In addition to its attractive sceneries, the city proposes to see various handmade production stages of the processes of making chocolate, beer, jam or liqueur. In this opportunity, we entered the Capilla Vieja chocolate factory and discovered all its secrets.
No sooner had we entered the premises, than the chocolate-scented atmosphere took hold of our sense of smell and our sight was triggered into every single display cabinet full of delicious chocolate bars. The Ferraris -Juan Manuel and Rosi- stand behind the counter. In the 1980s, they founded the most famous chocolate factory in
Villa General Belgrano:
Capilla Vieja. Juan Manuel and his wife make
alfajores and chocolates in their factory, enabling customers to watch the process and learn some of its secrets.
“The name Capilla Vieja came up because we have a field near the village where there is an old chapel after which the place is named” explained Rosi as a preamble to what we were about to see.
We were invited to pass onto the production area. The chocolate masters were in the middle of the manufacturing process; therefore, we could have a clearer idea about their work. We learnt about the essential steps to make such deliciuos and longed-for chocolate:
Firstly, the pure cacao chocolate blocks from Ecuador are melted and then the chocolate is tempered in order to be molded on a marble worktop. Afterwards, according to the kind of product to be obtained, other ingredients are added, such as milk, coconut butter, almonds, peanuts or fruit. After this process, the chocolate is poured into molds and the chocolate temperature continues to drop until the material is crystallized. Eventually, it is introduced into a low temperature chamber where the chocolate is cooled and hardens until it adopts the final shape in which it will be sold after it is packed.
“There is no magical formula, the key to good chocolate is the quality of the raw material”, Juan Manuel explains among gestures and anecdotes, but he adds: “It is also about effort. There is much work to be done”.
The most coveted chocolates of Capilla Vieja include chocolate bars, terrapins, truffles, chocolates stuffed with almond, hazelnut and other fifteen cream varieties. Besides, it has a large variety of puff pastry alfajores cordobeses bathed in chocolate, of excellent quality and size.
Before leaving, we could not resist the temptation of tasting the delicacies made at the factory. So that we could eat without feeling any remorse, Rosi told us about the main properties of chocolate and how good it is for our body to consume a small daily portion:
“It is rich in natural antioxidants. It contains phosphorus, magnesium, iron, potasium, calcium and vitamin E, to mention some of its more significant nutritious properties.
Chocolate consumption is not related to acne in any way. Therefore, youths addicted to chocolate may eat it without any worries. It fights the bad cholesterol; but above all things, it improves people's mood,” asserted the specialist at the moment she split a thick bar of chocolate with almonds into two pieces, one of which she proceeded to take into her mouth.