Practical Introduction Course: Industrial Chocolate Manufacturing

Datum: 20.07. – 24.07.2026
Language: English
Location: ZDS Solingen
Costs: 3.750,00 €

Description

This chocolate course gives insights into industrial chocolate manufacturing. The characteristics of raw materials and their impact on product quality and the technology of producing chocolate products are focused. The participants get to know the stages of chocolate production from cocoa bean processing to cocoa liquor and chocolate mass manufacture. On the last day, the topic of compound and moulding technology will be addressed.

Goal

Main Focus:
• Raw materials and recipes
• Cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa powder
• Practical production process from cocoa beans to cocoa mass
• Practical production of dark, milk and white chocolate (at least two types)
• Standard and alternative processes
• Tempering,Molding and cooling
• Enrobing techniques
• Hollow figures, filled chocolates
• Fat bloom and sugar bloom
• Compound types and technology

Target group

• Employees of chocolate and confectionery industry: Production staff, product development, quality assurance, marketing, sales staff
• Employees from raw material and machinery suppliers

Program

Monday, July 20, 2026

9:30 Welcome – Cocoa liquor production
Theory: Cocoa processing: Cocoa cultivation and post harvesting processes
Theory: Cocoa bean processing
• Cleaning, Roasting (bean, nib, liquor)
• Breaking, Winnowing
• Grinding to liquor
• Cocoa butter and powder
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Practice: Cocoa bean evaluation and processing
• Evaluation of different cocoa beans
• Thermal pretreatment
• Breaking and winnowing
• Nib roasting
• Liquor grinding
• Cocoa butter production
17:30 End of the first day – optional dinner

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

8:30 Welcome, Chocolate production
Theory: Raw materials: Cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar, milk ingredients, flavor
Theory: Manufacturing of chocolate:
• Recipes
• Manufacturing of chocolate (mixing process, refining process, conching process)
Practical: Chocolate production and fat filling with Melanger
13:00 Lunch
Theory: Alternative chocolate manufacturing technologies
Practice: Dark and Milk Chocolate manufacturing:
• Traditional process: Mixing, refining (5-roll refining), conching
• Universal Conche and/ or Ballmill
Practical: Sensorial evaluation of milk chocolates
Practical: Pre-crystallisation of chocolate
17:30 End of the second day – optional dinner

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

8:30 Welcome, Chocolate tempering
Practice: Liquification of chocolate
Theory: Chocolate tempering, enrobing and cooling:
• Characteristics of cocoa butter
• Principles of tempering
• Commercial tempering equipments
• Evaluation of temper
• Enrobing technology and cooling
Till Bäumer, SOLLICH KG
13:00 Lunch
Practice: Chocolate tempering (Hand tempering, use of Sollich Turbotemper, evaluation of temper with a tempermeter)
Practice: Chocolate enrobing technology, Sollich line
17:30 End of the second day – optional dinner

Thursday, July 23, 2026

8:30 Welcome
8:45 Theory: Emulsifiers
Lasse Jensen, Palsgaard A/S
Moulding technology
Theory: Moulding technologies:
• Classic shell moulding
• Book moulding
• Cold stamping
• Hollow figures
• One shot depositing
13:00 Lunch
Practical: Production of chocolate tablets with WDS – Moulding line
• Aasted – Cold stamping
• Manual production of the chocolate shell, filling, and bottoming
Practice: Moulding of CBS compound
17:30 End of the fourth day – dinner

Friday, July 24, 2026

8:30 Welcome
Theory: Vegetable fats for compounds and fillings
Practice: Production of chocolate hollow figures
Theroy: Fat and sugar bloom
Practice: Tasting of produced products/ Final discussion
13:00 End of the course – Lunch

– subject to changes –