5 CHOCOLATE FACTORY: Technological Revolution
After three hundred years of European conquest of cacao and its value as a commodity, mass production of chocolate began in the nineteenth century during the industrial revolution. Technology changed the lives of almost everyone on the planet, and their capability to speed up manufacturing, including the making of chocolate from cacao beans.
The industrial revolution brought about new machines that could cope with the extensive grinding process of making chocolate, and a way was invented to make chocolate less greasy by removing amounts of the cocoa butter fat.
As a product of the Americans, cacao was highly prized as a food, commodity, and medicine - but still a luxury for higher classes and elite. The Spanish had taken it from Mesoamerica and Central Mexico back to Spain, and from there it spread out to Western Europe and the Caribbean Islands. All of the processes involved using labor or forced labor of indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and enslaved people from Africa. “Cacao production was done with native labor where available, but mostly relied on enslaved Africans.” (Lecture 7)
“The Indians, from whom we borrow it, are not very nice in doing it; they roast the kernels in earthen pots, then free them from their skins, and afterwards crush and grind them between two stones, and so form cakes of it with their hands. [2] While basic, this short process summary out-lines some of the key process steps still followed today: roasting, winnowing, milling, and molding.” (Snyder 611)
In the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution occurred, based on finding new ways of engineering machinery to perform repetitive or difficult jobs that were previously performed by hand or with hand tools, or previously existing simple machinery. (Lecture 7) Factories began to be built to serve these machinery processes, and labor began to turn toward handling large machines.
“Early chocolate manufacture often was associated with chemists and doctors because the apothecaries had the necessary mortar and pestle equipment to grind roasted nibs. This method was effective in producing chocolate for personal consumption but could not supply the retail trade with sufficient quantities. Expanding chocolate production for commercial sale required milling equipment on a large scale. (Snyder 612)
With the advent of machinery inventions, new grinders began to appear. First there were grinding machines that used water as a power source, similar to a mill wheel. Then there came steam powered engines, using heated water to power the milling process. All of these were along the lines of previously existing machinery such as mills that grind grain along a river, and so were probably not far off from those - just using slightly different equipment.
Walter Churchman started manufacturing chocolate in Bristol, England, in 1728. He developed a water engine to power his stone mills…” (Snyder 612) James Watt had perfected the steam engine, which decoupled large - scale chocolate production from the water - driven mill. Fry installed a steam engine in Bristol in 1795. (Snyder 613)
There were larger grinders created, such as Van Houten’s Cacao Press in 1828, “Conrad van Houten developed a machine that was able to extract the fatty butter from the cacao bean
and reduced it to around 27%, leaving a cake that could be easily powdered.” (Lecture 7)
Finally, later in the nineteenth century, electricity was invented, and the industrial revolution really took off. Electricity was produced by water power or fuel power, and could be used almost anywhere. Huge complicated machines were created that could process chocolate in many different methods and produce cleaner chocolate without all the cacao butter. Also, a way to make chocolate less bitter was invented by Van Houten called “Dutching” using chemicals to remove bitterness, which led the way to the kinds of chocolate we now eat today.
“In an attempt to make chocolate more soluble, van Houten also innovated and used alkaline salts that removed the bitter taste and made it more water soluble. This is known as Dutching, it allows people to use the powder and prepare the beverages at home. Dutch chocolate mixes with water easily in addition to making its flavor milder and the powder of a darker color. Dutch process cocoa is one of the standard ingredients in most of the chocolate we consume today.” (Lecture 7)
People in the food business picked up the new machinery and processes and ran with them to make chocolate in an easier process, and make chocolate available to everyone. Along the way, chocolate makers were trying to make a less bitter chocolate by adding milk, but it never worked out well, becoming rancid quickly, and not able to be sold due to short shelf life in the stores. (Lecture 7) A man went to the chocolate manufacturer, Nestle, for help with making milk chocolate. As Nestle had already been manufacturing baby food for a long time, and used dehydrated milk for its baby products, they found that using dehydrated milk was the way to solve the problem, and invented milk chocolate, which is a favorite today.
“A chocolate producer, Daniel Peter, went to Henry Nestle to ask for assistance in developing a form of milk chocolate…. Nestle was a pharmacist who had been experimenting with various combinations of cow's milk, wheat flour, and sugar…. He had already perfected the manufacture of infant formula…also producing condensed milk, so Peters used Nestle's dehydrated condensed milk and mixed it with cacao solids. … it did not get grainy and had a longer shelf life. This is how milk chocolate was invented.” (Lecture 7)
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, chocolate makers began producing all different forms of chocolate treats such as chocolate boxes, Easter eggs, and other delights. In America, chocolate manufacturers such as Ghirardelli and Hershey began mass producing chocolate for consumers. (Lecture 7)
Without all the feats of engineering and efforts of manufacturing personnel, and just people that wanted to improve the chocolate for eating, we wouldn’t have had the technology to lead into the upcoming modern factories. The technology of mass production of chocolate and other commodities certainly changed the lives of almost everyone on the planet, and their capability to speed up manufacturing, including the making of chocolate from cacao beans.
With mass production, chocolate went from a greasy but highly prized bitter drink from ancient times to a smooth and creamy confection that we delight in today, and while not vital in life, it is still highly desired!
Bibliography
Brenner, Joël Glenn. The Emperors of Chocolate : Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars. First edition, Random House, 1999.
Juarez-Dappe, Patricia. “History of Chocolate Class 429, Lecture 7.” California State University Northridge. Fall 2023. csun.edu.
Lawrence, Sidney. “The Ghirardelli Story.” California History (San Francisco), vol. 81, no. 2, 2002, pp. 90–115, https://doi.org/10.2307/25177676.
Snyder, Rodney, Bradley Foliart Olsen, and Laura Pallas Brindle. “From Stone Metates to Steel Mills: The Evolution of Chocolate Manufacturing.” Class PDF online. “History of Chocolate Class 429, Lecture 7. Fall 2023.” (Chapter 46 from Grivetti, Louis., and Howard-Yana. Shapiro. Chocolate : History, Culture, and Heritage. Wiley, 2009).
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