The global Been-to-Bar chocolate makers are a terrific community of passionate people who not only make great chocolates, but also help restore & save the ecology and social life of cocoa’s origins. Only pure chocolate conveys the real taste and aroma of this unique product.
Five exclusive brands, marked by prestigious international awards like Academy of Chocolate, International Chocolate Awards and Great Taste, that have gained immense popularity among true chocolate connoisseurs and gourmands from all over the world — in our review.
LUISA ABRAM — Amazonian Treasure
LUISA ABRAM Chocolates is made with wild cocoa from the Amazon Forest — the one where nature made it arise, growing in the shade of other centuries-old trees. This cocoa is not planted or cultivated in a way planned by man’s action. It is the fruit of the action of Nature.
LUISA ABRAM Chocolates was founded in 2014 by Luisa Abram. A few years later, Andréa Abram, her sister joined her, and now they manage this brand together.
Shortly before her graduation in Gastronomy University in São Paulo, Luisa made the first trip to the Amazon Forest. On that occasion, she returned with 20kg of dried and fermented cocoa and began testing for the creation of her first chocolate bar: Rio Purus.
“The idea came through a book called Elements of dessert by Chef Francisco Migoya. The book showed the processes to make chocolate from the bean, — says Luisa. — Later on, in our (my dad and mine), research we found that cacao was native to the Amazon and we were intrigued by it, that’s when we went in our first trip!”
Already in 2015, LUISA ABRAM made its first export to England. After that, work only increased and customers began to search for the product on the gondolas of local emporiums and markets. Today, the company has more than 100 points of sale in Brazil and exports to 7 countries, being its largest market in the United States.
The history of the unique taste of chocolate has its origins in the Amazon rainforest, where wild cocoa grows in the floodplains near coastal settlements. In this way, the characteristics of the fruits can change from one year to the next, and this is reflected in LUISA ABRAM Chocolates.
“We always try to offer the best chocolate we can make, so quality is very important, — Luisa continues. — Also sustainability of the whole chain is one of our main goals.
One of the most special things in our brand is our story telling and making sure we are transparent with our customers.
People are now paying more attention on where does the food they eat comes from, they want to know the story behind the product they are consuming, and bean to bar chocolate is all about that!”
“We aim to make the chocolate with the best quality to showcase how amazing flavor the forest can bring to the cacao”, — says Luisa.
The brand’s bestseller is undoubtedly Dark chocolate with original flavors inherent in each type of cocoa.
River Acará 70% Cocoa — notes of Brazil nuts, caramel and pineapple.
Purus River 70% Cocoa — woody notes of Portuguese chestnut, cane molasses, spices and green olives.
Tocantins River 81% Cocoa — This bar begins with a flavor of freshness and, as the flavor increases, you can feel citrus notes that refer to orange and lemon.
Cassiporé River 70% Cocoa — Soft and balanced chocolate with flavor bringing notes of caramel, fudge and brownie.
Extra Creamy White Chocolate — This exceptionally creamy white chocolate is made with only 3 ingredients and has the same amount of sugar as our 70% bars.
Second collection of chocolate bars featuring excellent taste combinations and inclusions.
White Chocolate with Acai Berry Luisa Abram considers to be one of the most unusual tastes. This bar has the true flavor of acai, giving a pleasant texture in the mouth, bringing a slight sourness at the end.
Caramelized White Chocolate — reminiscent of dulce de leche, made with exactly the same ingredients as Extra Creamy White, simply caramelizing the milk before adding to the mixture.
Dark Chocolate 70% with Cupuaçu — the notes of orange and lemon of cocoa are subtly complemented by pieces of candied cupuaçu.
Dark Milk Intense 52% — Milk gives this bar a creamy sensation in the mouth, preserving the intriguing notes of wild cocoa.
Dark Coconut Milk 52% — This bar is the vegan reinterpretation of dark milk bar with 52% wild cocoa from the Brazilian Amazon with coconut milk.
Milk 42% Cocoa — Where the milk really shines with cocoa from the Lower Amazon Basin.
Cremíssimo came to revolutionize the concept of hazelnut cream. It is reinterpretation of the classic Italian hazelnut cream recipe, but with Amazonian ingredients. With 42% hazelnut + 13% hazelnut paste, Cremíssimo is 100% vegan and does not have any kind of preservative.
Luisa Abram: “Everyone has a good memory with chocolate, it can be a childhood memory, or sharing a moment with a loved one, chocolate is a comfort food and it brings nostalgic feeling. I want my costumers to feel happy and feel like they are eating a product that does not harm our planet and the people in it. Also I want them to experience how chocolate can tell a beautiful story”.
Country of Origin: Brazil
Instagram: @luisaabram
OMNOM — Creative Twist from Iceland
Created by two friends in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 2013, OMNOM is led by passionate chef Kjartan Gíslason and entrepreneur Óskar Þórðarson. Together, they challenge the understanding of bean-to-bar chocolate production and the way flavors and textures can creatively expand the business.
OMNOM produces small-batch, “bean-to-bar” chocolate, using the finest cacao beans sourced worldwide.
As a chef, Kjartan has worked in Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Passionate about the culture behind food, his natural affinity for pastries and desserts led him to chocolate. He began making chocolate from scratch, first producing single-origin bars and soon experimenting with flavors and textures. Joined by his childhood friend, Óskar, the duo quickly set up a modest production lab inside a converted gas station in Reykjavík, where OMNOM was born.
“For us it was always about having fun and of course making something that tasted unique and delicious. In a nutshell it was all about sourcing the best ingredients, combined with a fun aesthetic that we could create a unique experience for our customers, — says Kjartan Gíslason. — The secret of the taste and quality of our chocolate — good quality ingredients, sourced responsibly and also our passion and love for chocolate helps.”
OMNOM’s mission is to make the best chocolate possible using the highest-quality ingredients. Each one — single-origin cocoa beans from Madagascar, Tanzania, and Nicaragua; organic cane sugar, natural Icelandic milk powder — individually sourced with care, placing ethics, sustainability.
OMNOM’s aesthetic is uniquely both baroque and minimalist, inspired by fantastical creatures, surrealism, pop art, and contemporary Nordic architectural design. Its tattooed bestiary visually defines Omnom. Unlike traditional chocolate bars, Omnom’s chocolate doesn’t come in squares but rather in geometrical shards. Handmade in Iceland in small batches, Omnom offers Iceland-inspired bars, seasonal launches, and Krunch — chocolate-covered malt balls.
LAKKRÍS + SEA SALT — Milk chocolate with liquorice, Icelandic sea salt from Saltverk, salmiak. Also available in BIG size bar;
SUPERCHOCOBERRYBARLEYNIBBLYNUTTYLICIOUS — Dark chocolate sprinkled with cranberries, salted almonds, puffed barley and cacao nibs. Suitable for vegans;
BLACK N’ BURNT BARLEY — Black chocolate flavoured with toasted and puffed barley and lava salt — one of the most unusual tastes according to Kjartan: “It’s a story of how we started out trying out to make a caramel white chocolate, but during the experimental phase it turned into something totally different”;
CARAMEL — Organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, Icelandic milk powder, aromatic caramel. Also available in BIG size bar;
COFFEE + MILK — Milk chocolate with tangy coffee flavor;
SEA SALTED ALMONDS — Milk chocolate from organic cocoa beans from Madagascar, sea salt, almonds. Also available in BIG size bar;
SEA SALTED TOFFEE — Toffee chocolate sprinkled with Icelandic sea salt;
LAKKRÍS + RASPBERRY — Light milk chocolate bar with liquorice powder, sea salt and dried raspberries;
MILK OF MADAGASCAR 45% — Milk chocolate from organic cocoa beans from Madagascar;
MILK OF NICARAGUA 50% — Organic cocoa beans from Nicaragua, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, Icelandic milk powder;
TANZANIA 70% — Organic cocoa beans from Tanzania, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter;
NICARAGUA 73% — made from Organic cacao beans from Nicaragua;
Seasonal: MR. CARROTS’ MANGO-PASSION MILK CHOCOLATE ALMONDS — The box is filled with delightful Mango-Passion and Milk Chocolate Almonds to nibble on and enjoy with loved ones over Easter.
Undoubted OMNOM’s bestsellers — KRUNCH BALLS:
- LAKKRÍS + SEA SALT OMNOM KRUNCH — Liquorice flavoured white chocolate covered malt balls;
- SEA SALTED TOFFEE
OMNOM KRUNCH — White chocolate covered malt balls.
Kjartan Gíslason: “Chocolate has something to do with our childhood memories, when life was a little more simple and a little piece of chocolate would just take you daydreaming to another stage. When getting older, I still enjoy eating chocolate but I appreciate more the nuances in the flavour of chocolate especially if it’s made from a really good ingredients.
Have fun and indulge yourself every now and then, life doesn’t need to be to complicated”.
Country of Origin: Iceland
Instagram: @omnomchocolate
THEO & PHILO — Cocoa Jungles
The story of THEO & PHILO chocolates is one born out of a passion for food, fearless flavors, and timeless love for the Philippines and its many flavorful characteristics.
THEO is short for Theobroma Cacao, the scientific name of the cacao tree, and PHILO is derived from the Greek word “philos”, which means love.
Every bar of THEO & PHILO chocolate is a masterpiece, carefully crafted to capture the rich heritage of the Filipinos. Cacao beans can only grow in within 20 degrees of the equator. This makes the Philippines the perfect place to grow them and this is rooted in the country’s agricultural heritage. The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to grow cacao trees.
Philo Chua, the chocolatier behind THEO & PHILO, realized the opportunity to help thrust the proud homegrown chocolates into the consciousness of the world. It has been Philo’s personal mission to grow a business anchored on sourcing and crafting high-quality chocolates straight from its very roots.
“Our philosphy is to bring smiles and joy by doing good. Doing good in the sense that we not only make great products, but also by paying attention to our team members and to our farmers, with whom we have a direct relationship. I personally wanted to establish a company that I’m happy to be every day, — says Philo. — We think a product like chocolate that brings so much happiness in the world should, also should be reflected in how it is made and sourced.
It is also good in the sense that we wanted to use only the ingredients that are about quality and all natural”.
THEO & PHILO chocolate has unique flavor combinations, vegan chocolates, raw chocolates, barrel aged chocolaes, etc.
44% Milk Chocolate — Ultra-creamy and delectable;
Milk Chocolate with Pili Nut & Pinipig —Glazed pili nuts and toasted pinipig are a match made in culinary heaven;
Milk Chocolate with Barako Coffee — High quality chocolate with a pinch of roast coffee beans to lift you up;
Milk Chocolate Adobo — With soy sauce toffee and black pepper, it’s one of the most unusual flavors;
“People who try our Adobo flavor are always surprised. That’s because Adobo is the Philippines’ national dish that is made with vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce, peppercorn and chicken or pork. They couldn’t imagine how such a savory dish would translate into chocolate. However, degustation always ends up with enjoying!”, — says Philo Chua.
65% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi — A refreshing tropical zinger, calamansi adds a boost of citrus to deep and velvety dark chocolate;
65% Dark Chocolate with Green Mango & Salt — Dried green mango, a little salt, and dark chocolate create a distinctly Filipino flavor (best-seller);
65% Dark Chocolate with Labuyo Chili — Equal parts sweet and spicy, it takes the velvety richness of dark chocolate and adds the zing of labuyo (best-seller);
60% Dark Chocolate with Ginger & Mint —Bittersweet dark chocolate with mint and candied ginger pieces;
65% Dark Chocolate with Black Sesame, Cashew & Pili — Dark chocolate is combined with black sesame praline, cashews, and pili nuts;
65% Dark Chocolate with Mango, Chili and Cacao Nibs —With fiery chili to ignite the union between sweet mangoes and nutty cacao nibs;
Drinks & Cocoa — Warm as a mother’s love, comforting as a friend’s shoulder and invigorating as a first kiss, THEO & PHILO’s hot chocolate & Cocoa products will caress and make your taste buds swoon.
- Dark Hot Chocolate
- Tablea Malabog
- Pure Unsweetened Chocolate
Mango & Chocolate products:
- Mango and Coconut Chocolate Crunch — Dark chocolate rice crispy balls with mango and coconut bits;
- Chocolate Mango Pouch — Chocolate coated mangoes in a pack for a real tropical treat
Spreads for a quick snack are always popular — these ones give your taste buds a new kind of trip around the Philippines:
- Crunchy Peanut Chocolate Spread;
- Cashew & Pili Chocolate Spread
Philo Chua: “We associate chocolate with so many pleasant things in our life. Chocolates are in our childhood, during celebrations, love, sharing with friends and many more. I think that chocolate is universal when it comes to bringing smile and happiness.
Enjoy life and eat good chocolates!”
Country of Origin: Philippines
Instagram: @theoandphilo
GOODNOW FARMS — Single Origin from USA
“Why single origin?” — and the answer is simple: different cacao beans have different flavors. By using beans sourced from only one farm or region, GOODNOW FARMS Chocolate is able to highlight the distinct flavor characteristics of that particular bean. Discovering those flavors is one of the joys of making and eating.
The brand was founded by Monica and Tom Rogan in Massachusetts, USA.
Monica and Tom became aware of excellent chocolate in a vintage furniture shop in Los Angeles and soon began experimenting in their own kitchen. Monica was in real-estate-development back then and Tom worked in a TV production company. In 2016 they transformed their beloved hobby into their passionate work.
“The incredible flavors we tasted in those bars completely changed how we thought about chocolate, and started us on our journey to become single origin chocolate makers, — say Monica and Tom. — We’ve spent a lot of time on farms throughout Latin America searching for the most flavorful beans, and have developed direct relationships with the farmers who grow and harvest them. We believe that great chocolate is “true to the bean”, in that the flavors apparent in the bar reflect the flavors hidden in the bean. The process of making this happen is extremely time consuming and labor intensive, but we believe the experience of eating our chocolate makes it all worthwhile.”
All bars are made at their 225 years old farm in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Every step of the chocolate making process in-house, from roasting to grinding to molding, including carefully hand wrapping each bar.
“We make our chocolate using only directly-sourced single origin cacao beans, organic sugar and fresh-pressed cocoa butter we make ourselves from the same premium beans we use to make our chocolate, — Monika and Tom continue. — We never alkalize or use any additives. We search throughout Latin America to find the very best cacao beans. Every step of our crafting process is customized for each individual bean type in order to highlight the unique flavors of the specific beans.”
Not only do they place great emphasis on making their bars, but they also work directly with their partner farmers to select, ferment and dry the “most flavorful beans”.
SIGNATURE LINE
Mexico – Almendra Blanca 77% Dark —creamy citrus notes and a hint of hazelnut;
Nicaragua – El Carmen 77% Dark — This is one of the first beans Goodnow Farms found on travels throughout Central America and it holds a special place in their hearts;
Ecuador – Esmeraldas 70% Dark — Low in acidity with notes of cabernet grapes and notes of berry jam;
Peru – Ucayali 70% Dark — Herbal and floral, with notes of lemon verbena and fig;
Guatemala – Asochivite 77% Dark — Bright and fruity, with notes of mango and green banana;
Costa Rica – Coto Bruc 73% — Dark chocolate, made from the only cocoa awarded Heirloom status in Costa Rica, notes of caramel, plum and cocoa;
Colombia – ‘Boyaca’ 73% — Dark chocolate, notes of toasted marshmallow and honey.
SPECIAL RESERVE
Putnam Rye Whiskey 77% Dark — 55 bottles of Boston Harbor Distillery’s distinctive “Putnam Rye Whiskey”;
Lawley’s Rum 77% Dark — Boston Harbor Distillery’s Lawley’s Rum, notes of molasses, caramel, oak and vanilla;
Brown Butter 70% Dark — Notes of raisin and cinnamon, nut and caramel, browned butter, carefully made of award-winning butter from High Lawn Farm;
Las Palomas Coffee 77% Dark — The bright fruit flavors of the Guatemalan cacao beans led to the pairing with George Howell’s fruity Las Palomas coffee beans from Guatemala.
INCLUSION
Asochivite Maple Sugar 70% Dark — The bright, fruity flavors, maple sugar from Severance Maple in Northfield, MA;
El Carmen Coffee 69% Dark — Coffee and chocolate is one of the best taste combinations available;
Almendra Blanca Almonds 60% Dark — Great nutty taste for chocolate lovers;
Classic Milk Chocolate — unique flavors of our Dominican Republic Zorzal Communitario cacao are balanced with rich, creamy milk from Organic West;
LIMITED RELEASE
Kokoa Kamili — Very bright and citrusy with notes of sweet cherry, tangerine, apricot and nectarine;
White Chocolate — is subtle sweet and very creamy, with a hint of peanut butter cereal;
Cafe Con Lethe — Boyaca cacao from Colombia, organic sugar from The Green Cane Project, organic milk powder from Organic West milk and whole Ketiara coffee beans.
HOT COCOA — GOODNOW FARMS is one of the only chocolate makers to press own cocoa butter, what allows to make rich, incredibly flavorful hot cocoa mix from scratch. Hot cocoa mixes are made from the same premium single origin beans used to make chocolate, so each variety has it’s own unique flavor profile:
- Almendra Blanca Hot Cocoa
- Asochivite Hot Cocoa
- Hot Cocoa House Blend
Monika & Tom Rogan: “Being very particular about the cacao beans we select is just the beginning of our quest to make an intensely flavorful and smooth chocolate bar. Here at our New England farm, every step of our process is designed to bring out the full flavor potential of each distinctive type of bean. We roast beans in small batches according to our exacting flavor profiles, carefully modifying these profiles for each type of cacao. The result is award-winning chocolate that always stays true to bean!”
Country of Origin: USA
Instagram: @goodnowfarms
AURO Chocolate — Filipino Gold
AURO Chocolate is an internationally awarded tree-to-bar chocolate brand that promotes sustainability by working directly with local farmers to create fine Filipino cacao beans, ingredients and retail products with unique and bold tropical flavors.
AURO — the combination of “Au” which is the chemical symbol of Gold in the periodic table, and “Oro” which is the Philippine and Spanish word for gold.
The Co-Founders and Managing Directors of AURO Chocolate are Kelly Go and Mark Ocampo. They are extremely passionate about all things connected with chocolate. They both grew up in the Philippines and first met in Chicago over a decade ago and instantly bonded over their love of food and culture.
“When Mark and I were studying in Chicago, we saw an American craft brand that was promoting Philippines-origin chocolate and were immediately intrigued. At that time, there were no craft chocolate brands in the Philippines yet, and the potential to create fine cacao and chocolate was still untapped, — says Kelly. — My mom, who is a kitchen design consultant and pastry chef, started researching about cacao in the Philippines and conducting grassroots initiatives with farmers in Davao. Seeing a unique opportunity to pursue our passions, Mark and I decided to move back to the Philippines in 2015 to build a social enterprise that would focus on transforming the entire tree-to-bar process. It has been the greatest adventure of our lives and we are excited to keep pushing the boundaries even more as we continue to grow AURO”.
AURO Chocolate represents its pursuit to refine Philippine cacao and elevate the lives of local farmers who are as precious as gold.
“We always strive to provide the best cacao and chocolate products by embracing the ethos of thinking globally and acting locally. By fusing international trends and standards with local traditions and capabilities, we are able to create unique products that can be appreciated not only here but all over the world, — Kelly continues. — We also challenge ourselves the task to improve not only the quality and consistency of our products, but also our social and environmental impact.”
All AURO’s products are beautifully packaged and sustainably crafted using only the best cacao beans, ingredients and materials. It marries international standards with proudly Philippines heritage to create unique products that are globally relevant.
AURO’s collection features the combination of its classic chocolates with the best produce of the Philippines in this fresh take on old favorites. Smooth chocolate base mixed with inclusion that delivers interesting texture and flavor in every bite.
SMALL BARS
42% Milk Chocolate with Cacao Nibs — Passionately crafted from the finest beans of a single harvest. Limited Edition;
55% Dark Chocolate with Arabica Coffee — Pure Filipino chocolate enriched with exclusive Benguet coffee;
32% Roasted White Chocolate with Cashew — Roasted white chocolate with a nuanced caramel flavor made even more enticing with crunchy Cashew nuts from Palawan;
42% Milk Chocolate with Banana Chips —Excellent milk chocolate from the Philippines with crispy pieces of banana from Davao.
RESERVE COLLECTION
50% Regalo Single-Variety Dark Milk Chocolate — Regalo is a single trinitario variety that has notes of green apple, green tea and pine wood;
70% Paquibato Single-Estate Dark Chocolate — Chocolate notes of forest valley flowers, dark honey and caramelized nuts, organic muscovado sugar;
85% Mana Single-Estate Dark Chocolate — Notes of caramelized apple, rum, sweet banana, cashew apple, organic muscovado sugar;
100% Saloy Single-Estate Dark Chocolate — Dynamic notes of herbs, bergamot and cherries. This 100% unsweetened chocolate is created with only cacao as its sole ingredient.
64% Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs — Dark Chocolate combined with carefully roasted cacao nibs, it’s the perfect treat with a healthy crunch keeps you wanting more
100% Unsweetened and 64% Dark Chocolate Tablea Coins — Pure cacao taste with notes of citrus and peanuts. Perfect for couverture and hot drinks.
Kelly Go: “Apart from chocolate being proven to release endorphins that make you feel good, there are a lot of happy memories and traditions associated with eating chocolate from across the globe — it really brings people together. Moreso, there have been many initiatives to keep improving craft chocolate that have further distinguished the unique characteristics of each origin, making each chocolate truly special and more enjoyable to explore”.
Country of Origin: Philippines
Instagram: @aurochocolate
Editor-in-chief: Patricia Kolari
Text Writer: Marina Timoshevskaya
Technical Director: Evgeny Fedorov
Photos: EATWEEK GUIDE
