Chocolate Chips – Madagascar 69,4% Cocoa

Flavor

Madagascar Chocolate Chips taste bitter, yet full and very captivating. With a cocoa content of just under 70%, they have excellent culinary and flavor qualities.

Origins

The Republic of Madagascar, an island inhabited 2,000 years ago, can be found off the south-east coast of Africa. It is surrounded by a number of smaller islands and, due to its long isolation from the mainland (90 million years), up to 90% of native species are endemic.

Its geography crisscrossed by a dense network of rivers. Its climate is influenced by the eastern trade winds, with an average annual temperature of around 24⁰C. Tourists flock to Madagascar for its stunning beaches, majestic baobab trees, bold lemurs or the scent of ylang-ylang flowers.

It's not exactly easy to find farmable land. Although the majority of the population depends on agriculture, only 5% of Madagascar's land area can be used to grow crops or raise animals. In addition to rice, cotton, fruit, and spices, workers are also involved in coffee and cocoa.

They grow all 3 varieties of true cocoa trees (Theobroma cacao): 35% Trinotario, 60% Forastero, and 5% Criollo. Almost all of the cocoa beans come from the Ambaina district in the Diana region. Until recently, the entire crop was exported and processed outside Madagascar. In recent years, however, companies have been set up on the island to produce high-quality chocolate from the beans. Madagascar's annual chocolate production is around 4,500 tonnes.

Information from 2012 suggests that bandits and traffickers are showing unprecedented interest in Madagascar's luxury chocolate. The raid their warehouses and put the farmer's lives and livelihoods in danger by stealing the crops to sell it on the black market. Larger cocoa farms defend themselves by hiring security guards, but small farmers have few options to protect their cocoa.

Cocoa beans, the seeds of cocoa trees, need to be fermented and dried for several days before processing. They are then pre-roasted, crushed and roasted. This raw material is ground to form cocoa mass, which is used to make cocoa butter and cocoa itself. By mixing with various ingredients, tempering, whisking, emulsifying, kneading and cooling, solid chocolate is produced.

What about chocolate and health? According to us and many scientific findings, chocolate is excellent for you! If you get a high-quality chocolate with a really high cocoa contentyou can be sure that, in addition to a great snack, they will also get plenty of antioxidants, vitamins D, B, A and E and minerals such as magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc and more. This will not only support your body, but also promote good mood and help fight off various ailments. It is not for nothing that cocoa is referred to as the superfood of the 21st century!

As far as allergens are concerned, people with allergies to milk, cocoa and vanillin should be careful. This product may contain traces of nuts.

Madagascar Chocolate Chips are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They contain 69.4% of dry cocoa mass.

Store at 12-20⁰C.

Please note

If you order chocolate during hot weather, they may lose form or partially melt during shipping. This does not affect the quality.

Hot chocolate & Hot cocoa packaging preview

Our quality aluminum packaging lacks any bold graphics, as we’d rather focus on the taste of our products. Thanks to the hermetic seal, this container helps the contents keep their freshness and protect them against humidity, light or foreign odors.