a source for crafting ideas, recipes, and more …

Last week, a few of my coworkers and I went on a tour at the Taza Chocolate factory not too far from our office in Somerville.  We are all big fans of their delicious bean-to-bar chocolates, so it was neat being able to see the behind-the-scenes action.

You can smell all of the delicious chocolate in the air the second you step foot into the store.  They have quite a range of products available and it was nice being able to see all of them in one place since I’m used to usually seeing just the disks or bars near a cash register at a store.  And what was even better than that?  Free samples of a lot of the products readily available!

They’ve started making little baking squares that are available in tins, which I think is brilliant.  They are also the same chocolates that they use as samples whenever they do tastings. 

We began the tour in the “Cacao Corner” and learned about the cacao tree, the farms that Taza does direct trade with, the fermenting process, the drying process and how it all gets shipped to the factory.  We got to see what the cacao beans look like once they are dried and before they are put into the machines that crack open the shell.  It’s crazy how much they get delivered each year!  Tons of cacao beans made into deliciousness.

What’s also amazing is how they hand wrap each of the disks of chocolate.  I know that some people consider them to be pricy at $4.50 each, but once you see the whole process that they go through at the factory — and can watch the people who hand wrap each and every bar — it’s easy to appreciate the labor that goes into them.  I picked up a coffee disk to try because how can you go wrong with coffee and chocolate, right?!

The tours cost $5 per person and the proceeds go to support Sustainable Harvest International.  Be sure to check their website for tour times and availabilities.