The French Craft Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Movement

Have you attended the Salon du Chocolat in Paris this past October?

If you couldn’t make it, let me fill you in with all the details:

it was smaller compared to all its previous editions. Located inside the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center, the Salon du Chocolat was back in person for the 26th edition, after going online in 2020. Things were predictably different. Instead of the usual 2/3 sumptuous floors with hundreds of booths glued to one another and thousands of attendees flooding the corridors, this year there was only one main floor with 120 exhibitors. The Salon could be toured in one day. However, it must be acknowledged that French chocoholics showed the same excitement and support with long lines at the entrance like in the previous years.
it was less international. Among the exhibitors, only a handful were not French. Except for the booths that reunited chocolate brands from the same country (Madagascar, Brazil, Peru, etc.), only few other countries were represented. Many reasons must have refrained chocolate companies from attending: other chocolate festivals were canceled at the last minute (increasing the chances of losing money); the Salon du Chocolat would inevitably be reduced in size for safety reasons (perhaps with a foot traffic not worth the investment for some companies); Japanese chocolatiers, who used to be main players at the Salon du Chocolat, would still need to quarantine for several days once back in Japan (and this is why only Japanese reporters were present).

If on one hand the Salon du Chocolat couldn’t paint an “international” picture of the chocolate industry like it used to, on the other hand it clearly unveiled the unexpected richness and variety of chocolate markers in France (that would otherwise pass unnoticed and be dispersed among hundreds of international vendors) . Thanks to a reduced size and less international exhibitors, French companies had the chance to shine bright and get all the attention. This was the best opportunity for the French craft bean-to-bar chocolate movement to make its grand entrance.

There is a young, passionate and eager group of craft chocolate makers ready to give a brand new reputation to French chocolate as we know it. Many of them launched their bean-to-bar businesses during the pandemic. This is why we had never heard about many of them before. They enchanted both local and international attendees with their fresh new approach to chocolate making, different from the old-school French way. United in a strong community, here are their main characteristics.

YOUNG COMPANIES

Born anywhere between 6 months and 2 years ago, this new wave French chocolate is made of companies that you may be unfamiliar with. And you would not be alone, as many attendees at the Salon du Chocolat remained equally surprised by the large number of French bean-to-bar chocolate makers now on the market. These companies established themselves first in their local markets, and are now ready to take the international leap despite their young age.

Le Dé Vert in Digne-les-Bains launched their first bean-to-bar origins (Peru, Venezuela and Ghana) in September 2020. Les Copains De Bastien in Paris was officially launched at the beginning of 2021.

LARGE ASSORTMENTS

Despite being young, these companies showed up at the Salon du Chocolat with an impressive number of origins and inclusions for attendees to choose from, something unusual for new craft bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Confident in the right cocoa suppliers and the most efficient bean-to-bar machines, they didn’t wait to grow or scale up to offer a large assortment to their customers. They went all in right from the beginning.

Shouka in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc offers 26 different chocolate bars between origins and inclusions. 20°Nord 20°Sud in Notre-Dame-de-Monts includes 9 different cacao origins in the assortment, all declined in both dark and dark-milk versions.

OPEN, TRANSPARENT AND WILLING TO SHARE

If you talk to these new French craft chocolate makers, you will soon realize that they are more interested in building a solid community than destroying each other through cut-throat competition. They visit each other’s factory, share precious info on cacao and machine suppliers, help the beginners, show how they operate, and share opportunities. Contrary to the stereotype of the secretive French chocolate maker, who keeps his recipes and suppliers well hidden from his competition, transparency is the card that this new wave of chocolate makers is choosing to play.

NOT AFRAID TO WORK WITH AFRICAN ORIGINS

While cacao origins like Peru, Madagascar and Ecuador are common in the assortments of American and other European chocolate makers, French chocolate makers have a particular interest for African origins (perhaps thanks to easier accessibility and less language barriers). The Salon du Chocolat showed hands down the highest concentration of African cacao ever seen at a chocolate event. Flavorful chocolate made with fine cacao from Cameroon, Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana defeated the belief that all African cacao is cheap, bland and unethical.

WITH PASTRY & CULINARY BACKGROUNDS

If in the USA and Europe you will often encounter chocolate makers that were once in careers far from chocolate (engineers, lawyers and designers), these new French makers have developed an interest for chocolate directly from the kitchen. Many of them have graduated from culinary schools, have worked many years in restaurants, were once pastry chefs or trainees at famous chocolate companies. More than a change of career, chocolate has been for them a natural evolution and a specialization from their original interest in fine food.

Marc from L’Instant Cacao in Paris graduated from the Ecole Le Cordon Bleu and worked at Maison du Chocolat and Chapon. Anne-Laure from Terre De Fèves in Valves graduated in culinary engineering and worked in renowned restaurants in France and Australia.

REUNITED IN AN OFFICIAL ASSOCIATION

Just like in Spain and Brazil, there is a bean-to-bar association for French craft chocolate makers too. It’s called Bean-to-Bar France and it aims at setting standards, give support and reunite all national professionals in a strong community. “Each member undertakes to respect a charter of good conduct and a respectable process from the purchase of the bean to the finished product, and to join a community oriented towards sharing, pooling and mutual aid”, states their website. Founded in April 2021, the association counts more than 10 members already, who are willing to be completely transparent about their products and business.

CHANGING FRENCH CHOCOLATE

When the craft chocolate lover thinks of French bean-to-bar chocolate, what immediately comes to mind is chocolate with a creamy texture, lots of added butter, a pretty aggressive roasting and flavors that might not have fully developed their best potential. But things are now changing for the better. In taste, this new wave of French bean-to-bar chocolate is closer to American craft chocolate than to the traditional French way of making chocolate. Less butteriness, more delicate flavors, a deeper complexity and interesting textures are making the French chocolate industry more varied and interesting.

Le Jardin Chocolat in Castelnau de Mandailles crafts chocolate with only 2 ingredients: cocoa beans and organic beet sugar.

OWNERS OF PHYSICAL STORES

Some craft chocolate makers are excited about the human connection that a physical store brings, while others are happy to have only an online presence and focus on their e-commerce. This new wave of French craft chocolate makers seem to love having a physical location that customers can visit in person to purchase many different products, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate in a pretty location and get educated about chocolate directly from the owners.

La Baleine à Cabosse in Marsille not only lets you visit their chocolate factory, but you can also make your own chocolate and attend other workshops at their store. La Fèverie by Hasnaâ in Bordeaux has 3 locations that operate as chocolate factories, workshops and cafes.

In conclusion, we can only expect to hear a lot about these new companies and their new approach to traditional French chocolate. With their strong sense of community, their commitment to the authentic flavors of cacao and their specialized backgrounds, their international success is just around the corner.