Why handmade chocolates are superior to commercial chocolates

If you’ve ever had a bite of handcrafted chocolate, you can easily taste the difference between the small-batch chocolate in your hands and the mass-manufactured versions. It’s a smoother taste, creamier, and explodes with flavor.

But what makes these two versions of the same treat so different, and how do handmade chocolates like the bars from Western Chocolate Company take the edge? There are many steps in the production of chocolate where big corporations take shortcuts for monetary gain - at the expense of the chocolate itself. Let’s take a look at what makes handmade confections so markedly superior.

A robust flavor profile

Handmade chocolate has to be created in smaller batches than mass manufacturing operations. That’s because the quality of ingredients is more important than the number of bars that are being sold. A big company can cut corners by adding inexpensive artificial flavors. This might sound like it makes more sense for the business, but that’s only if your objective is to sell as many bars as you can for big returns.

Artisanal chocolatiers care about the taste first and foremost. With a handmade chocolate bar, there are no artificial ingredients or preservatives that compromise the result. You can experience the boldness of the cocoa beans and every infusion of flavor. Customers simply can’t go back to lesser quality chocolate bars once they know what it should taste like.

Creative concoctions

A perfectly made chocolate bar is a thing of beauty on its own. Cocoa beans don’t necessarily need other ingredients to sing, but if you pair it with another flavor you’ll have a true work of art. Artisanal chocolatiers have the advantage of being able to experiment more than a large corporation.

Timing has a lot to do with it. A smaller company can take its time and use expertise to develop the right assortment of flavors. And because only natural ingredients are being used, every bite of your chocolate bar is bold and bright. That gives us the chance to incorporate the unique ingredients of the American West that we love so much in our products.

Laborious work

Another major part of chocolate work has to do with the equipment used to make it. For big commercial ventures, they are using standardized equipment that creates uniform bars as quickly as possible for maximal financial yields.

That’s not how handmade chocolate is produced. The equipment used is designed to coax the greatest taste from the chocolate. Many people do not realize how much skill is involved in creating a truly great chocolate bar, and the process is incredibly important. Substandard equipment simply won’t do.

Supporting a small business

Maybe it’s just us, but chocolate seems to taste even sweeter when you’re supporting a small business. It gives micro operations like ours a chance to grow and flourish using a process that honors the chocolate in the way it deserves. When you choose to buy handmade chocolate, you’re supporting this concept with your dollars. And don’t you deserve the highest quality for every cent?


So if you’ve got your eye on a commercial chocolate bar and a handmade chocolate bar, keep these tips in mind for your selection. A handmade chocolate bar like ours at Western Chocolate Company is created in a small batch with love. That’s why it has a smooth, luxurious taste that can’t be scaled for mass production.