Intense Practical Course: Chocolate Manufacturing – Chocolate and Fillings (3 weeks)
Date: 19 July – 06 August 2027
Language: English
Venue: ZDS Solingen
Fee: €9,960.00
We have been offering this intensive chocolate-making course for many years. It is one of the most important technical seminars for producing chocolate from the bean to the cocoa mass and chocolate industrially, and for processing the chocolate into bars and filled chocolates by tempering and molding.
The seminar can be booked as a complete 3-week course or divided into two separate modules:
Part I: Chocolate (2 weeks) – From the bean to the finished chocolate: learn all about the industrial production, tempering and molding of chocolate bars and pralines.
Part II: Fillings (1 week) – Discover the art of fillings and learn how different recipes and processing techniques affect the end product.
Choose flexibly between the entire seminar or individual modules – according to your needs!
By the end of the course, participants will understand the complete chocolate production process, from cocoa cultivation and post-harvest treatment to the manufacture of cocoa mass and dark, milk and white chocolate. They will be able to assess raw materials and recipes, compare standard and alternative production methods, apply casting and coating techniques, select suitable cocoa butter alternatives and produce fillings, pralines and hollow figures. Participants will also gain the knowledge required to evaluate key quality parameters, including viscosity, yield value and allergen management.
- Employees in the chocolate and confectionery industry
- Production personnel, product development, quality assurance
WEEK 1 CHOCOLATE
Monday, July 19, 2027
09:30 Welcome
Theory: Cocoa
- Cocoa tree, types and history
- Harvest, fermentation and drying
- Quality criteria
Lunch
Theory:
Manufacturing of chocolate (tbc)
Vertical ball mills for the production of chocolate, spreads, and compounds from dosification to finished products
Practice:
Chocolate manufacturing
- Bühler group – Mixing, refining (5-roll refining), conching – Milk chocolate
- McIntyre Refiner/ Conche—Dark chocolate
- Packint—Ball mill—Milk chocolate
- Tasting: Milk chocolates, ZDS e.V.
Final discussion and end of the first day – Dinner
Tuesday, July 20, 2027
08:30 Theory: Raw materials: Cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar, milk ingredients, flavor ZDS e.V.
Theory: Cocoa bean processing
- Cleaning, Roasting (bean, nib, liquor)
- Breaking, Winnowing
- Grinding to liquor
- Cocoa butter and powder
Manufacturing of chocolate
- Recipes
- Manufacturing of chocolate (mixing process, refining process, conching process) ZDS e.V.
Theory: Manufacturing of chocolate (tbc)
- Recipes
- Manufacturing of chocolate (mixing process, refining process, conching process) ZDS e.V.
Lunch
Theory: Milk ingredients for chocolate and fillings
Theory: Cocoa bean processing
- Cleaning, Roasting (bean, nib, liquor)
- Breaking, Winnowing
- Grinding to liquor
- Cocoa butter and powder
Practice: Cocoa bean evaluation and processing
- Evaluation of different cocoa beans
- Debacterisation
- Breaking and winnowing
- Nib roasting
- Pre- and fine grinding of Cocoa Nibs
- Tasting: Dark chocolates & cocoa mass ZDS e.V.
17:15 Final discussion and end of the day – Dinner
Wednesday, July 21, 2027
08:30 Practice: Liquification of chocolate and finishing chocolates ZDS e.V.
Theory and practice: Netzsch Rumba System Netzsch-Feinmahltechnik GmbH
Lunch
Practice: Chocolate tempering (manual tempering, seeding method) ZDS e.V.
Practice: Netzsch Rumba System Netzsch-Feinmahltechnik GmbH
Final discussion and end of the day – Dinner
Thursday, July 22, 2027
Visit of Sollich KG, Bad Salzuflen
6:45 Departure ZDS Arrival at Sollich
Theory:
- Tempering of chocolate
- Enrobing
- Cooling
Factory visit and demos
Lunch
Departure Visit of Ludwig Weinrich GmbH & Co.KG, Herford
Factory visit and demos
Departure to ZDS
Dinner at the ZDS
Friday, July 23, 2027
08:30 Practice: Chocolate tempering exercise by hand, production of seasonal chocolate hollow figures
Practice: Coating inlays with chocolate ZDS e.V.
Practical exam of course topics – Part I
Lunch
In the afternoon visit Chocolate Museum in Cologne!
WEEK 2 CHOCOLATE
Monday, July 26, 2027
08:30 Theory: How to Measure Viscosity and Yield Point of Chocolate Thermo Fisher Scientific
Theory: Flow properties of chocolate – Practical application PGPR Lunch
Theory: Particle Analysis Technology Sopat GmbH
Practice: Particle Analysis Technology Sopat GmbH
Theory & Practice: Sugar-reduced chocolates, dairy-free alternatives, specialty chocolates
Final discussion and end of the day – dinner
Tuesday, July 27, 2027
08:30 Theory: Allergen management R-Biopharm AG
Theory: Emulsifier Lecithin Bunge Loders Croklaan B.V.
Theory: Cocoa butter alternatives
- CBE
- CBR
- CBS Bunge Loders Croklaan
Practice: Elaboration of compounds Bunge Loders Croklaan / ZDS e.V.
Lunch
Practice: Elaboration of compounds Bunge Loders Croklaan B.V. / ZDS e.V.
Final discussion and end of the day – Dinner
Wednesday, July 28, 2027
08:30 Theory: Sensorial evaluation of cocoa beans and cocoa mass (part 1), Infopoint Kakao und mehr
Theory: Crystallisation of cocoa butter
- Composition of cocoa butter
- Temperindex • Multitherm – Bühler Crystallization Index
- DSC Infopoint Kakao und mehr Practice: Crystallization of cocoa butter
- Temperindex • Multitherm – Bühler Crystallization Index
Infopoint Kakao und mehr
Lunch
Practice: Crystallization of cocoa butter
- Temperindex
- Multitherm – Bühler Crystallization Index
Infopoint Kakao und mehr
Theory: Fat bloom and sugar bloom, Infopoint Kakao und mehr
Final discussion and end of the day – Dinner
Thursday, July 29, 2027
08:30 Theory: Sensorial evaluation of chocolate (part 2) Infopoint Kakao und mehr
Lunch
Theory: Elevating quality & efficiency CHoNova AG
Practice: • WDS Chocolate bar plant, production and cooling
Final discussion and end of the day – Dinner
Friday, July 30, 2027
08:30 Theory: Chocolate panning, ZDS e.V.
Practice: Chocolate panning
- Precoating
- Engrossing
- Smoothening
- Polishing
- Sealing
ZDS e.V.
End of the seminar Part 1
Lunch
Departure at ZDS
Visit at Schloss Burg Solingen
WEEK 3 CHOCOLATE FILLINGS
Monday, August 02, 2027
09:00 Welcome and presentation of the programme
Theory: Fondant raw mass
Practical: Production of fondant raw mass Molding technology
- Traditional moulding
- Book moulding
- Cold stamping
- One Shot
Aasted Germany GmbH
Lunch
Practice:
- Fondant deposited in starch or silicone moulds
- Fondant for chocolate shells
- Fondant for extrusion
Final discussion and end of the day – Dinner
Tuesday, August 03, 2027
09:00 Theory: Fat-based fillings and creams
- Fat chemistry
- Raw materials
- Fats for fillings and creams
Practical: Production of fat-based filling
Practical: Traditional shell production
Lunch
Practical: Production of fat-based filling
- Fillings with different texture
- Aerated fat filling
- Filling and sealing
Wednesday, August 04, 2027
9:00 Theory: Praliné (German Nougat) ZDS e.V.
Practical: Praliné
- Basic praliné with different methods
- Praliné as filling
- Laminated praliné
Lunch
Practical: One Shot and Cold stamping technology with different fillings
Final discussion and end of the day – Dinner
Thursday, August 05, 2027
08:30 Theory: Truffle and ganache
- Raw materials
- Production methods
- Shelf-life
Practical: Truffle and ganache methods Part 1
- Deposited
- Extruded/ piped
- Cutted
- Rolled
- Comparison Kitchen Aid, Stephan mixer and Stephan mixer with vacuum
- Short, middle, long shelf-life
ZDS e.V.
Lunch
Practical: Truffle and ganache methods Part 2
- Deposited
- Extruded/ piped
- Cutted
- Rolled
- Comparison Kitchen Aid, Stephan mixer and Stephan mixer with vacuum
- Short, middle, long shelf-life
ZDS e.V.
Final discussion and end of the day – Farewell Dinner
Friday, August 06, 2027
08:30 Theory: Croquant and brittle
Practical: Croquant
- Hard croquant
- Laminated croquant
- Caramell: molded and cut
Practical: Finishing all products
Final discussion and end of the seminar
– subject to changes –
- Course documentation (digital)
- Transportation and visit to machines and raw material suppliers as well as the chocolate museum in Cologne
- Refreshments: Snacks and drinks
- Accommodation in the ZDS (optional)
- Lunch and dinner in the ZDS canteen
- ZDS Diploma “Chocolate/Sugar Confectionery”
- You should wear comfortable work clothes, long trousers, shoes.
- We kindly ask you to bring your own coat.
- Kindly bring your laptop to access the course documents on-site.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the event, please contact our project organization:
seminar@zds-solingen.de
+49 (0) 212 59 61 32
Your instructor:
Guillermo Geschwindner
Dipl.-Ing. Food Technology, Specialist teacher for Confectionery and Chocolate
