Luxury and unique chocolate bars
There are countless different chocolate bars. From dark, milk to white chocolate bars or a variation in between. Enriched with nuts or dried fruit. With our eight different luxury chocolate bars, the pure taste of chocolate comes first. This is because the high-quality cocoa beans already have a delectable taste of their own. For real gourmets!
Luxury chocolate bars with unique origins
Cocoa trees grow in a band 20° north and 20° south of the equator. Often in native tropical rainforests. The soil in which cocoa trees grow affects the taste of the cocoa bean. Hence, each chocolate bar in our range has its own flavor profile. To indicate that the chocolate has a unique origin, the term Grand Cru Chocolate is used. As with wine, this means that it is the best quality cocoa that comes from a single cocoa plantation. The traditional production process brings out the specific flavors of the cocoa bean. By learning how to consciously taste a chocolate bar, you will discover which cocoa bean with which origin belongs to your favorite. Sort of like which wine you like to drink the most.
Luxury chocolate bars with only pure ingredients
The production process of chocolate is an elaborate one. It takes some time for the cocoa bean to be transformed into a luxury chocolate bar. This process begins with the cocoa farmer in the country of origin. He allows the cacao fruit to grow into a beautiful fresh fruit. After harvesting, fermenting and letting the cocoa beans dry in the sun, the cocoa beans can be shipped to Europe. That's where the years of experience of Swiss chocolate manufacturer Felchlin comes in. They turn the cocoa bean, each with its own recipe, into a unique Grand Cru Chocolate.
To keep the unique aromas of the respective cocoa bean intact, Felchlin adds only pure ingredients to the finely ground cocoa beans. Depending on the final product (dark, milk or white chocolate), only the following ingredients are added:
- Virgin cocoa butter
- Raw cane sugar
- Milk from Swiss cows originating from small-scale farms; and
- Vanilla from Madagascar.
Want to know more about the production process of chocolate? Then read on here.
Our luxury chocolate bars are Fair for Farmers
The cocoa that is the basic ingredient in all of our luxury chocolate bars comes from a number of countries. Namely: the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ghana. The origin of the cocoa is also reflected in the names of our luxury chocolate bars. Sometimes the country is mentioned. Other times the name of the cocoa region. Right after that, the cocoa percentage is mentioned.
Felchlin has personal contact with all cocoa farmers from the various countries. And not only that. They also buy the cocoa beans directly (direct trade) from the cocoa farmer and pay a fair price for them. This makes our luxury chocolate bars "Fair for Farmers. A symbol that can also be found on the packaging. What exactly does Fair for Farmers mean?
The chocolate in our luxury chocolate bars is Fair for Farmers because long-term partnerships are made with them. At least for 5 years, but practice shows that Felchlin has been working with the same cocoa farmers for an average of 25 years. This offers security. In addition, a fair price is paid. How is this determined? By investigating in the various countries at what income is a living wage. The bottom line is that Felchlin pays on average 10x more than the Fair Trade price for chocolate.
Our luxury chocolate bars are Environmentally Friendly
In addition to Fair for Farmes, our chocolate is also Environmentally Friendly. Or environmentally friendly in proper Dutch. This means that the cocoa trees are grown with recipe for the native rain forests. No surrounding tree species are cut down to completely make way for the cocoa tree. Felchlin also invests in projects to plant new cocoa trees or other crops. In addition, the cocoa trees are grown in harmony with nature, following the principles of sustainable agriculture. Meanwhile, even two cocoa regions have been fully certified organic. Namely, the Suhum cocoa region in Ghana and the Elvesia cocoa region in the Dominican Republic.
If the logo is Environmentally Friendly on the packaging of the luxury chocolate bar, it means that the chocolate is made from organically certified cocoa beans. We have not applied for organic certification ourselves because it simply involves too much administrative and financial burden. Hence, we are not allowed to use the terms organic or organic on the packaging. Hopefully in the future it will be feasible to have the luxury chocolate bars in question certified. So for now, Environmentally Friendly!
How do you taste a luxury chocolate bar?
What is the best way to taste a luxury chocolate bar to find out what your favorite chocolate is? If you have ever attended a wine tasting, you will probably recognize the following steps:
1. Look: first, you look at the color of the chocolate bar;
2. Hear: next, you break the chocolate bar. If you hear a "snap," the chocolate bar is well tempered;
3. Smell: you take a piece of the chocolate bar between two fingers and rub. Because of the warmth of your skin, you will start to smell the aromas of the chocolate;
4. Taste! Take the piece of chocolate in your mouth and let it melt gently. Don't chew it, but roll it around a little in your mouth. What all do you taste? Besides cocoa, maybe red fruit, honey or cinnamon? Above all, develop your own "chocolate language.
But above all: enjoy it!