Welcome to our factory | La Chocolaterie des Pères
Quality control inspector’s office
A quality control system ensures that our products meet exceptional standards and are peanut free, nut free, sulfite free, gluten free and egg¬ free. There are several checkpoints set up to control any risk of contamination, particularly with allergens.
Fondant molding machine
The fondant molding machine is the oldest piece of equipment in our manufacturing facility. Its mechanical process is efficient and has stood the test of time. Did you know that it takes three employees to cast the fondant molds? Once they are in the molds, the delicious fondants need to be cooled before we unmold them and apply a coating flavoured with blueberry, maple, vanilla, orange or strawberry.
Sealer for bags of chocolate
Our products are packed in airtight bags to keep them fresh and ensure an optimal shelf life.
Automatic depositor for large figurines
The 800 g to 1,600 g chocolate figurines are prepared using this equipment. The depositor is precisely calibrated to fill each mold to the appropriate weight.
Palletization area
We place a label on every box so that our products can be tracked. Boxes are loaded onto pallets and stored in the warehouse for finished products.
Coating machine
Every week, we use between 4,500 kg and 6,000 kg of chocolate for coating (marshmallows, fondants, blueberries, cranberries).
Weigher
With clear and simple terms for our equipment, employees can quickly find their bearings, since all production and packing staff are tasked with working at each station. Some equipment was designed or improved to adequately meet our needs. The weigher precisely measures the quantity of a product before it is bagged (rosettes, fondants, chocolate covered blueberries, etc.).
Tempering machine
Acquired in Belgium in 2019, the tempering machine supplies chocolate to all parts of the factory (two depositors for Easter products and the coating machine for regular products). As modern day chocolate makers, we achieve consistent quality.
“The barrel”
The centrifuge cools multiple figurines at once—it can hold up to 1,536 Little Hens. The 25 g to 600 g figurines cool down on this equipment, which has been affectionately known as “the barrel” for decades.
Marshmallow mixer
The commercial mixer is used to produce chocolate covered marshmallows. We use it to put the final touch on the Trappist monks’ traditional recipe.
Mold heater
You can easily guess the purpose of this piece of equipment from its name! After passing through the cooling tunnel, the chocolate is unmolded, and the molds are ready to start the process all over again. However, they are too cold to be filled with liquid chocolate right away. The mold heater was designed to bring the molds up to the right temperature.
Taping machine
Cutting table
The cutting table is used during the production of marshmallow and coconut bars. Employees rotate between workstations every 30 minutes. It’s usually the production area that our employees enjoy the most. Did you know that if we lined up all our marshmallows produced annually end to end, we would have the equivalent of about 33 km of marshmallows? That’s more than the length of Lac Saint Jean, which is 24 km long!
Little Hen carrousel
Did you know that the Easter chocolate production line is synchronized? The Little Hen carrousel optimizes this process.
Cooling tunnel for Easter figurines
Custom designed to meet specific needs, the cooling tunnel is equipped with baskets that hold the Easter figurine molds and circulate on a belt at a set speed.
Purifier
After the marshmallow bars have cooled, they are placed in the commercial sieve to remove excess cornstarch. This piece of equipment can hold several hundred marshmallow bars at the same time.
Automatic depositor
We offer about fifteen different models of figurines for the Easter season. The depositor adjusts the quantity of chocolate based on the model currently being produced. The depositor is programmed according to the number of grams and figurines per mold; it pours the liquid chocolate to measure for our 25 g to 600 g figurines.
Automatic bagger
Millions of little hens have passed through this machine in the last twenty years.
The turn table
The turn table is where products can accumulate before being boxed.
Cooling tunnel
The chocolates are cooled for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the product, before being packaged.
Metal detector
All our products are subject to high quality standards. We also have a preventative maintenance program for our equipment and our staff must follow a sanitation and quality control program. Products and packaging are visually inspected on the production line. Every product then passes through the metal detector to guarantee an incredible experience.
Storage bins for the hundreds of Easter molds. Did you know that we produce 17 different figures?
Production coordinator’s office
The production coordinator supervises the team and ensures that equipment is functioning properly. They organize the production schedule and the raw material needed for production. They collaborate closely with the regular and preventative maintenance coordinator, and the warehouse coordinator.
Dark chocolate melter
It holds 2,000 kg of dark chocolate. Each melter is mechanically fed chocolate pastilles as needed. The entire process is automated.
Centrifuge for large figurines
Around here, it’s commonly called the “turner” or “helicopter” by our more experienced workers. Some team members have accumulated over 30 years of service at the Chocolaterie!
Milk chocolate melter
Le fondoir de chocolat au lait contient 2000 kg de chocolat. Saviez-vous que nous avons besoin de 900 kg de chocolat toutes les 8 heures lors de la production des Petites Poules en chocolat?
