Chocolate maker or chocolatier?
A chocolate maker is not a chocolatier, and a chocolatier is not a chocolate maker!
A chocolatier buys cocoa mass (usually in the form of drops) from another large manufacturer. A chocolate maker produces the chocolate themselves directly from cocoa beans.
It seems to me that there is still confusion surrounding these two terms. I will try to briefly explain the workflow of a chocolate maker and a chocolatier.
Chocolate maker
A chocolate maker tests and selects the cocoa beans themselves. They know their origin and cultivation conditions. They import them directly from the farmer or cooperative, or from a warehouse in Europe. They sort the beans by hand, roast them at low temperatures, crush them, and winnow them. They grind them in a stone mill for several days. The resulting chocolate is aged to allow the flavor processes to complete. This is how their own cocoa mass is created. Ethical and unique in taste! It provides the customer with the exceptional flavor of cocoa beans. Producing one's own cocoa mass takes up to a week, but it's worth it! After that, the chocolate maker works with their own cocoa mass similarly to how a chocolatier works with purchased mass. They melt it, temper it, and pour it into molds. Once solidified, the chocolate is tapped out of the molds and wrapped.
Chocolatier
A chocolatier buys cocoa mass from a large manufacturer in the form of drops. They melt the drops, temper them, and pour the chocolate into molds. Once solidified, the chocolate is tapped out of the molds and wrapped.
Advantages and disadvantages?
Producing chocolate using the bean-to-bar method is laborious, which is why the chocolate is more expensive. However, you are buying unique ethical chocolate, made from specialty cocoa beans, handmade from start to finish. It bears the signature of the creator :-)
Making chocolate from purchased cocoa mass is significantly faster and therefore cheaper. The product is universal; you will find the same taste in other products. This is because the mass is already made, and you cannot adjust the roasting temperature, roasting time, or grinding time. There is no personal connection to the farmers, and you don't know how much they are paid for the cocoa beans or what the conditions are like on the farms.
Chocolate made directly from cocoa beans has the BEAN-TO-BAR label on the packaging, and "cocoa mass" is not listed in the ingredients.
Míša's chocolate is a 100% bean to bar chocolate maker; you won't find any cocoa drops in our manufactory.