In 1828 he patented a press that removed most of the bitter fat, which accounts for more than half the weight, from the ground, roasted beans. He pioneered a pressing process for milling cocoa he removed the center of the bean –called nib – in order to make the resulting paste more digestible.
Van Houten also went on to treat the coca with alkaline salts to improve it blending with hot water. This process is known as ‘Dutching’. The process made its cocoa essence more soluble and more ‘chocolatey’ in taste.
For the first time, cheap chocolate powder could be produces for the masses. Ten years after he had patented the process van Houten sold the rights to his cocoa press. One of his first customers was J.S Fry & Sons of Bristol, England.
Van Houten established a new steam-powered factory in 1850, close to Amsterdam.
Van Houten sold his cocoa to candy makers, housewife and bakers. In 1877, C.J van Houten and Zoon, of Weesp, Holland applied for a British trademark, which was registered for Van Houten’s Pure Soluble Cocoa until 1989.
The English firm of Cadbury reproduced the technology of van Houten and quickly became the leading British confectioner, due to its marketing strategy of connecting boxes of chocolate candies to romance: boxes of chocolates were demanded by men to be given to their special lady friends.
Van Houten chocolate
