh shop—shapes the chocolate you taste. Explore the finished collection online, or visit us to see where it’s made.