Sustainable chocolate
Pridi Cacaofevier enters the single origin Thai chocolate market
Keeping sustainability and the “go local” concept in mind, chefs Daniel Bucher, Michalel Hogan and Itthi Nitayaporn decided to enter the Thai chocolate market to establish a factory that took two years in the making.
Pridi Cacaofevier’s mission is to make quality chocolate using Thai cocoa beans. The word cacaofevier, a combination of the French words “cacao” and “feves” (beans), refers to the process of converting cocoa beans into chocolate. While cacaofevier companies are less heard of compared to chocolatiers, these are the magical places where the bitter seeds of the cacao fruit develop their irresistible flavour and satisfying smooth texture. “As cacaofevier, we are the midwifes in the birth of chocolate,” say the chefs.
“It really started two years ago as a deep dive into the sustainability of cocoa and try
ing to understand why there is no local option for high-end chocolate in Thailand. When the other high-end chocolatiers opened, we were already doing Pridi. What we want to do is do a chocolate, that is local, sustainable, transparent and usable for chefs... something that is comparable to Valrhona or any of the big brands globally,” says Bucher.
Pridi Cacaofevier makes bars, blocks for wholesale and teardrops, all handmade. During the lockdown, they began focusing on the consumer end of things and started making tablets. Their milk chocolate is vegan and uses coconut milk powder. They have also joined hands with the Londoner pub on Phatthanakan Road to brew a double chocolate milk stout, available in cans.
Get your Pridi Cacaofevier at Bo.lan, Karo Coffee Roasters and at the Londoner pub. “The easiest way is online,” says Butcher.