Chocolate Maker Awarded Despite Challenging Times for the Chocolate Industry
While we enjoyed our morning coffee with some nice Chocolate treat, we received this incredible news, in fact through the newspaper. Our friends from HD just published this article about a recent interview that they did to our “Farmer Chocolatier” Gustavo Marun, where he shared his point of view about the current state of the chocolate world which according to him, is both exciting and worrying.
In the article, Gustavo acknowledges the current state of the chocolate industry with both excitement and concern. The unprecedented rise in cocoa prices poses a significant challenge for producers. Despite this, his family's century-long dedication to cocoa cultivation has yielded impressive results. Hacienda San José, the exclusive source of cocoa for Höganäs Chocolate and its 100 year old family plantation, has already won two awards in the Cocoa of Excellence competition, including Gold in 2023, showcasing their commitment to quality and sustainability. We invite you to read this very interesting article!
For us at Höganäs Chocolate, the Excellence in Cocoa Production award is not the sole source of joy amidst the challenges facing the chocolate industry. Another reason we see our relentless pursuit of excellence reflected is through a significant recognition in the Nordic culinary world: the Diploma for Merit (Diplom per le merité) from the M Sandahl Foundation. This esteemed foundation, established in 1962, honors individuals in the culinary sphere who have made remarkable contributions to haute cuisine in the Nordic countries. Gustavo Marun and his wife Ana María, representing Höganäs Chocolate, will be bestowed with this prestigious diploma in March of this year.
The success behind Höganäs Chocolate lies in the complex concept of Farmer Chocolatier or "Tree to Bar" chocolate, which means that Höganäs Chocolate owns and has absolute control over the entire chain in chocolate production: from planting the cocoa seed, the fermentation process, drying, toasting, grinding, to the making of chocolates.
The great advantage of having all stages of chocolate making under one roof, is the absolute transparency and traceability of production. With this, key processes such as cocoa fermentation have constant feedback between the plantation and chocolate production, helping to perfect fermentation, leading to the production of a globally award-winning cocoa.
Fermentation is not the only thing being a Farmer Chocolatier can guarantee. Through the concept of Höganäs Chocolate, it is possible to know with certainty how, when, and above all, who was part of the cocoa harvest, something that today is constantly tarnished by abuse and the use of child labor on cocoa plantations, where only qualified and well-paid people should operate. This is a guarantee with Hacienda San José and makes Höganäs Chocolate a true participant in the campaign to abolish child labor in the cocoa world.
Another important factor under this concept of having a voice in the entire cocoa production chain is the lack of intermediaries in obtaining cocoa, something that is currently of utmost importance since cocoa prices have experienced a historic rise that has exceeded a 100% increase in just one year. Höganäs Chocolate only obtains its cocoa from its family plantation, directly and with all the guarantees that its cocoa has been produced in the most ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible way possible, and the awards it has constantly received are testimony to the success of its practices and its great positive impact on the Cocoa production sector.
Now, the most important part lies on the side of all of us who are part of the world of Chocolate; of all the bakers, ice cream makers, pastry chefs, and chocolatiers who always seek to stand out with their fantastic creations. Today, Sweden has a new chocolate brand that has the potential to put Sweden's name on the highest rungs of the chocolate world and compete with the giants of Chocolate. We cannot allow this opportunity to create #TheSwedishChocolateRevolution to remain a mere effort, let's make it a reality together. #SupportYourLocalChocolate
Redacted by: Santiago Cereceda, Sales Representative