Much like fine wine, chocolate takes time to develop the uniqueness of taste. Slowly melting on the tongue, gradually revealing its flavor shades and aromas. It’s a pleasure, it’s a travel, it’s a magic.
New CHOCODISCOVERY issue to feel the depth of craft chocolate from four world premium & award-winning chocolate producers.
FU WAN CHOCOLATE — Taiwan Bay of Fortune and Happiness
Sourcing high-quality Taiwan cacao locally and premium cacao beans from around the world, FU WAN CHOCOLATE specializes in both bean-to-bar and tree-to-bar chocolates. It fuses chocolate and Taiwan’s signature ingredients to create fresh, delicate and charming new flavors.
FU WAN CHOCOLATE is the most enchanting universal language, depicting the wonderful stories of Taiwan Terroir.
Warren Hsu, founder of FU WAN CHOCOLATE, is the first chocolate taster in Taiwan to be certified by International Chocolate Tasting Institute (IICCT), London. Led by his passion and outstanding skills, Fu Wan is the first Bean-To-Bar chocolate maker in Taiwan and committed to conveying precious cacao experience to the world. Its Taiwan.
“In 2010, our family opened FU WAN as a resort with a restaurant and gift shop. The main concept was to provide people with a better way of life, close to mother earth. So the whole estate is established with eco-friendly method, and the food is locally and seasonally designed, — says Warren. — And in 2015 we changed the souvenir shop into a chocolate shop. Because while I was searching for some local ingredients, I found fresh cocoa produced in my county but no one knew how to make them into good chocolate. So I started the FU WAN CHOCOLATE brand and tried to make chocolate with local fresh cocoa”.
Since 2017, FU WAN CHOCOLATE has won numerous international awards, including ICA and AOC Gold Medals, and earned worldwide recognition for its exceptional effort in propelling the “Oriental Cacao”. Moreover, FU WAN is also the first Tree-to-bar chocolate factory in Taiwan.
All FU WAN CHOCOLATE products are made in Ping Tung county. It has created a series of crafting procedure called “FIDARGS craftsmanship”, which means Fermenting, Infusing, Drying, Aging, Roasting, Grinding, Scenting. Following this original craftsmanship, every chocolate is made in balance of ART and SCIENCE , and is trying to create a chorus with FOOD CULTURE.
The Range
- 62% Charcoal Oolong Tea
- Magao Wild Pepper 62%
- Puur 70% with Kaoliang Liquor
- Ping Tung Taiwan 100%
- White Pepper & Fleur de Sel
- 1 Ping Tung 62%
- 1 Ping Tung 70%
- 8 Ping Tung Premium Roast
- 9 Double Ferment
Bestsellers — Tie-Guan-Yin Tea 62%, Red Jade Tea 62%, Lychee Rose Oriental Beauty
Cocoa Syrup — The molasses made from cocoa husks and sugar boiled with the tropical flavor of peach and pineapple. Suitable as a base for drinks or can be added to coffee & tea.
Warren Hsu: “FU WAN CHOCOLATE wants to bring people wonderful life moments via imagination breakthrough chocolate. We see chocolate as a food that comforts people’s soul. The special techniques and process we use are very important to make our chocolate special, but in the end we want to make chocolates that not only speak to your taste buds but also sing to your soul. The most beautiful thing in life is to have a peaceful soul. The easiest way to have a peaceful soul is eating good chocolate”.
Country of Origin: Taiwan
Address: No.100, Dapeng Rd., Donggang Township, Pingtung County 928, Taiwan
Instagram: @fuwanchocolate
DEFINITE CHOCOLATE — Voyage to Caribbean
DEFINITE CHOCOLATE — luxurious craft chocolate from Dominican Republic, made according to the principle “from bean to bar” without any additives, using high-quality cocoa of the same origin, which maximizes the uniqueness of the taste, aroma and characteristic shade of the finished product.
The award-winning DEFINITE CHOCOLATE comes from only a few estates in the Dominican Republic.
Working directly with suppliers, DEFINITE CHOCOLATE helps them improve product quality, so they can grow together. Supporting the local Dominican industry is important for them, that’s why they use as far as possible only Dominican ingredients. All of them are ethically sourced. They pay employees more than the standard, so they feel good and can identify with DEFINITE CHOCOLATE.
“When I visited 2014 the first Salon du Chocolat in Cologne, where I bought my first “real” chocolates from bean to bar chocolate makers I was fascinated, started making tastings with friends, tasting different chocolates from all over the world. The dream of making my own chocolate started at that time. When we moved to the Dominican Republic in 2015, I gave it a try and started making tiny batches of chocolate just for family and friends. In 2016 I decided to turn this beautiful hobby into a business and DEFINITE CHOCOLATE was born, officially founded in December 2016”, — says brand founder Jens Kamin.
DEFINITE CHOCOLATE‘s makers try to give their chocolate a Caribbean flavor, so that by enjoying their chocolates make consumers feel this special Dominican touch and be able to travel through the Dominican Republic in their mind through their palate. All team is very conscious that only the best chocolates can leave the factory. Quality is very important — not only the taste, but also the presentation of the product.
The Range
- Zorzal 100%
- Villa Altagracia 57% Cashew milk and Macadamia
- Finca Elvesia 75% Rum
- Finca Elvesia 65% Coffee and Sea Salt
- Öko-Caribe 80%
- Villa Altragracia 50%
- Valdez 55% Cashew milk and caramelized almonds
Öko-Caribe 70% Cassava — The most unusual flavor with notes of plum, raisin and fig matched with the crunchy bite of cassava cracker.
Hot Chocolate — Perfect for a winter’s evening is the Organic drinking chocolate with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Warm and welcoming, it allows your senses to explore the delicious spice flavours against a backdrop of rich organic chocolate.
Cacao Nibs — very common in the production of desserts and decorating.
Jens Kamin: “When you’re eating chocolate, close your eyes and travel to that country of origin, while enjoying the chocolate. In our case, we hope you can taste the Caribbean vibes we feel whilst roasting, grinding, tempering and packing your chocolate. When we visit the farmers on the plantations, we see smiling faces, beautiful nature with mango, lemon, banana and orange trees between the cacao trees. We hope you can see that too when tasting our chocolates”.
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Address: Camila Henriquez Urefia 41, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Instagram: @definitechocolate
CHOCOLATE TREE — Food for Heart from Scotland
The award-winning artisanal Scottish chocolate CHOCOLATE TREE, distinguished by great taste, takes a down-to-earth yet perfectionist approach to making chocolate, both from cocoa beans and cocoa liqueur, to create two different ranges of premium organic chocolate, whilst protecting biodiversity and rewarding farmers with a high price for their cacao.
The creators of the CHOCOLATE TREE brand are Alastair and Friederike Gower.
In 2005, when Alastair and Friederike Gower began building a mobile chocolaterie and café for tour music festivals, it was a big success. With a nice following from the festivals they went on to open a retail shop and café in Edinburgh, which they ran for 10 years. They had the idea just for fun, but chocolate soon became the focal point which their lives rotate around.
“The peculiarity of our chocolate is that we are driven by the need to replenish biodiversity at cacao origin and make a positive environmental impact with our business. This can be achieved by supporting smallholder farmers who grow cacao in a mixed forest environment. We undertook several trips to our cacao origins to better understand the people and the agriculture which has given us amazing insight into how to bring in cacao from sustainable sources”, — says Alastair.
Cocoa, that uses CHOCOLATE TREE, coming from an agroforested smallholder farms in South and Central America, and of special genetics, means the chocolate has a special factor that makes all the difference. The cacao has been fermented and dried to an exceptional standard by the growers at origin. Only through these careful post-harvest processes can the best flavours of the chocolate be brought to life.
Friederike, head chocolatier of the brand, is not only technically competent but incredibly creative, and that comes through in the whole range of products.
“Everything we use in our factory is sourced with consideration for how it is produced, where it comes from, and if it is really needed in the first place. Our chocolate is only made with simple and pure ingredients. Our packaging is mostly biodegradable and from sustainable sources”, — says Friederike.
The Range
Organic 100g Craft Chocolate bars with various flavor palette:
- Ginger
- Sea Salt & Caramel
- Coffee & Hazelnut
- Rose & Vanilla;
Bean-to-Bar — with the addition of alcohol in some positions
- Aztec spice
- Rum, pineapple coconut
- Whisky nibs
- Mezcal
- Pisco Sour
- Porcelana 85%
- Piura 70% (chililique)
- Coconut
- Maranon Milk
- Hazelnut
Very popular heart and soul warming Hot chocolate pouches (Hazelnut, Milk Chocolate, Piura 75, Aztec Spice) as well as Cacao & Hazelnut spread.
Gift sets of chocolates, which are produced in small batches — classic, vegan, caramel and seasonal.
Alastair & Friederike: “It’s the release of chemicals in cacao that literally make our brain happy. Anandamide in particular is found in cocoa, in Sanskrit Anandamide means “bliss” and can give us the same feeling as when we fall in love. Keep enjoying good chocolate, and keep sharing it with your friends. And our duty is to choose carefully and support the products which are going to create the better world we know in our hearts is possible”.
Country of Origin: Scotland
Address: Knowers Farm, Dunbar, East Lothian, United Kingdom
Instagram: @choctreescotland
MESJOKKE — Cocoa Stardust From Netherlands
MESJOKKE CHOCOLATE — taste, clarity and pleasure are the three core values of premium Dutch craft chocolates that are captivating, entertaining, energizing the mind and amaze the senses with its unique qualities.
MESJOKKE CHOCOLATE was founded in 2014 in the Netherlands by Luc Janssens and Per Vonk.
Creating MESJOKKE CHOCOLATE begins with the magic of cocoa beans. Only special cocoa varieties are used in the production, the taste of which can vary greatly depending on the country of origin, the type of soil and the method of cocoa fermentation. To get the most out of the specialty cocoa beans, every step of the production process, from the bean-to-bar, is done in-house to ensure the best possible result.
“The initiative was born out of the realization that people in The Netherlands eat a lot of chocolate, but almost no one knows anything about cocoa. Initially, we had a project plan which meant that we would have a number of chocolate bars produced by the chocolate manufacturer, but we would design the wrappers ourselves that would print the entire trajectory from the cocoa beans to the consumer, — say Luc and Per. — But this idea quickly evolved into a bigger plan. Especially when we learned that there were more different varieties of cacao, each with their own flavor profile, depending on country of origin, way of fermenting and drying the beans. Suddenly a whole new world of flavors and exciting new products opened up for us. That’s when we decided to found our own brand of chocolate”.
Three core values are most important: Flavor, Transparency and Fun. Using only the finest cocoa varieties and boldly pairing with other ingredients, while remaining as close to raw cocoa in terms of taste as possible, is one of the brand’s core values. Mandatory contact with the cocoa farm is a strict condition, without which cocoa is not used, as well as a fair price for it.
And the most important value is pleasure. Chocolate is entertainment that becomes an integral part of the brand. It can be found in the tone of voice of the texts, it is incorporated in very own way of approaching chocolate production and can be seen in the design of packaging as well.
“In terms of quality, we can say that every bean has been in our hands before it gets roasted, every cacao nib passes our eyes before it gets grinded, we carefully select our sugars and cocoa butters, we mold the bars by hand, with utmost precision, and every chocolate bar is checked and wrapped manually as well. As a last approval, we handwrite the batch number and best before date on the wrapper too” — founders say.
The Range
All bars are produced in two sizes 40g & 80 g
- Stardust
- DARC Angel
- Natural Blonde
- Winter Spiced
- Swingin Sunrise
- Limited Edition
Another MESJOKKE delight — Twisted & Mesjokke Chocolate Paste — Date-chocolate paste with a touch of cardamom, made with products that have been saved from waste. Made in a collaboration with Twisted Jams in Utrecht.
Luc & Per: “We notice that nowadays people are more aware of their food, are more willing to pay a higher price for a tastier and better product, and people care more about the story behind the chocolate. Craft makers are capable of telling the whole story. Our mission is to constantly learn to get the most out of the cocoa beans, and we are happy to pass this on to our customers”.
Country of Origin: Netherlands
www.mesjokke.com
Address: Proostwetering 41, 3543 AC Utrecht, Nederland
Instagram: @mesjokkechocolate
Editor-in-chief: Patricia Kolari
Text Writer: Marina Timoshevskaya
Technical Director: Evgeny Fedorov
Photos: EATWEEK GUIDE
