Business of Chocolate

ChatGPT Session Chat Q: Due to the time-consuming nature of hand shelling cocoa beans that yield 100% clean beans, it must follow that this technique is a new category, in the chocolate scene. Do you agree?

Answer: As an AI language model, I don't have personal opinions or beliefs, but I can provide you with information to help you answer your question.
Hand shelling cocoa beans is a traditional technique that has been used for centuries in some cocoa-producing regions. This process involves manually removing the outer shell of the cocoa bean to extract the cocoa nibs, which are the primary ingredient used to make chocolate.
While hand shelling cocoa beans may be time-consuming, it is not a new category in the chocolate scene. In fact, many artisanal chocolate makers still use this technique to produce high-quality, single-origin chocolate.
However, the majority of commercial chocolate production now relies on machines to shell cocoa beans, which is faster and more efficient. This process can result in some debris or shell fragments being mixed with the cocoa nibs, which may affect the flavor and quality of the final chocolate product.
In summary, hand shelling cocoa beans is not a new category in the chocolate scene, but it is a traditional and often preferred technique used by some artisanal chocolate makers to produce high-quality chocolate.

Q: What are the advantages of hand shelling cocoa beans, knowing that toxins are present on the shell casing?

A: Hand shelling cocoa beans, despite the presence of toxins on the shell casing, can offer some advantages depending on the context. It's important to note that cocoa beans are typically processed through mechanized methods in commercial settings due to the efficiency and scale required for large-scale production. However, in certain small-scale or artisanal scenarios, hand shelling may be considered. Here are some potential advantages:

Quality control: Hand shelling allows for greater control over the shelling process. Skilled individuals can carefully separate the cocoa beans from the shells, minimizing damage to the beans and reducing the risk of shell fragments contaminating the final product.

Traceability and customization: In niche or specialty markets, hand shelling can provide a way to ensure traceability and customize the processing. This can be particularly important for organic or fair trade certifications, where maintaining a specific production chain and avoiding contact with potentially contaminated machinery may be desired.

Artisanal production: Hand shelling can be part of an artisanal or craft production process that emphasizes traditional methods and techniques. This can appeal to certain consumers who value the craftsmanship and uniqueness associated with such processes.

Education and cultural preservation: Hand shelling can be used as a tool to educate and preserve cultural practices. In regions where cocoa is grown and hand shelling is traditionally done, maintaining these practices can help preserve local knowledge and heritage.

Accessibility and community involvement: Hand shelling can be more accessible to small-scale farmers or cooperatives with limited resources. It may require less investment in machinery and can be a labor-intensive process that engages more community members, providing employment opportunities.

Despite these potential advantages, it's crucial to address the issue of toxins associated with cocoa bean shells. The shell casing of cocoa beans contains compounds such as theobromine, caffeine, and tannins, which are bitter and astringent but not necessarily toxic in normal consumption. However, if consumed in large quantities, they can have adverse effects on health. To minimize the risk, it's essential to handle hand-shelled cocoa beans carefully and ensure thorough cleaning and processing before consumption or use in the production of cocoa products.

We can only make healthy chocolate by cleverly scrutinizing each step and paying health-minded attention to each of the ingredients. First, shelling the beans after roasting. Really, it's the most critical step no one wants to talk about. Second, of course, the "real" first ingredient: sugar. Using natural sugar, which has a glycemic index of 43, we can even serve people with diabetes.
Next, we distinguish ourselves from all other makers by hand shelling the cocoa beans. This step requires a laborious audacious (to the chocolate industry, "I get the desire to create healthy chocolate....the labor-intensive nature of hand peeling the beans adds zero benefits to the chocolate…Instead, it adds one thing -- higher costs." ) process and plenty of patience, directly affecting the outcome.
The benefit of this method is we examine each bean. We are alert for foul-smelling or insect-infested beans. Hand shelling ensures no shell casing, dirt, or pulp will be in your bar. For the sensitive Green Community, you can be sure that no cocoa particles will be wasted and in the garbage.

Side-note: even Google was stumped by the research on "hand shelled."

We define Rare chocolate as five or six pounds of cacao beans transformed into chocolate bars. Why so little? It's tedious but worth it.

Each bar is one (1) ounce and contains 24 squares.

Here are our superlatives:

• Extravagant - lacking restraint in using resources;
• Laboriously - requiring much work, exertion, or perseverance;
• Exorbitant describes something that has an unreasonably high cost, something extravagant—Bean-to-bar hand-shelled cocoa beans. 

A once-in-a-lifetime experience." Like no chocolate bar, you've ever tasted in your life." @70andabovechocolate.

Learned advice: The chocolate must remain in your mouth as long as possible. Isolate from other activities. Focus on the melt. Let the cocoa butter melt.
One square after meals, and repeat three times a day to condition your brain to this level of natural sweetness. Do this for eight days, and you can easily detect which foods have high fructose corn syrup because our sugar is Sucanat, three (3) times less sweet, therefore not a trigger for another.

Update: a new sugar: "You can find allulose for sale online and in some retail stores. Because it occurs naturally in very small amounts, the allulose you find packaged for sale isn’t its natural form. It has been created artificially by food scientists from fructose (fruit sugar)."