Finest Cocoa
Our chocolate’s unique taste is rooted in our bean to bar philosophy, beginning with the careful selection of high-quality cocoa beans from the world’s most renowned regions. This philosophy is why we built our own sustainable cocoa bean supply chain, and makes Lindt & Sprüngli one of the few chocolate makers to have complete control over every step of the process behind crafting gourmet chocolate, from bean selection to the final product.
Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program
Lindt & Sprüngli is one of the few chocolate makers that has complete control over every step of the production chain, from the selection of the finest cocoa varieties through to the finished product. We started our Farming Program in order to establish a traceability and verification system for our cocoa beans, while supporting local farmers to help them—and their communities— thrive, while harvesting our cocoa beans responsibly and sustainably.
How Lindt selects its cocoa beans
Cocoa beans have different flavor characteristics depending on where they are grown, their genetic variety, environmental influences (e.g., season), and how they are processed after the harvest. That’s why Lindt & Sprüngli selects and blends
cocoa beans grown sustainably from the top regions around the world, finessing the formula until we achieve the perfect balance that makes our signature recipes a well-kept secret.
The four cocoa bean varieties
Criollo
This fine flavor cocoa bean is prized for its highly aromatic qualities, and accounts for a small portion of the world cocoa harvest.
Trinitario
Also considered a fine flavor cocoa bean, this variety began as a hybrid of the Criollo and Forastero trees and is named after Trinidad, its place of origin.
Forastero
This bean makes up nearly 95 percent of the world’s cocoa, in part because the trees grow faster and have a higher yield than the other varieties.
Nacional
A genetic blend of Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario cocoa, the Nacional is a variety of fine flavor bean that Lindt uses in its unique blend. Grown in Ecuador, it imparts richness and floral notes to chocolate.
Finest cocoa, by the numbers
Amount of cocoa beans it takes to create a pound of chocolate
Average number of cocoa beans in a single cocoa pod
Approximate number of cocoa beans a cocoa tree produces annually
3 things cocoa beans need to grow
Lindt & Sprüngli’s bean to bar journey begins at the farm, where the cocoa trees have the ideal growing conditions to produce high-quality cocoa beans for our gourmet chocolate:
1. Warm weather: Cocoa trees thrive in high temperatures, anywhere from an average of 18 to 32 degrees Celsius.
2. Substantial rainfall: Rainfall is the most important climatic factor in determining the success of a growing.
3. Plenty of shade: The cocoa tree’s natural environment is the Amazonian rainforest, where they are surrounded by natural shade.
Where do cocoa beans come from? Peek inside a cocoa pod.
