We recently had the opportunity to tour Videri Chocolate Factory in Raleigh, North Carolina.
We started out in the coffee shop area of the store. Our tour guide explained about the meaning of the name Videri, ‘to see’ in Latin, which explains the open layout of the factory. We also learned that Videri’s cacao beans come from four countries and are blended to create their own unique flavor.
Among her other responsibilities, our tour guide also sorts the beans by hand to remove any debris or bad beans that may have gotten mixed in the bag. This serves not only to protect the machines but also to improve the flavor of the finished product.
Sam, founder and developer of the Videri recipe, was roasting the beans as we walked past. This machine can roast several pounds at a time, which takes several hours. Fortunately for us, this batch was ready while we watched, and so we saw the beans empty from the drum. The kids were fascinated with this!
These are the only ingredients in Videri chocolate!
This is the winnowing machine. It separates the nibs from the shells by vacuum. The winnowing machine typically runs on Fridays.
The tempering machine helps the chocolate achieve the perfect texture and shine. This gives Videri’s chocolate a great snap! when you break each bar.
These handy dishes inside the winnowing room let the tourists see what the beans look like during each piece of the chocolate process.
Videri also wraps the finished product by hand.
The sea salt is my favorite! Pink peppercorn was very unique. I’ve never tasted anything like it before!
Didn’t they make our samples pretty?
I think this was our favorite part of the tour.
Videri Chocolate is open five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday. The factory is open for tourists to wander through for self-guided tours, enjoy coffee in the new coffee shop, or spend some time on their patio outside. If you’re in the Raleigh area, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Have you ever seen chocolate being made?
