Diploma thesis deals with the production of chocolate and chocolate sweets and influences affecting their quality and shelf life. It describes the basic raw materials for the production of chocolate, processing of cocoa beans and production of cocoa butter. There are described individual process steps from mixing of raw materials, refining, conching and tempering of the chocolate mass to forming, cooling and packaging of final chocolate products. The work includes a brief characteriistics of the cocoa tree as well. There are also described defects of chocolate products and the causes of their occurrence. During the experiment the effect of storing temperature on changes in the hardness, color and sensory properties in chocolate products was monitored. The results took into account the production method and composition of chocolate products.