Great American Chocolate Story

The world is full of exotic flavors. So many wonderful flavors. Different cultures have different tastes and different favorites. America's [music] favorite flavor is chocolate. Much of America's chocolate comes from the unique community of Hershey, [music] Pennsylvania, that is home to the world's largest chocolate factory. When Milton [music] Hershey first opened his new factory right after the turn of the century, it was his intention to make the delicacy of chocolate available to the [music] vast majority of Americans. Milton Hershey was to chocolate what Henry Ford was to the automobile. [music] Today, the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania is synonymous with [music] chocolate making, and the Hershey influence and legacy are very much a part of the community. It's there in [music] the Milton Hershey School. Founded by Hershey himself as a refuge for orphaned children, the school now provides home and education for more than 1,300 [music] boys and girls who are orphaned or do not otherwise receive adequate parental care. It's there in the Milton S. Hershey [music] Medical Center of the Pennsylvania State University, a teaching hospital [music] and research facility where students and patients alike benefit from the ongoing [music] Hershey commitment to the community. The influence is seen [music] in Hershey Park, which attracts more than a million and a half visitors each year to be a part [music] of the fun, excitement, and entertainment. The Hershey tradition is there in the gardens [music] that overlook the factory, in the exotic names given to many of the town's streets, even in the uniquely shaped street [music] lights that sweeten the drive down Chocolate Avenue. It's no [music] wonder that Hershey, Pennsylvania, is known as Chocolate Town, USA. [music] But what is it about this area right in the middle of some of Pennsylvania's richest farmland that made it so attractive a location as the chocolate [music] capital of the world? One answer is milk. Milk [music] is one of the prime ingredients needed to make quality milk chocolate products. And Milton Hershey chose this area [music] because of its reputation for having a large number of highly productive dairy [music] farms. It's obvious today that the choice was a wise one. [music] Every day, the Hershey Chocolate Factory alone uses nearly a million pounds of milk. [music] But any true chocolate lover knows that milk is just one of the many ingredients that make chocolate the favorite that it is. In fact, [music] the making of chocolate involves many flavors that come from many parts of the world. Blending [music] these flavors together to create the taste that America loves is a great [music] American chocolate story. [music] The world of chocolate begins in the cocoa tree growing regions of the earth. That narrow band of tropical [music] countries that lie along the equator. Ivory Coast [music] in Africa is the largest supplier of cocoa followed by other major producers like Ghana, Nigeria [music] and Brazil. But there are a host of smaller producers as well. Cameroon, Dominican [music] Republic, Ecuador, Malaysia, New Guinea among many others. One land where [music] the age-old methods of growing cocoa are being improved through modern agrous [music] techniques is the country of Bleise. Bleise is a small central [music] American country that lies southeast of Mexico and east of Guatemala. Although Bleise's cocoa growing industry is [music] just now being developed, the Bleian heritage includes a long and close association with the cocoa [music] bean. This is the site of Altunha, remnants of a [music] ceremonial plaza built by Mayan Indians who inhabited this area of Bise from 200 BC [music] till the 14th century. Among the many gods the ancient Mayans worshiped [music] was one they credited with the wonderful gift of the cocoa bean from which a delicious drink [music] could be made. Even today the scientific name for the fruit of the [music] cocoa tree is theobma cacao which means cocoa food of the gods. There [music] are still bleians who continue growing cocoa in the tradition of their ancestors [music] to whom the beans were so valuable they were used in trade as we use money. Today, as always, the mixture [music] of sun and shade is crucial to good harvest. And so, young trees are planted within small cleared patches of the jungle. They to be protected by the dappled shade of taller trees. somewhere between that of banana and mango. In order to help local [music] farmers grow cocoa more profitably and on a larger scale, Hershey has established [music] an experimental farm in Bleise where more sophisticated growing methods are being introduced. Improved varieties [music] of cocoa trees are planted in straight rows for maximum harvest productivity and other cultivation techniques such as controlled irrigation are studied in special [music] test areas. We have quite a bit of insect damage and fungus appearing on these plants. And I would like you to at the experimental farms nursery, the focus is on the development of improved hybrid cocoa seedlings. You see here cutting insects and that to use seven you can use and information is shared on the newest treatments [music] for problems that young trees may encounter. Well, um this morning a spring was done at the co which is a fun. The farm also includes a testing facility and lab where ongoing [music] studies analyze the results of farming experiments such as the effects of irrigation on cocoa bean [music] size. Since the cocoa tree growth cycle is continuous, there are always ripe pods to be harvested. They are cut to the ground by machete, gathered by hand, and [music] placed by the side of the road until they are picked up to be trucked to the processing plant. Although in most cocoa producing countries, machetes are also [music] used to open the pods and harvest the beans. In this cocoa processing plant, the job is done more efficiently with the aid of machinery. The mechanism is uncomplicated. a combination of gears, blades, conveyors, and drums that perform the job of opening pods and extracting beans. And at the end of the line, a team of workers catches those few beans [music] clinging to the pods and missed by the machine. Almost immediately, [music] the beans begin to darken with exposure to the air. The beans are boxed, covered with leaves, and monitored as a natural fermentation process [music] helps develop the cocoa bean flavor over the next 5 days. Before the beans are bagged and shipped to port, they are dried for 3 days in heated bins and sifted to remove foreign matter and debris. By [music] this point, the cocoa beans have lost nearly all of their moisture and nearly half of their weight. Finally, they are ready for shipment. Bleise is a producer of another major ingredient for chocolate making, sugar. Sugar is grown in numerous countries [music] including the United States. Although both cane and beet sugar can be used in the making of chocolate, all the sugar production of bleise is from [music] sugar cane. And though some aspects of sugar cane refining have been modernized, basic rituals and [music] processes remain the same. It begins with the cutting of cane in fields that have been cleared of brush by burning. And it will end at the mill with mounds of raw sugar drawn from the cane's sweet juices. [music] [music] Both the sugar and cocoa must be [music] shipped great distances to be used in the chocolate making process. First destination [music] for the raw sugar will be a US refinery where it will be converted to the familiar white crystals [music] used by chocolate makers. The modern method of cocoa bean transport [music] is containerization in which trailers are loaded at dock side and lifted as fully packed [music] units onto the ship. The world of chocolate is often enhanced by the added flavors of peanuts and almonds. For American [music] chocolate making, peanuts are secured from the southern part of the US, while almond production originates in the valleys of California. Almond trees thrive [music] here because the winter fogs protect them from temperature extremes during their dormant season. Rainfall [music] is sparse and orchards must be irrigated regularly. By late summer, [music] the trees are heavy with maturing nuts, each encased in a shell and surrounded [music] by a thick hull which splits open as harvest time approaches. The most efficient way to harvest the almonds is by shaking them right out of the tree. After drying [music] on the ground for a few days, the almonds will be picked up by other harvesting machinery and their hulls will be mechanically removed. Then the [music] nuts are taken to the receiving and storage center for further processing. After [music] unloading, the nutmeats will be gently separated from their shells, and [music] a series of sorting and inspecting operations prepare the almonds for bulk shipment to customers like [music] Hershey, the largest single user of almonds in America. The growing [music] conditions under which peanuts thrive are found in our southern states. Georgia is the best known. Plenty of sunshine, moderate [music] rainfall, and well- drained sandy soil all help the peanut [music] plant to produce its nut bearing pods or shells, which grow underground. At harvest [music] time, digging plows slice through the main root of each plant below the soil level, and the plants with the pods attached [music] are overturned and left to dry in the sun. [music] Later, the pods will be removed from the dried plants by machine and [music] transported to a processing plant for cleaning, grading, and shelling. While nuts, [music] sugar, and cocoa beans make their way to Hershey from far-flung sources. [music] The pure fresh milk so essential to milk chocolate production begins [music] its much shorter journey from farm to factory as stainless steel tank trucks arrive for the scheduled [music] pickup. The company maintains a staff of field representatives [music] to inspect each farm on a regular basis and the milk haulers conduct a [music] series of quality checks too. Every time a milk hauler visits a farm, he takes what's called a universal sample, [music] which will go to the lab for testing. As each truck arrives at the factory receiving station, another universal [music] sample is taken. All samples are brought immediately to the milk receiving laboratory. Here, [music] tests for bacteria count, antibiotics, and butter fat content [music] are among the many conducted in a tightly controlled quality assurance program. [music] Carloads of cocoa beans arrive at the factory throughout the year from more than a dozen different countries. And because [music] each region produces a bean with its own distinctive flavor, each country's beans must be handled and stored separately [music] until they're needed. The quantities involved are enormous. The beans are delivered automatically from the rail sighting to the top of the storage silo complex, [music] which has a total capacity of 90 million pounds. Arranging for a steady supply of basic ingredients like cocoa beans and sugar from around the world is [music] a complex process. One that begins in Hershey's own commodities trading room. Here experts are in direct communication with the New York and London exchanges where the commodities of cocoa and sugar are traded by following world market price fluctuations closely. Agreements to buy and sell quantities of cocoa and sugar are made, sometimes more than a year in advance, assuring adequate supplies of these raw materials. What's Sterling doing this morning, Tony? Uh, we've got pretty much a scent range between 14200 and 14300. Just as planning for raw materials has become a special area of expertise, the technology of chocolate making has grown so rapidly, become so extensive that the company devotes [music] much time and effort to it. Today, the corporate technical center [music] houses engineering, research, and development services for all segments of Hershey's [music] business. With ready access to extensive information on chocolate and cocoa [music] technology, the technical center staff works to improve existing products and develop new ones. Using sophisticated equipment [music] and techniques, samples can be broken down and their components identified and analyzed. A research project [music] may require the measurement of nutrients in a food or a series [music] of microbiological studies. New robotic [music] systems are being developed to assist in testing procedures. Also, the packaging of products is studied and improved for optimum durability and [music] protection. The technical center engineering section gets involved when a plan requires the design of new equipment or processes and new [music] product ideas can be tested and evaluated in a fully equipped pilot plant. [music] The best way to judge the flavor of chocolate products [music] is by tasting them. These trained taste panel members carefully evaluate and compare new product [music] recipes being considered for manufacturer. Six major notes are shown with the intensities that we perceived yesterday. Let's taste it again and try and close. Taste panels are also responsible for monitoring product ingredients, identifying and charting subtle differences in flavor and fragrance, while helping to maintain the distinctive Hershey taste in all finished products. Hershey's kitchens are more than kitchens. their food laboratories where home economists experiment with a wide range [music] of recipes for chocolate and chocolate products. Making use of all the flavor the cocoa [music] bean has to offer is as much a science as it is an art. [music] The art actually begins in the factory itself. Cocoa beans enter the production line [music] through an elaborate cleaning and sorting machine that removes any foreign matter. Then [music] they're routed by conveyor belt to a storage tank which supplies the blending department. [music] Sometimes the beans are blended before roasting and proportions for [music] specific recipes are programmed into the automatic blending machines. [music] Each station introduces one type of bean to the continuous flow blending process. Precise quantities are measured in pounds per minute. [music] The blended beans then travel to huge ovens where they are dry roasted at temperatures over 400° F. [music] This roasting develops the flavor and aroma of the beans. Then in another completely enclosed [music] process, the shell of the bean is removed and the inner meat is broken into fragments called nibs. The roasted [music] nibs will be put through a milling process which converts them to a free flowing liquid. Traditionally, [music] this has been called chocolate liquor, although it has no alcoholic content. [music] All chocolate products made in the factory begin with this liquor, which is rich in cocoa [music] butter. And liquors made from different types of beans can be blended automatically from [music] a central control room, then sent on to the various production areas. When cocoa [music] products are being made, giant presses squeeze most of the cocoa butter out of the liquor. The butter is drained away and will be used in the making of milk chocolate. The dry cake that remains after the butter is squeezed out is pure [music] cocoa. The cake goes through [music] several grinding and refining processes on its way to becoming packaged cocoa and samples are collected for the quality assurance laboratory. In another section [music] of the factory, whole milk is being condensed for use in the chocolate making process. When almost all of the water content has [music] been removed and the milk has reached the consistency of taffy, chocolate liquor and sugar are added and the mixture looks good enough to eat. However, many more [music] steps lie ahead. The mixture gets drier and drier until it becomes a coarse powder called crumb. [music] The blending and mixing of crumb are computer controlled and from this console additional cocoa butter is introduced [music] to make the finished chocolate richer in flavor, creamier in texture. The flow of [music] ingredients is now directed to one of many coning machines. The name conch began years [music] ago when the vats were shaped like the sea shell. Today the name remains but there are a variety [music] of shapes and sizes in use. As the crumb is fed [music] by conveyor to this rotary action conch. Additional cocoa butter is piped in to enrich the formula with constant [music] stirring and low heat. This rotary action is preferred for some types of chocolate. While other chocolates [music] benefit most from longitudinal coning techniques. In this [music] process, large granite rollers go back and forth rubbing the mixture, now called chocolate paste, over a corrugated [music] granite base. During its trip through the cotch, this thick, coarse mixture [music] is transformed within 72 hours to a rich, mellow consistency with flavor to [music] match. But one step remains before it's ready for cooling and packaging. In the refining [music] process, massive steel rollers reduce the particle size of the blended ingredients, making a fine [music] paste even finer, really velvety smooth in texture. While the chocolate [music] paste is being refined, the peanuts and almonds required for some products are prepared for roasting. After [music] cleaning, peanuts must pass inspection by an electronic sorting machine. [music] Almonds are given an equally rigorous inspection as they are cleaned prior to roasting. In one [music] of the most aromatic departments of the factory, peanuts and almonds are roasted in stainless steel ovens. This automated [music] process develops and enhances the natural nut flavor, creating a taste that [music] blends especially well with milk chocolate. As the nuts are conveyed to many different departments, the refined milk chocolate [music] paste is cooled to a working temperature at the molding machine. If an almond [music] bar is being molded, the nuts are deposited in the molds before the chocolate is added. And a shake of the mold distributes [music] the nuts evenly. The molds then pass under two chocolate depositors, each filling alternate rows of molds [music] automatically. The molds for all bars with [music] and without nuts travel on an endless belt toward the cooling tunnel. The molded chocolate is vibrated and cooled as it [music] passes through the tunnel. This helps to assure a solid well-formed bar. At the [music] end of the tunnel, finished milk chocolate bars emerge and move toward the automatic packaging equipment. [music] [music] Of course, not all chocolate is molded. [music] This unique shape is achieved by ejecting or dropping chocolate onto a moving belt. [music] [music] All chocolate products have a journey to [music] make before they'll be eaten. And all are carefully wrapped and packaged in order to be [music] delivered fresh to chocolate lovers everywhere. color. Oh my god. By the time each [music] product has reached the packaging stage, its ingredients have been tested, analyzed, [music] and scrutinized every step of the way. The experts [music] in Hershey's quality assurance laboratories help those in production to maintain the highest standards to asssure [music] that consumers get the quality and quantity they expect. Only when the final [music] test has been made and the final approval given do the cartons of chocolate [music] products leave the factory on their way to distribution. An international cycle is being completed. Raw materials [music] drawn from many parts of the globe have been transformed by Hershey into delicious chocolate products [music] which now flow out into the marketplace. Chocolate. It's a story of raw materials from far-off exotic places, [music] of agricultural study and improvement, of largecale [music] long-d distanceance shipping requirements. It's a [music] story that blends ingredients in a highly sophisticated manufacturing process, [music] one that draws on the richness of tradition and the advances of technology. But [music] mostly, it's a story that begins with the cocoa bean and leads to the flavor America loves best. [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] [music]