“ Handmade chocolate is made with passion ”

1. “Handmadechocolateis made with passion” “That'swhatmakes thedifference”

2. Three students from Liceo Scientifico Francesco Severi visited the great fair of handmadechocolate, heldat Villa Comunale in February 2018 andinterviewed the Master Chocolatier of a handmadechocolate company from Milan

3. The fruit of the cocoa tree is known as a cocoa pod – it is from the seeds of this fruit that chocolate is made.

4. Inside the pods there are dozens of seeds covered with a white, fruity pulp.

5. The pulp is scooped out and then allowed toferment under banana leaves or burlap.

6. After fermenting, the seeds, better known as cocoa beans, are dried in the hot sun for many days before being shipped to chocolate factories.

7. Dried beans are roasted and cracked open to reveal cocoa nibs used to make chocolate.

8. Cocoabutter, a naturalfatpresent in chocolate, isseparated from the cocoa mass thenadded back in precise quantitiesbased on manufacturers' recipes.

9. “Weinterviewed the Master Chocolatier of a handmadechocolate company to learn more aboutthistype of production.”

10. 1) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HANDMADE PRODUCT AND AN INDUSTRIAL ONE? «In producing a handmade product craftsmen dedicate more attention and passion , therefore the quality is better than an industrial one. For this reason, the final product is of a better quality and value , consequently it has a higher price. Moreover, unlike industrial products, handiworks are entirely created and made by hand and not the result of ready prepared ingredients. As a matter of fact, in the production of chocolate every single ingredient is the result of a very careful processing.

11. 2) DO PEOPLE APPRECIATE HANDMADE PRODUCTS, EVEN IF THEY ARE MORE EXPENSIVE? « People appreciate handmade products much more because they don't give much importance to the appearance of a product, but rather to its taste and quality which distinguishes it considerably from an industrial one.

12. 3) WHAT ARE YOUR PRODUCTS? ARE THEY MADE LOCALLY? «All the products are 100% local except for cocoa, obviously. The cocoa we use comes from different countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.»

13. 4) WHICH RAW MATERIALS/INGREDIENTS DO YOU USE? _ We generally use hazelnut and pistachio pasta, sugar and other types of creams, but above all, cocoa.

14. 5) WHICH PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES WERE USED IN THE PAST AND WHICH NOWADAYS? _ The production techniques have certainly changed even if chocolate is always the same. In the past, chocolate was entirely hand made using inefficient and bulky machinery. Nowadays, on the contrary, thanks to new technology , it is possible to produce a faster, more precise and complete product with less work than in the past.

15. 6) WAS THIS BUSINESS HANDED DOWN TO YOU BY A FAMILY MEMBER OR DID YOU START YOUR OWN BUSINESS? _ The owner of the chocolate company inherited it from his father.

16. 7) HOW DO YOU DISTRIBUTE AND SELL YOUR PRODUCTS? _ We sell our products mostly through fairs, exhibitions and events, but in the near future we would like to open a small shop.

17. 8) DID YOU RECEIVE A GRANT OR LOAN? _ Not yet, but we are going to ask for a loan to open our first shop.

18. 9) WHAT DIFFICULTIES/ PROBLEMS HAVE YOU HAD? _ This year we had some problems during the preparation of the stand at the “Villa Comunale” , due to the bad weather.

19. 10) DO YOU LIKE YOUR JOB? WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? _ It's a very demanding job, but we find it productive and engaging. As regards the future, we hope in an increase in sales of handmade chocolate.

20. “The interview was a total success: we got to learn a lot of new things we had no idea about before, it was a fastantic experience” “It was a big opportunity to get to know more about handmade products!” “I don't know about the others but one thing is for sure: it was all delicious ;-d”