Quality Chocolate
If you visit the El Rey factory in Barquisimeto, everyone will tell you that the secret to the company’s success is in the relentless and uncompromising pursuit of quality. The term quality in and of itself might seem a bit broad, but at El Rey we have refined it to a science.
Our people on the production line will tell you that to make quality chocolate, one needs to focus on so much more than just the making of the chocolate. In the plant, selecting the beans by size, roasting, refining, tempering, molding and packaging are all critical steps of the process.
However, long before the cacao beans arrive at the factory the focus needs to be on fermentation, drying, storage and transport of the beans. Each of these steps set the stage for the making of a premium product.
Most chocolate manufactures import their cacao from producing countries and thus don’t have the monitoring capability of making sure their producers use proper post-harvest processes. True chocolate flavor originates on the farm.
A bean that has not been fermented properly will not have the usual color characteristics and the fruity acidic flavor associated with cacao. Worst yet is a cacao bean that has not been dried or stored properly.
The presence of moisture is a factor that can increase the cacao beans susceptibility to mold, and if this remains unchecked, can wipe out much the flavor and aromatic characteristics achieved during a proper fermentation.
For this reason, Chocolates El Rey long ago decided to monitor its raw material from origin all the way through up until the finished product.