I just read that the South African company Chocolates by Tomes will begin making their own chocolate exclusively from African ingredients. According to an article at iAfrica.com, the company had previously imported its chocolate from Barry Callebaut but decided to begin its own production using cocoa from Ghana and the Côte d’Ivoire, vanilla from Madagascar and sugar and milk powder from South Africa. That’s a great development and I applaud Chocolatier Richard Tomes for taking this step.
The Luxury Chocolate Market
A couple of weeks ago a number of news sources reported the arrival of the £5,000 box of chocolates at Harrods in London–that’s almost $10,000 for 49 chocolates hand-wrapped and placed in suede leather, partitioned with gold and platinum. Lebanese chocolatier Patchi is said to have used “the finest grown cocoa.”
The reports don’t really tell us how the chocolates were made, but I wonder if Patchi actually made the chocolate that ended up in his fancy chocolates.
There is a big difference between making chocolate and making chocolates. The former is a complex process that requires quite a bit of machinery and know-how while the latter can be done in a regular kitchen by a modestly skilled person.
Oldest Chocolate Found
An analysis of two vessels unearthed in Central Mexico has shown conclusively that chocolate (the drink) was consumed as early as 1900BCE by the Mokaya People in the Soconusco area of what is today the Mexican State of Chiapas. Continue reading “Oldest Chocolate Found”
The Largest Chocolate Maker You Never Heard Of
Yesterday, Barry Callebaut released its sales figures for the first nine months of the current fiscal year. By all measures, it was a successful period. Sales volume amounted to 872993 metric tonnes of chocolate, a growth rate of 10 percent which the company claims is three times the growth rate of the global chocolate market as a whole. In its press release, the company also reported an 18.6 percent growth in sales revenue. Its chief growth areas were Europe and the Americas with Asia and the rest of the world lagging behind.
So who are these folks that are expanding at a time of record high cocoa prices and a global economic down turn? Continue reading “The Largest Chocolate Maker You Never Heard Of”
Divine Chocolate Wins Ethical Business Award
“I want to change the world with chocolate and doing with chocolate that’s great makes it easier..” That’s what Sophie Tranchell, managing director of Divine Chocolate, told me a year ago during an interview for my book on cocoa and chocolate. It seems she’s well on her way. A couple of weeks ago, my favorite chocolate company won the UK Observer’s 2008 Ethical Business award. The paper gave the following citation:
Owned by Ghanaian co-operative Kuapa Kokoo (meaning ‘good cocoa growers’), Divine turns over £10.7m per year – and 45,000 people in 1,200 villages get a share of the profits and make a collective decision on how to spend it. The award – coinciding with Divine’s 10th birthday – celebrates this empowering trade model.
The observer also posted a video about Divine. Continue reading “Divine Chocolate Wins Ethical Business Award”
