Collection: Cocoa & Vanilla

Before the finished product

Cacao and vanilla are among the most familiar flavours in our diet.

Yet their original form is far less well known.

A cacao bean does not yet resemble chocolate.

A fresh vanilla pod does not yet have the full scent we associate with vanilla.

Between the plant and the product we know lie several stages of harvesting, fermentation, drying, preparation or processing.

It is precisely this space between the plant and the finished product that interests us at Kintavolana.

From pod to chocolate

The cacao tree produces pods containing seeds surrounded by pulp.

After harvest, these seeds generally go through fermentation and then drying.

They then become the cacao beans we can observe, crack, roast or process.

Cacao nibs are the inside of the bean, with the shell removed, broken into pieces.

Then come further transformations: grinding, cacao mass, cacao butter, powder and finally chocolate, depending on the processes used.

Pod → seeds → fermentation → drying → beans → nibs → cacao mass → chocolate

An orchid before the pod

Vanilla comes from an orchid of the genus Vanilla.

After pollination, the flower produces an elongated fruit that is harvested while still green.

This fruit then goes through several stages of preparation and drying, allowing the aromatic profile we associate with vanilla to develop.

“Bourbon vanilla” is not a distinct botanical variety: the term is historically associated with vanilla production in the Indian Ocean.

When does a raw material become the product we know?

Cacao and vanilla show particularly well that natural materials are not fixed.

A seed can be fermented, dried, roasted, cracked and then ground.

A fruit can be harvested green, prepared, dried and matured until it develops a scent completely different from its fresh form.

Understanding these stages also helps us better understand what we use in the kitchen.

At Kintavolana, we want to show these transformations without erasing the raw material at their origin.

Origins stated product by product

Madagascar holds an important place in our selection of cacao and vanilla, but not every material in this collection necessarily has the same origin.

We therefore prefer to state the origin on each product rather than present the whole collection as coming from a single territory.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a cacao bean and cacao nibs?

The bean is the whole dried seed of the cacao tree. Nibs are the inside of the bean, generally with the shell removed and then broken into pieces.

Does a cacao bean taste like chocolate?

Not exactly. It is much more intense, bitter and less sweet, since chocolate results from further processing and often the addition of other ingredients.

What does Bourbon vanilla mean?

The term does not refer to a particular botanical variety. It is historically associated with the cultivation of Vanilla planifolia on certain islands in the Indian Ocean.

Where do the products in this collection come from?

The origin is stated on each product page.