Hershey Chocolate Factory
We all four had then visited the Hershey Chocolate Factory. I had learnt about while talking with Akshay in the past, as every time i requested him to bring only chocolates for me. He had brought on every visit different variety of chocolates that too in plenty. I had also distributed it to my friends and relatives in the past.
Now came the opportunity to actually visit the chocolate factory, see how it actually works, and how the final product chocolate is present before it. It is a very good factory, providing you in minute details the whole process of chocolate preparation, right from information of cocoa seeds, how are they collected, then roasted, made powder, how then used in chocolate etc. The factory has a grand show of all procedures with big slides and pictures detailing every aspect of the process with best photogenic presentation. We were astonished to see that how extensively the whole process is mechanized and how all machine programming is done for it with a least human participation or error. We moved into different sections and seen the whole process. Got all the information of cocoa and sugar and milk as only standard ingredients used for the making of chocolates.
The manufacturing process of Hershey’s chocolate transforms raw cocoa beans and fresh milk into finished candy bars through a series of precise cleaning, roasting, blending, and cooling steps.
Bean Processing
- Cleaning: Raw cocoa beans arrive at the factory and pass through air systems to remove dirt, dust, and debris.
- Roasting: The cleaned beans are roasted to develop their rich flavor and deep brown color.
- Cracking and Winnowing: Machines crack the roasted beans open and separate the outer shells from the inner meat, known as nibs.
- Grinding: Heavy milling machines grind the cocoa nibs into a thick, dark paste called cocoa liquor (or chocolate liquor).
Mixing and the Hershey Process
- Ingredient Blending: The cocoa liquor is mixed with sugar, cocoa butter, and fresh milk. Unlike many European chocolatiers who used powdered milk, Milton Hershey innovated a process using fresh farm milk. Part of this specialized method involves partial liipolysis of the milk, giving Hershey’s milk chocolate its distinct flavor profile.
- Refining: The liquid mixture passes through large steel rollers to crush any remaining solid particles, creating a smooth paste.
Conching and Tempering
- Conching: The chocolate paste goes into large agitators called conches. The mixture is continuously heated and stirred for hours or even days to remove harsh volatile acids, fully blend the cocoa butter, and polish the texture into a silky liquid. [1, 2]
- Tempering: The liquid chocolate is carefully cooled and reheated to specific temperatures. This creates stable cocoa butter crystals, giving the final bar a glossy shine and a crisp snap. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Molding and Packaging
- Molding: The tempered chocolate is poured or squirted into precise molds (or deposited in small drops for items like Hershey’s Kisses).
- Cooling: The filled molds pass through a chilled cooling tunnel until the chocolate completely sets and hardens.
- Inspection and Wrapping: Automated machinery wraps the bars at high speeds, while optical and human inspectors check for any broken edges or air bubbles before shipping.
We were amazed to see the whole process and enjoyed the tour of the factory from inside k knowing well the process involved, material used, packing and marketing of it etc. while at the end of the touring circuit, each of the visitors is given gift of one free chocolate. Then we at the outer section can see the marketing and selling task carried out in various section. You can buy any number of chocolates of different sizes, ingredients, shapes and values. We bought about 1 kg of chocolates of different varieties mixed for our use. As we have to do lot of journey thereafter for many days, akshay advised us not to take more, as we can take it near his home too.
So in this way the sweet enjoyable tour of chocolate factory ended by the day end.
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