If you listen to Chocofin Chocolatier owner Lou Mirabella explain the bean-to-bar chocolate national movement, you’ll hear similarities to making craft beers.

As more people take interest in the origin of their food and what it contains, Mirabella describes the artisan chocolate trend as a move toward more pure, more nutritious and more delicious chocolate of distinctive flavors.

To his knowledge, he and his wife, Denise, are the only Arizona chocolatiers producing craft bean-to-bar chocolate.

They will introduce the new chocolate bars Nov. 14-16 at the Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts on the Avenue of the Fountains.

A vendor at the two annual Chamber of Commerce’s arts events since 2003, Mirabella said he gives away about 10 pounds of chocolate samples daily during the festival. Their almond bark and toffee are favorites of fair-goers.

After producing well more than one million bon bon chocolates since 2001, Mirabella said it was time for a new challenge such as artisan chocolate.

“We think we have the audience for it,” said Mirabella, explaining that prospective customers are individuals who “appreciate the complexity of the flavor and the health aspects.”

Customers who have so far tasted the chocolate are excited about the product.

To be called craft chocolate, the ingredients of the finished product consist of 70 percent organically grown cocoa beans and 30 percent organic sugar.

“Nothing else,” said Mirabella.

Large commercial chocolate manufacturers typically add cocoa butter, a soy product and a bit of vanilla.

Producing the craft chocolate begins with buying a higher grade cocoa bean from countries around the equator.

Depending on the source country, whether Dominican Republic, Venezuela, New Guinea or Madagascar, the flavors can widely vary. Each bean has a unique flavor profile, often tasting fruity, such as orange or cherry, said Mirabella.

“The flavors are very intense. It’s not for everybody,” said Denise. “It’s a different type of experience.”

Craft chocolate makers carry out every step of the process personally, usually making small batches.

Chocofin buys the raw beans from an exporter and roasts beans in their commercial kitchen at 13404 La Montana Drive, suite 2.

The second step is to remove the thin shell on the bean. The process, often requiring two or three passes, is called winnowing the husk from the bean.

The bean mixture is placed into a stone grinder that resembles a food processor with superfine sugar and mixed for about 10 hours until no grittiness remains and the consistency is smooth.

A final and crucial phase is known as conching where the mixture is aerated to improve flavor.

The large chocolate bars sell for $5.95. Chocofin’s telephone number is 836-7444.