When people think of a chocolate factory chances are that most immediately conjure that whimsical place inhabited by Willy Wonka and a steadfast crew of Oompa Loompas. And while the reality is far less enchanting, the truth remains that the modern chocolate factory turns out its own form of magic as it labors to bring the gift of chocolate to the masses.

The statistics say it all; it is estimated that chocolate consumption reaches over 3.3 billion pounds a year in the United States alone. To keep pace with this constant demand, the chocolate factory of today utilizes an intricate system to deliver a variety of chocolate treats to consumers in record time.

The process of chocolate making in today’s chocolate factory has remained much the same as it did when mechanical chocolate production made its debut during the Industrial Revolution. It begins with the cocoa seeds which are carefully sorted through to discard imperfections. This is normally a process done by hand – one of few hand-done processes still done in the chocolate factory – and one that culminates in the separation of each particular seed into type and country from which it originated. From there, the seeds are thoroughly cleaned and weighed.

Next, the cocoa seeds are roasted in the chocolate factory until all the moisture is completely removed and the seeds are a rich, dark brown. Once roasted, the seeds pass through a machine where the shells are opened to get to the seed bits – or nibs – inside. The nibs are then sorted by size in a chocolate factory process known as winnowing. The nibs contain the flavor of the chocolate and they are crushed into heavy chocolate liquor to which milk and sugar are added to get the chocolate we know and love.

From this point, a series of different processes can take place within the chocolate factory according to any number of recipes. Regardless of what chocolate you crave, you have access to your heart’s desire thanks to the modern chocolate factory.