Our Belgian quality chocolate
Discover the quality and advantages of handmade Belgian chocolates
Belgian chocolate is renowned worldwide for its quality and exceptional flavours. A unique know-how making our taste buds quiver.
The quality of handmade Belgian chocolate
Five reasons are put forth to justify the excellent reputation of Belgian chocolate :
- The quality of cocoa beans used in Belgium is traditionally excellent. Our suppliers are very selective as to the origin of their beans and pay careful attention to the way they are processed.
- Particular attention is paid to the roasting and grinding of the beans. In Belgium, Belgium chocolate manufacturers grind their beans finely at 12 microns, whilest in Great-Britain beans are only ground at 24 microns. The human palate can detect fineness up to 20 microns, which means Belgian chocolate meets the limits of perceptible taste to humans and possesses a smooth homogenous texture unique and specific in the world.
- The quality of other ingredients such as sugar, is also higher.
- The minimum percentage of cocoa in chocolate is 35%, but in practice, most chocolate manufacturers reach 43%
- The knowledge and passion motivating our Master Craftsmen dates from 1697, back to the arrival of chocolate in Belgium during the Spanish occupation.
A certain Belgian advantage
Today Belgium produces yearly 172,000 tons of chocolate and nearly 70,500 tons are consumed in the country. The remainder is exported round the world and used to cover chocolates.
For the purists
The "AMBAO" label, (AMBAO means cocoa in swahili) is the trademark of very high quality chocolate containing 100% pure cocoa butter. This quality certification can be found throughout Belgium. This Belgian label was created in reaction to an EU directive, bitterly criticised by France and Belgium, which authorised chocolate makers to replace up to 5% of cocoa butter with up to 6 different types of vegetable fats.
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