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The Art of the Australian Chocolatier Part II

Recently I had a conversation with a good friend of mine who is the part owner of a successful wine distribution company. Every Christmas as a reward to all of their loyal employees they crack open several bottles of premium wine including a few $1,000 Penfold Grange’s. Interestingly the recipients don’t necessary devour all of Grange first because many of the other stock is also exceptionally high quality and individual tastes massively vary. This comparison can also be made in the world of high quality chocolate.

Certainly by tasting several varieties of handmade gourmet chocolate, my appreciation for this art has massively increased. In fact, it would be difficult to ever buy mass produced confectionary again because the quality really isn’t in the same league. For all the companies featured in this article (and ‘The Art of the Australian Chocolatier Part I’) it truly is a labour of love rather than just a commercial enterprise.

Here are a few more craft chocolate makers that really set the bar high (excuse the pun) when it comes to the art of fine chocolate making.

House of Anvers

House of Anvers is a high quality Tasmanian confectionary manufacturer owned and operated by Belgian chocolatier Igor Van Gerwen. The company’s headquarters occupy a large Californian style dwelling known as Wyndarra Lodge and hosts over 160,000 visitors a year. As well as producing exceptional truffles and pralines they also craft some pretty extraordinary single origin bars. I found the taste to be incredibly refined with velvety smooth undertones and a silky unforgettable melt in the mouth texture.

For more information, visit the company’s website: https://anvers-chocolate.com.au

The North Queensland Chocolate Company

The North Queensland Chocolate Company is one of the only brands (another one is Charley’s Chocolate Factory) to harvest and use Australian Cacao beans in production. These organic beans are grown in the World Heritage Daintree region and are raw not roasted. Ultimately this gives the chocolate it’s own unique mellow and distinctive taste. The only added ingredients are natural sweeteners like Certified organic evaporated Coconut flower and evaporated cane juice. This sublime product is completely addictive and is designed for purists.

For more information, visit the company’s website: http://northqueenslandchocolate.com

Charley’s Chocolate Factory

Charley’s Chocolate Factory is a specialist premium chocolate manufacturer based in Queensland, Australia. The company offer exclusive tours, which illustrate how Australian grown Cacao beans are turned into delicious chocolate. All of the products are handmade using the finest locally sourced ingredients. I was fortunate enough to try a few of their single origin bars, which were absolutely delicious. The taste was rich, indulgent and certainly worth savoring.

For more information, visit the company’s website: http://www.charleys.com.au

Spencer Cocoa Chocolate

Spencer Cocoa Chocolate is an exclusive bean to bar manufacturer located in Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia. The company was founded by Luke Spencer who sources all his ingredients from the Island of Malekula in Vanuatu. This exquisite single origin chocolate is handmade in small batches using traditional roasting, grinding and tempering methods. Even though the brand only offers two products (42% Milk and 72% Dark) the taste is absolutely sensational and designed for the aficionado.

For more information, visit the company’s website: https://www.spencercocoa.com.au

Seatonfire

Seatonfire is a specialist chocolatier, which operates from the family’s farm in South East Queensland, Australia. The business was established by Lynne Seaton-Anderson and Jason L. O’Connor and is currently celebrating it’s 10th anniversary. Impressively they are the only confectionary brand that harvest and grow their own chilli’s. Within the range there are some exciting chilli flavor combinations like Wild Orange, Wild Sesame, Salted Caramel and Wild Rosemary and Sea Salt. The taste and heat intensity (which varies from bar to bar) is absolutely sensational.

For more information, visit the company’s website: http://www.seatonfire.com/australian-chilli-chocolate/

Byron Bay Cacao

The name Byron Bay Cacao is synonymous with premium quality hand made confectionery products. Owner Richard Tuohy is an absolute perfectionist and is also very experimental in his approach. That is why it is not surprising to hear that he served his apprenticeship with some of the finest chocolatiers and pastry chefs in the world. I was fortunate enough to sample some of his exquisite dark chocolates. The rich indulgent and decadent flavours were highly enjoyable and completely addictive.

For more information, visit the company’s website: https://byronbaycacao.com

Tonantzin Chocolate

Tonantzin Chocolate is a small family owned artisan brand that is dedicated to building ethical partnerships on a global scale. The company derives its distinctive name from the Aztec word for Sacred Mother Earth. All their bars are handcrafted from single origin raw cacao beans sourced from farmers in the regions of Tabasco and Veracruz in Mexico. Unusual flavours like Purple Corn & Acai, Chilli, Mango & Mesquite, Maya Nut & Amaranth and Prickly Pear & Lime are an absolute taste sensation.

For more information, visit the company’s website: https://tonantzinchocolate.com

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