A bit of History
Behind every modern chocolate bar lies a series of technical revolutions. While cacao has been consumed for over 3,000 years, the chocolate we know today, smooth, melting, stable, and sweet, only emerged in the 19th century.
These transformations often stem from a handful of foundational patents, filed by Swiss, Dutch, French, or British inventors. Here are the key milestones.
1. Cocoa Powder – Van Houten (1828)
In 1828, Dutchman Coenraad Van Houten developed a hydraulic press that separated cocoa butter from the cocoa paste. This process created defatted cocoa powder, easier to dissolve in water or milk.
Soon after, this method was enhanced by alkalization (or “dutching”), which reduced cocoa’s acidity and deepened its color, a major industrial shift still in use today.
2. Milk Chocolate – Daniel Peter (1875)
Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter, brother-in-law of Henri Nestlé, introduced sweetened condensed milk into a chocolate recipe. After multiple failed attempts, he finally stabilized a milk-enriched cocoa paste.
This marked the birth of milk chocolate, softer, sweeter, and a runaway success across Europe and the U.S.
3. Conching – Rodolphe Lindt (1879)
In 1879, in Bern, Rodolphe Lindt invented the process of conching: the controlled, prolonged mixing of chocolate paste at a steady temperature.
Conching allowed:
– evaporation of volatile acids,
– development of aromatic compounds,
– and creation of a smooth, silky texture.
It radically changed chocolate: from raw paste to refined delight.
4. Stone Refining – Philippe Suchard (1826)
Earlier, in 1826, Swiss chocolatier Philippe Suchard invented a rotating stone mill that homogenized cocoa paste and reduced its particle size.
This refining step dramatically improved texture, laying one of the earliest technical foundations for modern chocolate.
5. Industrial Tempering – 20th Century
The final major improvement involved tempering, crucial for enabling cocoa butter to crystallize correctly.
While the technique had been known for some time, it was in the 20th century that automated tempering machines were patented, making large-scale, stable crystallization possible.
Orfève’s Approach
At Orfève, we recognize what modern chocolate owes to these great inventions.
But we’ve chosen another path: one of slow rhythms, precise gestures, and human-scale craftsmanship.
Gentle refining, customized conching, and tempering without automation, each step is guided not by standardization, but by revelation.
No rigid processes, no production-at-all-costs mentality, just a simple commitment: to honor what the cacao bean has to offer.
Because for us, chocolate is never just a finished product.
It’s a living material, shaped through tradition, intuition… and a great deal of care.