After the beans are ground into chocolate liquor or chocolate paste, the paste is refined through uninterrupted stirring, or conching, that smoothes the texture of the chocolate and enhances its flavor. This mechanical rolling and kneading process takes place in huge vats with rotating paddles or blades (the paddles are shaped like conches, giving the process its name). The technique was invented in 1879 in Switzerland by Rodolphe Lindt to make chocolate more blendable (the French word is lissage).