ICCO reps visit chocolate gallery to get insight on latest devt in cocoa industry
KUCHING: Representatives from the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) recently visited Beryl’s Chocolate Gallery at Seri Kembangan in Kuala Lumpur with the aim to understand the current development of the cocoa industry as a whole as well as to familiarise with the Malaysia Chocolate Industry.
Apart from that, they visited offices of the Ministry of Primary Industries, Malaysia Cocoa Board and key chocolate manufacturers to understand the current market trend and to understand problems and challenges faced by the industry.
The visitors were led by ICCO executive director Michel Arrion. Arrion said the visit to Beryls was a very fruitful and memorable one and he thanked Beryl’s for the time, the reception and the tour of the gallery.
The rich collection of the gallery gave him a very deep impression, he said. He also admires the effort by Beryl’s and the company’s contribution in educating the general public.
He then invited Beryl’s to be a member of the ICCO.
Spokesman from Beryl’s mentioned that there is huge potential in the chocolate market and it is the intention of the management to educate consumers on the transformation of cocoa beans into chocolate products, including the nutritional aspect of chocolate.
The spokesman said in a press statement issued in Kuala Lumpur, the general public also should have a better understanding of what chocolate is made of and the various types of chocolate available in the market.
The company also highlighted the criteria for selection of a good chocolate. It is with this in mind that Beryl’s put up this gallery for the general public.
This idea has been very well received by the public and one can see buses after buses of students and tourists visiting the gallery each day, he said.
The collection by Beryl’s in their gallery included picture illustrations of The Aztecs and Mayans who used cacao beans as currency.
The company’s latest range of ‘Single Origin’ chocolate drew a lot of attention and interest.
Single origin means that the chocolate is made using cacao beans from one specific place or ‘origin’.
Most chocolate are made using a blend of beans from a lot of different countries; companies like the popular brands even create proprietary blends so that their chocolate always tastes exactly the same.
In the past 20 years or so, though, artisan chocolate makers have started making bars using beans from one country — and sometimes even one farm — in order to focus on the profi le of that specific bean.
Just like wine, chocolate’s taste is also partially determined by the environment where the cacao trees grow.
Cacao beans from different countries have their own distinctive flavour. For example, cacao from Madagascar often tastes fruity, whereas cacao from Venezuela has a nuttier profi le.
Beryl’s has Single Origin Chocolate from Peru, Haiti, Vietnam, Malaysia, Tanzania, Madagascar and Dominican Republic with 42 per cent, 55 per cent and 70 per cent cacao made with carefully selected quality cacao beans and ingredients.