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CHOCOLAT MADAGASCAR | Single Origin Fine Dark Chocolate | 100% Cacao | 85 g

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Pioneering the first fresh fine Malagasy chocolate exports in 2004 from Africa, Chocolat Madagascar became the export brand, adding much more value (Raisetrade) to the Malagasy’s least developed economy. The new ‘Chef de Cuisine’ selection comprises six of the brand’s most popular chocolates, available in 2kg bags, and includes two of its coveted vegan chocolates. These are: Known primarily as an exotic hideaway off the east coast of Africa, and home to unique species of plants and fauna, chameleons and lemurs, Madagascar harbors another secret: its single origin cocoa.

The Cassam Chenai family is originally from the Gujarat province of western India, and have lived in Madagascar for five generations. Having started by manufacturing postcards, the family moved into the textile trade before exporting spices. As time went by, the family grew larger and some members began to seek their own fortunes. In 2006, Shahin – a member of the 4th generation born on this beautiful island – decided to launch his dream project of producing fine chocolate with one of the most beautiful jewels of our country, the fine cocoa beans of the Sambirano region. Menakao’s Sourcing I have a responsibility to make sure that the lemurs are safe here and that we can continue to understand them more,” says Lalatiana, who sells cocoa directly to Beyond Good. Chocolate for health Some chocolate producers are therefore pushing the concept of single origin further. And it is this that offers the potential for even more of the value of the lucrative chocolate trade to be kept in countries such as Ivory Coast and Madagascar. What is single-origin chocolate?

Caramel and butterscotch flavours lead in the tasting, with pronounced lactic notes too. The creamy-caramel-butter notes lead and continue right through into the aftertaste. It's here the flavour is augmented slightly by notes of vanilla and toffee. What makes Madagascar unique is that it produces rare cacao that has aromatic forest fruit and citrus flavors, a wonderful foundation for fine chocolate, said Neil Kelsall, marketing director at Chocolat Madagascar, when we met earlier in the year at ISM/Prosweets 2019. The new idea of single-origin chocolate means that all the ingredients in the couverture (the wholesale/bulk cocoa used by chefs, chocolatiers etc) must come from the same country and be processed locally. Each box carries the Fairtrade logo on the front, and text that describes each bar as using the finest single-origin cocoa beans. As well as a successful business producing premium chocolate bars, MIA is also one of the companies at the forefront of efforts pushing for change in the cocoa sector, by basically either paying farmers more for their beans - and in MIA’s case bringing a value-added share of a chocolate bar, by keeping production in the origin country.

Menakao are one of the few chocolate makers who craft chocolate in the very country in which it sources its cacao from. It was Shahin Chenai’s dream to complete the bean-to-bar process all within his home country of Madagascar, so to ensure high wages for the farmers and factory workers. The name ‘Menakao’ itself is a neologism composed of two words expressing Shahin’s vision – mena, meaning “red” in Malagasy, and kao, short of “kakao”. Red symbolises the colour of the sediment-rich soil and the cocoa pods themselves. The inclusion of the Malagasy word for “cocoa” is a little more self-explanatory.

Located in the Sambirano Valley, near Ambanja, in the North-West of Madagascar, Bertil Åkesson’s estate spreads over about 2000 ha and is divided into smaller plantations like this Ambolikapiky. Since 1920, these farms produce world-famous aromatic cocoa and spices (like this pink pepper) used by most of the top chefs and chocolate makers around the world. In this subtle chocolate, the fruity-sweet tartness of cocoa, its pleasant flavor notes that evoke citrus and red berries are enriched by the floral notes of our pink pepper. The company has recently increased its capacity after it bought a new 2,000 hectare plantation in 2015, which will give it the capability to produce 1,000 tons in the next 10 years.

But it is growing, he says, partly because of its quality, and partly because of greater consumer awareness of what single-origin chocolate means. Located in the Sambirano Valley, near Ambanja, in the North-West of Madagascar, Bertil Åkesson’s estate spreads over about 2000 ha and is divided into smaller plantations like this Ambolikapiky. Since 1924, these farms produce world-famous aromatic cocoa and today most of the top chefs and chocolate makers around the world use cocoa from this estate. Until Lalatiana learned how to maximize his cacao production, earning enough to feed his family and consider the environment, he thought of lemurs as rodents—many Malagasy still do. But now he comes out looking for them every night.

The Super 7 ethical chocolate brands

Chocolaterie Colbert's dedicated team of chocolatiers proudly presenting their freshly made pralines What we want to do is build upon Fairtrade​.” He explains that Fairtrade ingredients such as cocoa is an abbreviated version of Fairtrade products - which is they choose single ingredients to certify within a product. The aroma servers up notes of plums and jam, with just a whiff of smoke and hay. So far, so promising. And there’s another advantage: Sustaining an ecosystem increases biodiversity, encouraging more animals, such as Madagascar’s endangered lemurs, to return to the land.

We will call our coffee Arabica Elita,' Spiliopoulos says, 'and we will start a branding system, like appellation controlée for wines, for gourmet coffee grown in this district. To be competitive with the great coffees, we have to limit our production and focus on quality. The maximum we will ever produce in this region is 1,200 tons a year.' Malagasy has shown a strong interest and samples have been tested for quality by CIRAD, a certifying body in Montpellier, France. 'They liked it,' Spiliopoulos enthuses, 'and I believe we have a strong chance of being among the best three coffees in the world.' We grow the finest rare terroir cacao in Madagascar in the north west and east coast of Madagascar. Criollo cacao was introduced to Madagascar in the east of Madagascar in the early 1800's from Reunion Island. This part of Madagascar is susceptible to Cyclone damage and the Cacao is today mainly grown in the Sambirano Valley in the north west. Forastero cacao was introduced to the island in the late 1800's which cross breeds with the Criollo to produce Trinitario cacao's. The unique rainforest, soil and climate environment has allowed the cacao's to speciate and develop their own unique fruity flavour profiles. Hence, we do not need to chemically manipulate and enhance or even add flavours to our dark and milk chocolates (eg vanilla) . When we need to add an emulsifier we only use sunflower lecithin.Cocoa was introduced to the island of Madagascar by the French in the 19th century. The majority of the cacao plantations in existence today are run by descendants of the same families who have been growing and harvesting the beans for generations. Flavor Profile of Madagascar Chocolate I waited few days and tried the same product again and once more the symthoms appeared to proof I was not wrong. In our podcast, Beach also talks about the situation on the ground in Madagascar, where certain areas have suffered environmental disasters such as drought and flooding, leading to famine in a country that is one of the poorest in the world. This was the case when I risked buying a J.D.Gross, 85% dark chocolate labeled as vegan. Minutes after I have eaten the first 2 pieces I felt the horrible allergic symthoms of the presence of milk in it.

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