Bean-to-bar

Several hundred small chocolate manufacturing companies were started to meet the demand for bean-to-bar products and a wider variety of flavors emerging from new consumer requirements.

[5][6] Bean-to-bar manufacturers take great care in selecting their cacao beans[7] with many traveling to plantations in tropical regions to meet with growers in order to establish direct-trade relationships, some have managed to gain access to control the fermentation process.

[12] As a result of the rise in consumer demand for fine and aromatic dark chocolate created by bean-to-bar (craft chocolate movement) and the idea of small batch recipes, new types of processing equipment and machinery have been developed facilitating small business development.

Some cacao farms in tropical America have incorporated the trade model to add-value to make the supply chain more sustainable by producing "tree-to-bar"[15][16] and "farm-to-bar"[17] chocolate.

[21] By 2014 in Japan, the brand "Minimal", was introduced as a pioneer for the inspiration of bean-to-bar makers there, its taste has been recognized at international competitions.