The natural flavours of high quality cacao are complex and rich. And it’s thrilling to discover that “chocolate” is only one of the thousands shades cacao may reveal.
Another four of rare chocolate brands with numerous world awards and great popularity among gourmets will help you to extend your chocolate knowledge.
MARANÁ — Inca Gold from Peru
MARANÁ is a love with the roots, the authentic, the real, which comes from a magical place called Peru. With great passion creating chocolate that makes the senses vibrate from the runic aroma of Peruvian cocoa.
MARANÁ CHOCOLATE was founded by Zulema Leon and Giuseppe Cassinelli in june of 2014.
You can sail along extensive rivers in the Amazon rainforest, ascend to snow-capped Andes mountain range and watch the sun dive into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Here in three regions San Martín, Cusco and Piura the best cocoa grows, with which MARANÁ makes three types of chocolates that will transport to a new way of experiencing and enjoying Peru.
“The idea came out between November 2013 and January 2014, when we had been searching for a business idea that can give meaning to our lives. We wanted to do the same thing that relates us with our country, that have a social impact and give us joy in working on it, — says Giuseppe Cassinelli. — In that moment Peru was the 2nd exporter of fine cacao in the world and there wasn’t any bean-to-bar Peruvian brand in the international market. Cacao is the perfect replacement for cacao leaves and it had been a live changer for a lot of Peruvian, so for us it was big thing to be part of that change and give Perú a well recognized Chocolate made locally. I’ve always loved to cook, and the idea of becoming a cholate maker interested me a lot. So, flowing in the process, I became the chocolate maker of our company”.
MARANÁ values the work of its cocoa farmers and has a real impact on the lives of their families. They work hand by hand with them as partners, pursuing fair prices that ensure sustainable development and normal living conditions. To create the best chocolate, MARANÁ team watches in detail every batch of beans arriving from the cacao farms to the factory.
MARANÁ’s commitment extends to the health of people and the world. They use 100% organic ingredients in the preparation of all chocolates. The result is felt in its fresh and intense flavor as well as in the aromas that transport to the origin of everything, to the land where the best cocoa is grown.
“Our secret is to tread each batch of cacao in a unique way, so we can bring out the best of every cacao that we work with. And make every step of the process with great attention to details. We don’t blend because we like the pure origin flavor, but we play a lot with the roasting profiles to explore the flavors of each batch and keep improving our chocolates” — says Giuseppe.
The Range
- 70% Cusco Origin
- 70% Dark Piura Origin
- 70% Dark Origin San Martín
- 80% Dark Cusco Origin — Organic
- 80% Dark Piura Origin — Organic
- 80% Dark Origin San Martín
- Organic100% Dark Cusco Origin
- 50% Milk Chocolate — Origin Cusco
- 50% Milk Chocolate Piura Origin
Also the brand represents Mini Bars Tasting Box.
Giuseppe Cassinelli: “I know well that chocolate release a substance in your brain that give joy and happiness. It relaxes and inspires. So we were born from the passion for Peruvian cocoa, from our commitment to the people who dedicate their work and life to it, and from our desire to create the best chocolate”.
Country of Origin: Peru
Instagram: @marana_chocolate
HEINDE & VERRE — Rich Cocoa Gift from Holland
HEINDE & VERRE means “near and far”. The name pays homage to the Dutch culinary tradition of combining the best ingredients worldwide with quality local produce and uses slow cooking techniques to develop the full potential of grand cru cacao and to express its natural richness in flavour.
The brand HEINDE & VERRE was founded in 2019 by Jan-Willem Jekel & Ewald Rietberg.
HEINDE & VERRE produces both single origin chocolate and blends. A single origin expresses the distinct character of a type of cacao and its specific terroir. The art of blending makes the chocolate more balanced and complex.
At the factory in Rotterdam every single bean is selected by hand. Each type of bean has its own stage in the chocolate making process. Chocolate ages for at least three months to further develop its complex and lingering flavour.
Also, HEINDE & VERRE CHOCOLATE is striving to work with traceable cacao, sourced directly from the farmers themselves. This ensures the farmers get a fair price and enables them to take care of both their workers and the environment.
“As lovers of good food and wine, we also always have had a love for chocolate. We were inspired by the bean to bar craft chocolate movement that emerged in the US a bit more than a decade ago, with the Mast Brothers and Dandelion as pioneers in the craft chocolate movement, — says brand founders. — Way back in 2013, after a bad experience with an Italian milk chocolate bar at Bergamo airport on our way back from a ski trip in the Italian alps, we decided it was time to introduce better craft chocolate in The Netherlands and Europe, and start our own chocolate brand”.
HEINDE & VERRE is inspired by natural rich cocoa flavors, and they constantly strive to improve the classic flavors using all sorts of innovative and classic methods to make their bars complex in taste and long aftertaste. The producers love to pair it with high quality Dutch milk and locally sourced sugar.
HEINDE & VERRE also produces vegan bars that have been very successful and highly praised by the customers. The MYLK Vegan Bar received a Gold Award by the Academy of Chocolate (Oscar among chocolate awards) in the category “Regular Milk”.
The Range
Here you will experience the natural flavors of Grand Cru cocoa such as fruits, nuts, flowers, herbs, tobacco, coffee, honey, leather or wood.
- Piura Peru
- Balmy Brazil
- Gold Piura Peru
- Floral Noble Bali
- Bold Brazil
- Lush Noble Bali
- Vegan Noble Bali
- Dutch Original 71
- Dutch Original Milk
- Dutch Vegan
Jan-Willem Jekel & Ewald Rietberg: “The natural rich flavour of cacao can be just as exciting and diverse as grapes in wine. Eating chocolate makes us happy and makes us feel good and being in a great mood. In our view, life it too short to eat bad food. So, when you are going to treat yourself with a chocolate bar, why not have the very best!”.
Country of Origin: Netherlands
Instagram: @heindeverre
PALATO CHOCOLATE — Proudly Hand-Crafted in Honduras
PALATO CHOCOLATE is a Honduran company founded by Monica Pedemonte (Chef Moni) who with all her passion for high quality cuisine, presents an elite Honduran final product that will satisfy the tastes of the highest quality chocolate lovers around the world.
In its beginnings, PALATO was aimed at serving individual and corporate customers at their special events due to the high quality of its dishes and pastries.
Chef Moni graduated from high school in the United States and later at the “Mausi Sebess” Haute Cuisine School in Argentina. Inspired by working with some of the world’s finest cocoa beans that grow naturally in Honduras, she joined the worldwide movement known as the “Bean-to-Bar”.
“The cacao beans used in our chocolate bars are from different regions of Honduras. They are cultivated by Honduran hands, in remote places of the country such as Wampusirpi, Gracias a Dios, a region which can be accessed by navigating for two days in a canoe through the Patuca river in La Moskitia Rainforest, — Monica says. — Here cacao grows chemically untouched, delivering pristine, high-quality beans.
Harvesting this millenary fruit creates unparalleled opportunities for small farmers, providing jobs for hundreds of families living along the Patuca River”.
PALATO closely monitors every step of the process — Sourcing first-hand the best quality beans around the world, making sure of Fairtrade practices and the best post-harvest methods used. Makers also aim to achieve the best possible roasting profile for these cacao beans and grinding and using the perfect amount of time, which all contribute to the uniqueness of what bean-to-bar chocolate represents.
The Range
Bestsellers — White Chocolate with Lemon and Pink Salt and the Almonds covered in White Chocolate with Lemon, winners of the highest awards:
- Gold award in the International Chocolate awards Americas 2021
- Silver awards in the World competition 2021
- Gold Award by the Chocolate Alliance Awards held in Seattle, USA.
Among other very popular and award-winning products are also:
- 65% Dark Chocolate with Orange and Almonds
- 70% Dark Chocolate with Caramelized Ginger
- 65% Dark Chocolate with Bhutlah Pepper 80% Dark Mayan Red Chocolate
- 75% Dark Chocolate
- 60% Dark Milk Chocolate
- 75% Dark Chocolate with Pink Salt
- 45% Milk Chocolate
- 45% Dark Chocolate with Pink Salt & Lemon
- 60% White Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs
- Dark Chocolate with Milk & Coffee
Elegant Gift Boxes of any 4 and 8 Bars could serve a beautiful gift for a chocolate lover.
Monica Pedemonte: “From my personal experience, ever since I was a little girl I fell in love with chocolate and I always associated it with happiness, nowadays every time I taste a good chocolate it takes me back to when I was a worry-free happy child. Making chocolate is more than a development process, it is a real art. I am proud to be able to work with cocoa from Honduras. We are a small bean-to-bar maker in Honduras, trying to share with the world the greatness of our fine cacao and chocolate”.
Country of Origin: Honduras
Instagram: @palatochocolate
GEORGIA RAMON — German Quality, Creativity and Diversity
GEORGIA RAMON CHOCOLATE has two different focuses. On the one hand, it produces high-quality origin chocolates to explore the world of chocolates and cocoa beans. On the other hand, it wants to push the boundaries with its chocolates in the highly competitive market for bean-to-bar chocolates, therefore, it is important that the assortment includes special chocolates.
GEORGIA RAMON was founded in 2015 by Georg Bernardini and Ramona Gustmann in Bonn’s Oberkassel district. Since November 2020, Phillip Butzmann is the new owner.
Phillip Butzmann being a trained pastry chef, has successfully completed his training as a chocolatier in Solingen and food technology.
“We focus on quality, creativity and diversity. In order to not having to restrict ourselves here, we do not use exclusively (but very often) organic raw materials. Organic is good, but does not necessarily always mean that it is the better quality. Likewise, there are certain raw materials, especially rare cocoa beans, only in very limited quantities or not at all in organic quality. Nevertheless, we do not want to exclude totally such fine raw materials, — says Phillip.
GEORGIA RAMON pays great attention to where and from whom it purchases its raw materials — in some cases directly from plantation owners and cooperatives, as well as from trusted cocoa traders. Fair pay for cocoa farmers is just as important as ensuring that producers do not use child labor. Thus, all cocoa beans either come from fair trade or are sourced directly from producers.
GEORGIA RAMON has constantly changing varieties. As a small company, this is a huge advantage over large companies. At the moment, the range includes 28 different chocolates.
Classics form the basis of GEORGIA RAMON work. But there are also interesting new taste experiences: A vegan chocolate with beetroot & coconut, a dark chocolate with chanterelles or even a fruity-sour raspberry chocolate with noble rose oil show what is possible and tasty with chocolate.
The Range
Single Origin:
- Panama 72%
- Haiti 80%
- 2,000 Trees 78% Philippines
- Haiti 58% dark whole milk
- Brazil 60%
- Bali 75%
- Honduras 70%
- Tanzania Crunchy 100%
With Inclusions:
- Organic Sea Salt Flakes
- Coffee & Cocoa Nibs
- Carolina Reaper Chili
- Beetroot & Coconut
- Vegan Pistachios
- Organic Cardamom
- Organic Chanterelles
- Shady Milk75%
- Organic Espresso
- Organic Goat Milk 55%
- Yuzu 70% Green Pistachios
- Organic Chuncho 74%
- Organic Sea Buckthorn & Yogurt
- Organic Cocoa Lassi
Raspberry & Rose is one of brand all-time favourites and has been in the range since 2015.
Phillip Butzmann: “Chocolate is unique. It is solid at room temperature and only begins to melt in the mouth. It’s incredible. There are very few other products that are as exciting historically, economically and ecologically as cocoa beans. Eat more good chocolate and look closely at where the cocoa beans come from”.
Country of Origin: Germany
Instagram: @georgia_ramon_chocolate
Editor-in-chief: Patricia Kolari
Text Writer: Marina Timoshevskaya
Technical Director: Evgeny Fedorov
Photos: EATWEEK GUIDE
