Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
What about Chocolove (Boulder, CO, USA), Frey (Switzerland), and Dolfin (Belgium)-- are they bean to bar?
Forum Activity for @ChocoFiles
Posted in: Tasting Notes
What about Chocolove (Boulder, CO, USA), Frey (Switzerland), and Dolfin (Belgium)-- are they bean to bar?
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
All:I have created a simple database that will enable us to track these companies more easily. It is located here .PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY MORE COMPANY NAMES HERE. Please add them in the database. If you have added a company to this list, please consider making an entry in the database for it.Thanks in advance,:: Clay
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Updated list, minus the U.S. makers:(minus the hyperlinks too)AfricaMalagasy (Madagascar)Claudio Corallo (So Tom)AustraliaHaigh's ChocolatesTavaEuropeAustriaZotterBelgiumBarry CallebautPierre MarcoliniDenmarkCarlettiTomsFranceBernachonBonnatChocolaterie de L'OperaMichel CluizelPralusValrhonaWeissGermanyCoppeneurEuromarHachezHerzaLudwigLudwig WeinrichStorckItalyAmedeiAntica Dolceria BonajutoCioccolato PeyranoDeBondtDomoriDon PuglisiFerreroICAMMajaniVenchiSpainChocovicNatraSwedenMalm ChokladfabrikSwizerlandConfiserie BernerFelchlinUnited KingdomCadbury-SchweppesSir Hans Sloane of LondonNorth AmericaCanadaSoma ChocolatemakerUnited States(On other thread)South America & CaribbeanArgentinaFenixColombiaSantanderEcuadorVintage PlantationsGrenadaGrenada Chocolate CompanyNicaraguaEl Castillo del CacaoVenezuelaEl ReyHacienda Bukare
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
To the Italian list add Venchi, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, and Don Puglisi. To the German list add Coppeneur.I am fairly certain that the chocolate Dolfin uses is sourced from Belcolade.Also, although Vintage Plantations is headquartered here in New Jersey, manufacturing is all done in Ecuador.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Casey,Thank you very much for this thorough and excellent list!How about Dolfin from Belgium? Are they bean to bar? If they're not, then does anyone know where they get their chocolate from? I've been sampling a lot of Dolfin's flavors recently, so It would help to know.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
There is a similar discussion on American bean-to-bar companies here .Any questions or updates about the American companies on this list should be directed to that forum thread .Information, comments, and thoughts about non-US companies (including Mexico and Canada) should go here.
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Casey:Thanks for posting this and pointing me to that discussion. It's quite interesting and nuanced, even discussing whether or not a company that starts from liquor (as opposed to roasting their own beans should be included).
Bean to bar chocolate makers
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Here is a list of bean to bar makers. It is not a list of ethical companies or artisan chocolate makers. It simply means that these companies all make their chocolate all the way from raw cacao beans to the molded bar. This list is the result of an ongoing project conducted at 70%, where members maintain a discussion and make attempts to verify that each company on this list actually makes chocolate from raw beans. The reason for verification is that sometimes companies wish to sound hip and trendy and so they claim to be bean bar. The idea is to have some type of definitive list going of who actually makes chocolate from the bean for RETAIL (not solely commercial, industrial, sale).
Africa
Madecasse (Madagascar)
Claudio Corallo (So Tom)
Divine Chocolate
Australia
Haigh's Chocolates
Tava (factory is currently not operational)
Zokoko
Europe
Austria
Zotter
Belgium
Barry Callebaut
Pierre Marcolini
Denmark
Carletti
TOMS Gruppen
France
Bernachon
Bonnat
Michel Cluizel
Pralus
Valrhona
Weiss
Germany
Euromar
Hachez
Herza
Ludwig
Ludwig Weinrich
Storck
Italy
Amedei
Casa Don Puglisi
Cioccolato Peyrano
DeBondt
Domori
Ferrero
ICAM
Majani
Spain
Chocovic (now owned by Barry Callebaut)
Natra
Sweden
Malm Chokladfabrik
Swizerland
Confiserie Berner
Felchlin
United Kingdom
Cadbury-Schweppes
Red Star
Sir Hans Sloane
Willie's Cacao
North America
Canada
Soma Chocolatemaker
United States
Amano
Askinosie
Black Mountain Chocolate
Cacao Atlanta
Cacao Prieto
DeVries
Escazu
Jacques Torres (no longer in production)
Kraft
Lindt (not a US company)
Mars
Mast Brothers
Mindo Chocolate Maker
Nestle (technically not a US company)
Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory
Patric Chocolate
Rogue Chocolatier
Scharffen Berger
Latin America/ Caribbean
AMMA (Brazil)
Chocolates Condor (Bolivia)
Chocolates Para Ti (Bolivia)
Cooperativa Naranjillo (Peru)
Cotton Tree Chocolate (Belize)
Danta Chocolate (Guatemala)
El Castillo del Cacao (Nicaragua)
El Ceibo (Bolivia)
El Rey (Venezuela)
Fenix (Argentina)
Grenada Chocolate Company (Grenada)
Hacienda Bukare (Venezuela)
Kallari (Ecuador)
Momotombo Chocolate Factory (Nicaragua)
Pacari (Ecuador)
Rain Republic Chocolate (Guatemala)
Santander (Colombia)
updated by @Casey: 04/09/15 09:57:06
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Most welcome. I would like to add that Kee's Chocolates in Soho is a special favorite of mine and even though there are no chairs or tables where one can sit, there is ample room to stand and enjoy several chocolates. So do keep that in mind and if you do go there, be sure to taste the pitachio truffle (a favorite), the creme brulee truffle (a cult fave), the key lime and passion fruit truffle.
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Pierre Marcolini on 57th & Park Avenue where there are exquisite chocolates to sample.Richart on 55th between Madison & 5th Avenues.Neuhaas in Grand Central on the upper level as you enter from the side of Vanderbilt Avenue.La Maison du Chocolate which Clay mentioned has a second branch at Rockefeller Center and also has their signature ice creams and their chocolates and chocolate related patisseries flown in from Paris.Enjoy!
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
The forum post Chocoflyer refers to is this one .
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
BTW Max Brenners is truly a cafe with a sit down menu a la chocolate- its quite large and painted kinda like a choc factory- really fun!
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
In addition to Clays list, I recommend Max Brenner's Chocolate cafe for a really fun, unique experience. Also please see my Top Ten list of Choc in NYC!! its a Forum....
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Thank you so much for your reply Clay! I knew I was only recalling a few, but I didn't realize what a tiny tip of the iceberg it was! Wow!I was thinking Michel Cluizel's place would be a good place to start since I know his chocolate so well. Are there any among these that you would specifically recommend (maybe instead)?
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Jacques Torres in NoTri (north of TriBeCa - corner of King and Hudson) and on the UWS (73/Amsterdam) has coffee and chocolate beverages and you can sit at the bar or at tables or couches.Not all that far from the NoTri JT is The Chocolate Bar in the West Village.Charbonnel et Walker the UK chocolate company has a lounge in Saks on 5th across from Rock Center.La Maison du Chocolat - both in Rock Center as well as on the UES on Madison Ave.Way downtown in the Wall Street area is Christopher Norman. A couple of table tops and a counter. My favorite there is their champagne, white chocolate, and goat cheese truffle dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with roasted herbs.On the UWS not sure if the Scharffen Berger boutique is still open, but it's at 83/Amsterdam.Out in Brooklyn you could try The Chocolate Room (5th/Warren/Prospect - thechocolateroombrooklyn.com).
Chocolate Cafes in New York City
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Can anyone recommend a chocolate cafe in New York City? I have a friend coming to visit who's a chocophile as well and I'd like a place that's good to sit and talk for a bit. I'd also like to be able to sample chocolate squares and/or bonbons as opposed to drinking chocolate or chocolate desserts.The only ones I can think of at the moment are Vosges Haut Chocolate in SoHo, Michel Cluizel cafe in ABC Carpets and MarieBelle on Broome St.Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
updated by @Sera: 04/09/15 14:34:41
Importing Flickr albums
Posted in: Opinion
It turns out that it was really, really easy to set up, so I did it. When you go to the photo upload page you'll see the links. Simply follow the instructions. Note: you must have a Flickr account to do this.Flickrlicious is right! Nearly 500,000 photos tagged with chocolate, nearly 8,000 with cacao, and over 44,000 with cocoa.
Importing Flickr albums
Posted in: Opinion
A new member posted a link to an album of photos on Flickr.The software I use for this network does have the ability to enable people to import Flickr albums. I haven't done this because I don't use Flickr. But, if enough people want me to, I will.What do you think? Should I set up Flickr importing?
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/19/15 13:08:53
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
New Mexico Lottery Serves Up Chocolate-Themed Game Net Revenues Support Legislative Lottery Scholarships New Mexico Lottery March 19, 2008ALBUQUERQUE The New Mexico Lotterys latest Scratcher game looks good enough to eat.The $10,000 Hersheys Milk Chocolate* Scratcher is inspired by the candy manufacturer that produced the first affordable milk chocolate candy bar more than a century ago. The games ticket is a replica of Hersheys well-recognized chocolate-brown and silver-foil candy wrapper. In the play area, 10 potential winning numbers are concealed under images of Hersheys milk chocolate candy bars. Available now, the $2 game features top prizes of $10,000.Until Milton Hershey perfected his milk chocolate recipe in 1900, chocolate was a luxury item. Hershey sold his chocolate bars for 5 cents apiece - a price that didnt change for 69 years. Today, Hershey sells 4.5 billion candy bars each year.$344 Million Raised for College EducationThe sale of lottery games benefits an in-state college tuition program. Since 1996, the lottery has raised more than $344 million for education and more than 48,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. Information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships and student eligibility is available at www.nmlottery.com .
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Thieves Steal Truck With 20 Tons Of Chocolate AHN - All Headline News March 26, 2008Isabelle DuermeMichigan City, IN (AHN) - Authorities in Indiana reported that a semi-trailer loaded with more than 20 tons of Hershey's chocolate had suddenly disappeared.The vehicle disappeared 24 hours after driver Daryl Rey parked it at the Gas City truck stop, after picking up the haul near St. Louis. He discovered that the 53-foot trailer, and all the chocolate, were gone when he returned the next morning.A satellite device used to locate the truck had also been removed from the vehicle, and thrown into a pond, hinting that professionals had been involved in the theft."There's so many dishonest people in the world," commented Rey, 53. "It never used to be like this."Officials from the LaPorte County Police Chief of Detectives were on the case, and officer John Boyd was puzzled as to what the thieves were thinking of doing with all the chocolate, which amounted to 41,000 pounds."I don't have any idea," Boyd said, as quoted by the Post-Tribune.According to the UPI, police surmised that the thieves stole the vehicle not knowing what was actually loaded on it, as the trailer did not bear the name of the chocolate, but the name of the trucking company, Buske Lines.There was speculation of the thieves planning to sell the vehicle to be sold for scrap, or used for personal means.Patricia, Rey's wife, said that while her husband was not hurt, he was utterly depressed."He's really bummed out," she said.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Terrorism act stamps out chocolate factory tours National ROD MICKLEBURGHMarch 25, 2008VANCOUVER -- Except for crabby parents worried about their kids' dental bills, what could possibly come between children and chocolate?Step forward the U.S. Bioterrorism Act of 2002.Thanks to stringent food safety regulations imposed by the Act after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, "choc and awe" public visits to the famous factory operated by Rogers' Chocolates are no more.The Act applies to Rogers because the venerable company, by now a Canadian institution with its century-old store in downtown Victoria an official National Heritage Site, has a thriving mail-order business shipping individual orders of big fat chocolates to salivating customers in the United States.Print Edition - Section FrontSection S Front Enlarge ImageMore National Stories* Businesses applaud proposed immigration law* Ontario's Chief Coroner wants to restructure its operation* Powering down* Defence lawyer probes 'play hard' military culture* Ford called police night before arrest* As Emerson weighs options, Tories contemplate hefty loss* Go to the National sectionThe Globe and MailCompanies that export food to the United States are required to ensure there is no risk that anyone can tamper with their products, and who knows what a 10-year-old high on sugar might do."Our factory had school buses full of kids pulling up all the time. Sometimes seniors, too," Rogers' president Steve Parkhill said yesterday."They'd all been going through without the appropriate level of security. We found it just too onerous to take the measures we would have needed in order to comply with the regulations. So we stopped. It is sad, I grant you."The company's decision ended years of magical mystery tours that had entranced Vancouver Island kids with the up-close view of melting, dripping and pouring of chocolate, not to mention the sweet aroma and fresh samples at the end.Even though the tours were ended more than a year ago, e-mails asking for group tours of Rogers' factory keep coming in."They are very disappointed when we tell them 'no'. Most people seem to enjoy coming through a chocolate factory," said Mr. Parkhill, in a mild understatement.Late yesterday, however, an official with the U.S. Food and Drug administration said that Rogers' may have raised the security chocolate bar too high.Many of the food protection measures in the Bioterrorism Act are guidelines only. They are not strict regulations, spokesman Alan Bennett said."We issue guidelines and it's up to the companies to decide how to apply them. It's their decision, not ours," Mr. Bennett insisted. "I would encourage them to take another look."But the risky factory tours aren't the only fallout to hit Rogers' from bioterrorism fears south of the border.Just a few weeks ago, an FDA inspector halted a box of wrapped Rogers' chocolates at the U.S. border because the ingredients were not printed on the box.Mr. Parkhill said complying with that condition is tough for Rogers', since most U.S. orders are customized, with buyers asking for four chocolates of one sort, three of another, and so on."Tourists come into our Victoria store, have a 'wow' chocolate experience, then want to order some shipped home," he said."When you get an assortment like that, you can't list all the ingredients on the outside. So we suddenly got some grief at the border."This time, however, the suspicious chocolates lived happily ever after, as officials on both sides of the border eventually decided they posed no threat to security and were allowed to pass safely into the mouths of Americans.Rogers' is a company like no other. More than a hundred years after its founding by Charles "Candy" Rogers in 1885, chocolates continue to be individually wrapped by human beings, rather than machines. And the best-selling product remains the age-old Victoria cream.Local residents feel part of the Rogers' family. Obituaries often note that the deceased once worked for the company, and business developments are front-page news in the city.When Rogers' recently tried to launch renovations aimed at expanding its old-style heritage store on Government Street, an enormous outcry erupted. The plan is on hold.The chocolates are not cheap. They sell at upscale retail outlets across Canada, besides the half dozen or so individual stores Rogers' has in tony areas of Vancouver and Victoria."We make our large cream chocolate big enough to be cut into four, but no one seems to want to share them," Mr. Parkhill said. "Our chocolates have a time-tested flavour, from high-quality cocoa, and we have a consistent history of our brand meeting expectations."Except, perhaps, south of the border.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
The 20 best chocolate Easter eggs (in the UK) Dateline: London Whether you are scouring the aisles for sugary, shiny treats for your kids or browsing the local deli for an organic, 70 per cent cocoa indulgence for yourself there has never been more choice for chocolate lovers at Easter.In all price ranges and across all tastes it is now possible to buy good quality chocolate eggs with a high cocoa content. Even better, garish packaging is being replaced by the likes of hand-painted wooden eggs, and pleasingly kitsch boxes with more than a nod to Victoriana. Of course, the sugar highs of the trashier end of the Easter egg market traditionally beloved of the Brits are still readily available (and this list includes a few of the yummiest) but in the post-Green & Blacks era, it is just as easy to find the dark, organic, fairtrade and handmade kind. So, here are 20 of the best arranged in price order and now it's over to you for the hard bit - choosing.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Gourmet demand revives Central America cocoa farms Mar 9 - Dateline: Panama Indigenous people grew cocoa here more than 2,000 years ago. Now, their descendants are reviving the crop to meet world demand for high-quality chocolate. Throughout Central America, farmers are planting cocoa, taking advantage of high world cocoa prices and the premium their cocoa commands.In the 1990s [many farmers in Panama] abandoned the crop when the trees were hit by fungus and world prices were low. Now gourmet chocolate companies are turning to growers in Central America to supply cocoa that can be labeled organic and "fair trade," under which companies pledge to pay third-world farmers more for their crops.A cocoa expert at the Costa Rica-based tropical research center CATIE stimates Central America's cocoa output rose 40 percent over the last three years to between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes in the 2006/2007 harvest. Planted area reached 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres), and another 2,000 hectares are expected to be planted this year."Cocoa is one of the few cash crop alternatives in poor, indigenous areas," the researcher said.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Top Ten Scientific Reasons why Chocolate is the Worlds Most Perfect Food Feb 14 - Dateline: The Internet A humorous take on this important topic. 'nuff said.
This Just In ...
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DeVries Chocolate #7 on Saveur magazine's annual top 100 list The 2008 SAVEUR 100 Our tenth annual 100 list offers a vivid snapshot of the widevery, very wideworld of food, zipping from the Ramadan markets of Kuala Lumpur to the kitchens of Montreal's vanguard chefs and a rustic Galician tavern that serves some of the finest octopus we've ever tasted. And yet, this year's 100 is also about celebrating the fresh and wild bountyedible weeds, anyone?found right in our own backyards. So, join us. The feast is about to begin. The Editors
This Just In ...
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Eat abandoned chocolate at your own risk! 'Enjoy your trip' takes on a new meaning August 17, 2006, The MercuryThe Hague - Police at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Thursday released a warning for hallucinogenic dark chocolate bars after a homeless man ate one and confused their uniforms with wedding dresses."He ate some and we found him hallucinating", mixing up police uniforms with wedding dresses, police spokesperson Rob Stenacker said."Several days later he brought us another bar that he had just found and we passed it on to the forensic institute" of the Netherlands, he said.Tests showed the 72 percent cocoa dark chocolate contained psilocine, a mind-altering substance found in hallucinogenic mushrooms and considered to be a hard drug.Police later found more chocolate bars on the ground and in airport dustbins."They were very likely bought in the Netherlands and abandoned at the airport by travellers who didn't dare to take them on board (the plane)," Stenacker said.Police warned the public to be careful if they found any abandoned dark chocolate: "Don't eat it, you don't know what's in it. Imagine what would happen if a child ate it."The sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms is tolerated in the Netherlands in so-called "smartshops" but it is forbidden to turn them into other food products.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
This box of chocolates is not quite the bomb Woman robs bank branch in Olathe by Joyce Tsai, Feb. 12, 2008, KansasCity.comA woman holding flowers and a candy box that she claimed was a bomb robbed a bank and caused the evacuation of a SuperTarget in Olathe on Tuesday night.The robbery occurred at 6:35 p.m. at the Capitol Federal Savings Bank branch in the SuperTarget at 119th Street and Strang Line Road, FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza said. The woman walked into the store holding the flowers and a candy box, said Officer Vickie Smith of the Olathe Police Department.The box had protruding wires and she handed it to the teller, warning her not to put it down or it would explode.The woman demanded money and took cash from the tellers cash drawers and left the store in an unknown direction.Authorities were called, and they evacuated the store. An entire retail center, which includes other stores near the SuperTarget, was cordoned off by authorities for several hours until shortly before 10 p.m., Smith said. The bomb squad used its robot to pull the package outside of the store so it could be investigated.Authorities discovered that the package was an empty chocolate box with a voltage meter and wires sticking out of it, Lanza said.The suspect is described as a white female, 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall with chin-length to shoulder-length dark hair. She was wearing a tan or dark overcoat with a dark blouse, leather gloves and black fur hat, and was carrying a light-colored shoulder bag.There was no description of the vehicle the woman used.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Barry Callebaut to open Chocolate Academy in Chicago by Renee Enna, February 2, 2008, Chicago TribuneChicago's reign as "Candy Capital of the World" has taken some hits as confectioners have gone out of business or moved away over the years. But Chicago's sweet reputation will get a bit of a lift with the news, reported in Crain's Chicago Business' ChicagoRealEstateDaily, that the international chocolate company Barry Callebaut A.G. is opening a Chocolate Academy here.Crain's reports that the Swiss company plans to open the culinary school for professionals in June. It will be its first in North America (there are nine Chocolate Academies worldwide) and located in the firm's corporate headquarters at the Montgomery Ward building, 600 W. Chicago Ave.
This Just In ...
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French chocolate mousse murderer gets 20-year jail term Feb 26 - Dateline: Paris A 45-year-old French farmer was Tuesday sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering his parents by lacing their chocolate mousse with a highly-toxic insecticide.Beaumont, who lived with his parents in the town of Chalmaison east of Paris, allegedly mixed bug repellent recommended for use on vines or beets in the mousse that was served at dinner. During questioning, he admitted to having murdered his parents, saying he wanted to get rid of his mother who was authoritative and disapproved of his girlfriend. Since the earliest days of the Spanish conquest of Central America, chocolate has been used to disguise the taste of poisons - which are often bitter.
This Just In ...
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Cocoa Climbs To Fresh Highs On Weather, US Dollar Feb 28 - Dateline: NYC U.S. pit-traded cocoa futures continued their uptrend, vaulting to their highest point since January 1984 as ongoing unfavorable growing weather and a weaker U.S. dollar buttressed gains, analysts said. Most-active May futures settled $101 higher at $2,733 a metric ton and the nearby March contract settled up $95 at $2,717."The ongoing moisture shortfall being suffered by the West African cocoa belt could substantially reduce the April-September midcrop," said Dan Vaught, analyst at A.G. Edwards in St. Louis. A lack of rain and dry seasonal winds are straining crop development in African cocoa growing regions, meteorologists reported. Chances for a few isolated showers and thunderstorms in the area are possible, but there are no forecasts for significant precipitation, according to DTN Meteorlogix.All-time lows in the U.S. dollar against the euro also boosted cocoa prices, analysts said. "Barring a strong (U.S.) dollar, $2,800 looks like the next test" likely by the end of the week, Cordier said. Profit taking in cocoa could occur if the dollar and euro prices correct, he noted.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Indian chocolate demand fuels domestic cocoa increases Feb 25 - Dateline: India In response to rising demand in the chocolate industry and reduce dependency on imports, Indian cocoa producers have said they will increase domestic cocoa production by 60 per cent in the next four years.Chocolate consumption is gaining popularity in the country due to increasing prosperity coupled with a shift in food habits, pushing up the country's cocoa imports. Firms across the country have announced plans to step-up domestic production from 10,000 tonnes to 16,000 tonnes, according to Reuters. The country's annual cocoa demand is thought to be around 18,000 tonnes.
This Just In ...
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Chocolate Beer Can Be A Treat Feb 28 - Dateline: Hartford, CT When the Boston Beer Co. introduced Chocolate Bock several years ago, it was well received but invoked primal grunts of disapproval from some aficionados and guzzlers of light lager alike. Chocolate beer may appear trendy, but the "trend" goes back 3,000 years.Chemical analysis of drinking vessels found in digs in what is now Honduras have revealed that man used cacao as early as 1,100 B.C. The early inhabitants of the Ulia Valley did not, however, produce the precursors of the Hershey bar or hot chocolate. Rather, they fermented a prize beer from cacao pulp.The frothy, bitter brew was often seasoned with chilies, spices and honey. Thus, the entire chocolate industry is likely an unintended off-shoot of early Mesoamericans' desire for an alcoholic beverage to accompany a feast, or a human sacrifice.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Robbers in Israel Steal Chocolate Spread Feb 27 - Dateline: Jerusalem Israeli police are on the lookout for thieves with a super-sized chocolate craving. The robbers broke into a factory in the northern Israeli city of Haifa late Monday and walked away with nearly 100 tons of chocolate spread.
This Just In ...
Posted in: News & New Products Press
This is a forum thread to post news items that really don't deserve their own blog post or forum thread. To add your own news item(s) - and you are encouraged to post articles about you - please add your reply to this entry rather than replying to a news item (which you can, of course, do if you have a comment to make on it).
updated by @Clay Gordon: 03/11/26 06:20:34
Is there any chocolate worth eating in French Polynesia?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
My experience traveling to tropical countries is that there is no good local chocolate - at least of the kind we are most familiar with here in the US - because it's just too darned hot all the time. However, you may find some chocolate that's made in other countries that does not make it into the US on a regular basis in Duty Free shops.I know that cocoa can be grown in these places because they are in the correct latitudes, but none of them are known as producing countries. If you do find chocolate, it will probably be in some form that's similar to that found in other hot countries (e.g., a ball that is grated to make hot chocolate with), or incorporated into some local specialty.If you do find some, make sure to take and post photos. Oh, and take and post some photos anyway - I know I'd like to see some tropical scenery right about now as it was 19 degrees F this morning when I woke up.
Is there any chocolate worth eating in French Polynesia?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
My next vacation is to Tahiti and Bora Bora (and, possibly, to Rangiroa). Has anyone been? Is there good chocolate there or should I bring my own?Any other travel tips, hints, suggestions for FP are welcome, too!Thanks!
updated by @Runner NYC: 04/18/15 09:07:54
Flavinols being removed from dark chocolate
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Well, yes, some flavinols can create a bitter taste, but carefully choosing and blending beans can often mitigate this without losing the beneficial antioxidant profile of chocolate.I've tried most of the Cocoavia line and yes, I find it tastes too much like an effort and isn't really satisfying enough for me to waste my discretionary calories on it.I'd say that any 65% cacao or higher chocolate is going to have a good amount of antioxidants. Heck, a study in Germany found that eating an ounce of Ritter's basic dark was beneficial to heart health. (I think they're a 50%).The Amano bars (I like the Ocumare) are 70% and exceptionally munchable.If you want a really edible high cacao chocolate, I've been enjoying the Guittard Nocturne 91% (it has overwhelming vanilla notes). You might also like the Quetzalcoatl, which is a "whole bean" bar, made without the addition of cocoa butter, just that inherent in the bean. At 72% it's still very mild.Michel Cluizel even has a 99% bar. (I also tried a Bonnat 100% bar recently but found it far too acrid to be edible.)I think sticking to the 70-80% range should provide a good balance of pleasure and benefits.
Flavinols being removed from dark chocolate
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I have read from several different sources that the flavinols (sources of antioxidant and heart health) create a bitter taste and are therefore usually mostly removed in the chocolate making process. There is a Mars product, Cocoavia, as well as a Barry Callebaut product that claim to retain more flavinols. Are these two really the only "healthy" dark chocolates?The Mars product looks particularly unappetizing. They have put blueberries and soy in for the extra nutrition! Yuck.I'm sure glad that I eat chocolate for pleasure.
updated by @Sandra Andrews-Strasko: 03/11/26 06:20:34
When did Campbells buy Godiva?
Posted in: History of Chocolate
Actually both are right, sort of.The Campbell Soup Co. originally became interested in Godiva as a result of a trip to Belgium by the then CEO of the company and his wife. While the CEO was attending to business, his wife went shopping and ended up buying some Godiva chocolates. Upon returning to the US, the CEO convinced the board to start negotiating with Godiva to secure North American distribution rights. I am not sure when the negotiations started, but sometime in 1966, Campbell secured them and started up their North American operations.
Importantly manufacturing continued to be done in Belgium.The venture was so successful for Campbell that they eventually purchased the company - in 1973 according to my source inside the company. There is some confusion as to whether they bought Godiva outright or whether they bought rights to the company everywhere in the world except for Belgium.
My sense from talking with company execs is that they bought the company outright. Most importantly, however, they moved the bulk of the manufacturing operation to the US and it is sometime thereafter that quality started to suffer as the pressure for improved fiscal performance (they were now part of a public company) led to a series of ill-conceived (in hindsight) changes in recipes over the course of nearly thirty years.From what I understand, some product development and manufacturing was still done in Belgium, and i know for a fact that the company has at least three chef-chocolatiers, one of whom is based in Belgium - but who spends a lot of time in the company's manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania.
One of the goals of the company over the past few years has been to consolidate the recipes that are used worldwide. For some time, the company had many different recipes for the same pieces in different countries, reflecting the differences in taste preferences. Recent product development in the "Gold" line (the basic one you find in the boutiques) has led to a significant reduction in the number of different recipes and the goal of the company is to get to the point where there is a single recipe for each piece worldwide.Not all manufacturing is done in Pennsylvania.
I believe that some of the pieces in the "platinum" collection, which is styled in a more traditional Belgian fashion, are manufactured in Belgium. The "G" line has been made by Norman Love down in Fort Myers, FL since its inception.While many people may not like Godiva, I do have to say that product quality in all their lines has improved significantly in the past three years; a major feat for the company. Nowhere is this more evident than in the ingredients list on the boxes. While you may not prefer the texture or flavors over smaller, artisanal chocolatiers, the goal of much of this new development was to woo back to the fold the long-time Godiva loyalist who had defected to other European brands such as Leonidas, Neuhaus, and Teuscher. In this respect they have been very successful - annual sales last year were estimated at $500 million dollars making them one of the two or three largest premium chocolate companies in the world.It will be interesting to see how the new owners (a Turkish conglomerate and the largest chocolate company in Turkey) will do with Godiva.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 07/07/20 13:11:41
When did Campbells buy Godiva?
Posted in: History of Chocolate
Chantal Coady says it was 1966 and Chloe Doutre-Roussel says it was 1974. Pretty big discrepancy.
updated by @Sandra Andrews-Strasko: 04/19/15 06:04:06