ABOUT

The story of the “Chocolade Ambassade” (chocolate embassy) began when a small booklet titled “Finest chocolatiers in Belgium and Luxemburg” accidentally ended up in our hands. The booklet happened to be the famous Gault & Millau guide, listing more than 80 chocolate makers. Intrigued by our mutual passion for food and local products, we decided to check out a few of the chocolatiers listed. Our initial curiosity quickly turned into a real quest to find the best chocolatier in Belgium.

We travelled all over Belgium to sample the finest chocolates: from the coast in the west, over the central art cities like Brussels, Antwerp, Liège…, to the incredible nature in the very southern part of the country. After two delicious years of intensive testing, we finally ticked off all the names in the guide. This is when we realised two things. One: the best chocolatier in Belgium does not exist. Each chocolatier has its own unique style & story, making it virtually impossible to choose one as the best. Two: handcrafted chocolate truly is the hidden gem of Belgium. We wondered why some of these artisanal chocolatiers were not more renowned, especially abroad, as their chocolate was like nothing we ever tasted before in terms of quality. We also got curious to understand what exactly made their chocolate so irresistibly good.

The secret of

Belgian chocolate

So, we decided to talk to the chocolatiers, join them in their ateliers, to discover all their secrets. Firstly, we found out that they use the highest quality of ingredients. Not only the cacao beans but also the nuts, herbs, spices, cream and butter in their recipes are carefully selected. Secondly, the process of making chocolate differs from industrial methods, especially for bean-to-bar chocolate. This contributes to a more pronounced and unique flavour profile. However, the key secret of Belgian artisanal chocolate is not the ingredients, nor the techniques: it is all about passion.

All the chocolatiers we talked to were so passionate about chocolate that they dedicated their whole lives to it. From waking up early in the morning sourcing the right ingredients to working long hours refining recipes… We finally started to understand why their chocolate was much loved by locals but not very known elsewhere. The chocolatiers spend all their time and effort on perfecting their product, leaving little time or energy for promoting it. A true artisan only has eyes for the quality…

After tasting and learning so much about chocolate, we too developed a big passion for handcrafted chocolate. We decided that artisanal chocolatiers deserved to get more recognition for the incredible work they deliver. Therefore, we founded the Chocolade Ambassade: to promote Belgian artisanal chocolate craftmanship by telling the story behind chocolate.

True artisans…

only have eyes

for the product…

Back to the origins

After years of trying different chocolates, learning from the chocolatiers, and doing our own research, we not only fell in love with chocolate but also with cacao. We realised that to be able to tell the full story of chocolate we have to go back to the origins. Cacao is an incredibly versatile product but sadly enough immensely undervalued. Everyone knows chocolate but who knows about cacao? Cacao is not only delicious but also the key to a more sustainable chocolate industry. This is the exact reason why our initial “mission” became a little bit bigger than planned. We now want to tell the whole story of artisanal chocolate, from cacao beans to chocolate.

ABOUT

Back to the origins

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