Bars with Tanzanian Beans

Butterfly - Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania Dark 74%

This rich 74% dark bar has an interesting, almost gritty texture, and carries notes of sherbet, tropical fruits, grapes and brownie. Butterfly was originally founded in 2003 as a boutique patisserie after Ebru İpekçi decided that she wanted to bring world-class food products Turkey. After consulting their cookbooks and producing delicious patisseries for quite some time, Butterfly began to fall under the spell of chocolate – today, they sell their handmade chocolates in their five stores in Istanbul, as well as on their website.

The beans for this bar were sourced from Kokoa Kamili in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. Kokoa Kamili has been paying premium prices for wet cocoa since 2015, saving farmers the tasks of fermentation and drying and adding enormous value to their cocoa beans. In the height of harvest season, Kokoa Kamili employs 3000 smallholder farmers, and has set up a scholarship fund for local girls to go to the nearby secondary school.

Choco Del Sol - Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania Dark Milk 50%

This delightful and complex 50% dark milk chocolate, made from Tanzanian cocoa, was an award-winner at the 2023 Eurobean craft chocolate festival.

Patrick and Peggy’s chocolate story began during the trip of a lifetime. Hopping on their bikes, the pair spent months cycling around Iran, Nepal, India and Mexico, before deciding to travel through the scarcely inhabited landscape of Belize. While travelling through the mountainous landscapes in the south of the country, the pair ran into the descendants of the Mayas, who were cultivating cocoa in the dense tropical rainforest according to centuries-old traditions. After returning to their home in eastern Germany, Patrick and Peggy found themselves dreaming of importing and distributing Mayan cocoa all across Europe, but soon learnt that most chocolates on the supermarket shelf are made from industrially produced cocoa mass and that there was no market for high-quality cocoa. The solution: to make chocolate themselves!

Choco Del Sol – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, Trail Mix Dark Milk 50%

This 50% dark milk chocolate, made from Tanzanian cocoa, has sweet dried fruit, almonds, salty nuts and crunchy nibs included. It’s a fantastic take on a classic combination, which the German makers recommend you enjoy out in nature, on a hike or around a campfire!

Patrick and Peggy’s chocolate story began during the trip of a lifetime. Hopping on their bikes, the pair spent months cycling around Iran, Nepal, India and Mexico, before deciding to travel through the scarcely inhabited landscape of Belize. While travelling through the mountainous landscapes in the south of the country, the pair ran into the descendants of the Mayas, who were cultivating cocoa in the dense tropical rainforest according to centuries-old traditions. After returning to their home in eastern Germany, Patrick and Peggy found themselves dreaming of importing and distributing Mayan cocoa all across Europe, but soon learnt that most chocolates on the supermarket shelf are made from industrially produced cocoa mass and that there was no market for high-quality cocoa. The solution: to make chocolate themselves!

Choco Del Sol – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania Dark 70%

This 70% dark chocolate, made from Tanzanian cocoa, has notes of red berries, tropical fruits, and pleasantly light brownie notes.

Patrick and Peggy’s chocolate story began during the trip of a lifetime. Hopping on their bikes, the pair spent months cycling around Iran, Nepal, India and Mexico, before deciding to travel through the scarcely inhabited landscape of Belize. While travelling through the mountainous landscapes in the south of the country, the pair ran into the descendants of the Mayas, who were cultivating cocoa in the dense tropical rainforest according to centuries-old traditions.

After returning to their home in eastern Germany, Patrick and Peggy found themselves dreaming of importing and distributing Mayan cocoa all across Europe, but soon learnt that most chocolates on the supermarket shelf are made from industrially produced cocoa mass and that there was no market for high-quality cocoa. The solution: to make chocolate themselves!

Cocoa Retreat - Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, Salted Caramel 50%

The naturally sweet flavours of the Kokoa Kamili, Tanzanian bean are elevated by the addition of caramelised unrefined cane sugar. The extra smoked sea salt is the perfect combination, for a deliciously creamy (and never too sweet) salted caramel bar.

Cocoa Retreat is a one woman operation producing small batch craft chocolate. Oenone Thomas is a chocolate maker with an incredible sense for good flavours, using her expertise to roast to perfection and create wonderful recipes for each variety of cacao bean.

In Oenone’s first career, she trained and worked as a journalist before moving on to become a child and adolescent counsellor. Behind the scenes, she has always had a love for chocolate, initially this was  a hobby for finding new and wonderful chocolate and a joy for eating it. Slowly, she developed the knowhow for producing small batch chocolate and has since been perfecting her craft.

DesBarres – Kilombero, Tanzania, Dark 72%

On first impression, one will be in awe (we hope) of the fudgy texture. This chocolate beholds a smooth, clean melt, and a flavour profile that bursts of citrus fruit and cherries. There is a slight leathery note towards the end that rounds of the overall flavour experience.

Founded by Erik and Ariane Hansen in 2015, DesBarres is a micro-batch manufacturer of single origin, bean to bar chocolate, sourcing direct trade cacao from around the world. DesBarres makes its chocolate with uncompromising attention to detail in order to create the very best chocolate experience. Using only cacao and organic cane sugar, DesBarres coaxes out the plethora of wonderful flavours of the cacao it sources.

Fossa – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 100%

This 100% Tanzania bar has a creamy mouthfeel and bright flavour. With the melt there is a slightly smoked edge nearing the finish. Fossa have crafted an incredible 100%, showcasing the Kokoa Kamili cacao.

Fossa, a cat-like mammal indigenous to Madagascar, roams the forests of the island hunting both day and night. The fossa is of the same origin of the craft chocolate that Yilina and Jay first tasted years ago that inspired their chocolate journey. Yilina and Jay’s first taste of craft chocolate was a Madagascan dark bar, they were instantly hit by wonderful flavours of refreshingly tart raspberries and warm almonds. This moment opened the pair’s eyes to how craft chocolates can have such flavour clarity – so different from the normal mass-produced industrial chocolate they grew up with.

Fossa Chocolate purchases its cacao directly from cooperatives and grower-centric organisations (a term we’ve borrowed from Raaka), the latter includes sourcing from Kokoa Kamili. Kokoa Kamili is an organisation that purchases wet cacao from the farmers in the Kilombero Valley area of Morogoro in Tanzania, then ferments, dries, and exports the finished cacao to craft chocolate makers around the world – including Fossa in Singapore!

Herufek – Bee Pollen, Tanzania, Dark 70%

For this bar, Herufek have collaborated with the family of Petr Balaštík from Mutěnice, who source the bee pollen. The 70% dark chocolate itself carries earthy notes of honey, which is elevated by a rich sprinkling of pollen grains.

Herufek Chocolate was founded in 2015 by Jitka and Michal Herufek, after Jitka started experimenting with making chocolate truffles after graduating with an Economics degree. At the time, the pair were using conventional couvertures to make chocolate bonbons as a hobby and part-time job, but this soon expanded into making their own chocolate using cocoa beans in 2014. After making several bad batches of chocolate from awful beans (despite the beans being organic certified), Jitka and Michal were lucky enough to meet some seasoned makers, like Patrick Walter from Choco Del Sol, and Josef Zotter himself. They were able to buy some great beans from them, and the rest is history – today, Herufek has 6 employees including Jitka and Michal, and make their wonderful bars in South Moravia, Czech Republic.

Karuna – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 70% Dark

A Tanzanian bar that is well-roasted, with bright highs of tangerine, lime, and green apple before wonderful honey notes at the end.

Husband-and-wife Armin and Katya live in the German-speaking region of South Tyrol, in northern Italy. Armin first got into chocolate while living in India for Katya’s work, after learning about the prominence of Indian lentil grinders in the American craft chocolate revolution. The next day he acquired a stone mill, some local cocoa beans, and started crafting chocolate as a hobby. Four years later, in 2018, he and Katya decided to found Karuna Chocolate, earning enormous success in their debut years.

Land – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, Dark 85%

This 85% dark bar from Land is rich and fruity. When you put the chocolate on your tongue, the subtle notes of dried fruits develop into punchy notes of apricot and wonderfully earthy notes of hazelnuts.

Land Chocolate is East London’s up and coming chocolate maker. Currently a one-man show, Land is the brainchild of Phil Landers. Phil worked for BBC radio for a number of years before discovering cacao on a trip to Central America. On his return, Phil quit his radio career and started working as a shop assistant for Paul A. Young, all the while experimenting and making chocolate at home. Phil then joined Mast’s London flagship workshop before starting out on his own in early 2016.

Mellow – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 70% Dark with Almonds

This wonderfully smooth 70% dark chocolate from Mellow is bright, citrusy, and sharp. The almonds bring a delightful crunch to the bar, and add a distinctive nuttiness to the chocolate.

Established officially in 2020, Mellow Chocolate was born in one of Copenhagen’s old wooden attics. Jacob, a former chemical engineer working in the food tech industry, went to visit his brother’s small coffee roastery in Panama. While there, Jacob visited some coffee farmers in the north-east region, where one of the farmers had a small cocoa plantation and a small bean-to-bar workshop – and the dream began. Jacob returned home from his trip with a suitcase full of cacao beans, and armed with only a coffee roaster, Jacob began to experiment in his small wooden attic storage space. Today, Mellow Chocolate develop their bars from a scientific view, with the intention of maintaining the high amount of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in the hand-picked cacao beans.

Mellow – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 70% Dark

This wonderfully smooth 70% dark chocolate from Mellow is bright, citrusy, sharp, and delicious! With tasting notes of mandarin and honey, this bar is sure to impress.

Established officially in 2020, Mellow Chocolate was born in one of Copenhagen’s old wooden attics. Jacob, a former chemical engineer working in the food tech industry, went to visit his brother’s small coffee roastery in Panama. While there, Jacob visited some coffee farmers in the north-east region, where one of the farmers had a small cocoa plantation and a small bean-to-bar workshop – and the dream began. Jacob returned home from his trip with a suitcase full of cacao beans, and armed with only a coffee roaster, Jacob began to experiment in his small wooden attic storage space. Today, Mellow Chocolate develop their bars from a scientific view, with the intention of maintaining the high amount of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in the hand-picked cacao beans.

Mellow – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, 70% Dark with Sea Salt

This smooth 70% dark chocolate from Mellow is well-balanced and fruity. The sea salt elevates the chocolate beautifully, and pairs well with the apple notes.

Established officially in 2020, Mellow Chocolate was born in one of Copenhagen’s old wooden attics. Jacob, a former chemical engineer working in the food tech industry, went to visit his brother’s small coffee roastery in Panama. While there, Jacob visited some coffee farmers in the north-east region, where one of the farmers had a small cocoa plantation and a small bean-to-bar workshop – and the dream began. Jacob returned home from his trip with a suitcase full of cacao beans, and armed with only a coffee roaster, Jacob began to experiment in his small wooden attic storage space. Today, Mellow Chocolate develop their bars from a scientific view, with the intention of maintaining the high amount of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in the hand-picked cacao beans.

Mirzam – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 72%

Mirzam flavours and origins are directly inspired by these maritime trade routes. Its single origin bars use cacao from plantations along the spice route. You can also see this seafaring heritage in the bar’s beautiful packaging. Designed in collaboration with local artists. The single-origin bars show sailing ships against the night sky – a reference to how sailors would navigate the seas.

Mirzam is the United Arab Emirate’s first craft chocolate maker, located in Dubai. Today Dubai is a melting pot of different cultures, peoples and cuisines, all of which contribute something to the local flavour. And for centuries the Middle East was at the centre of the historic spice trade. Adventurous traders and sailors traveled the seas from China to the Mediterranean bringing with them the rarest spices and ingredients.

Moka – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, 72%

This dark chocolate bar is full of bright citrus notes and an edge of roasted nuts and rum with a smooth finish.

MOKA’s journey started in 2007, when co-founders Jeff and Ishan were working on humanitarian community development at the Himalayan Institute in Cameroon, they noticed the centrality of cacao and agriculture to the country. Cameroon is the 4th largest exporter of cacao in the world. They also noticed the cracks in the industry, there was a lack of investment, farmers weren’t being fairly paid and the cacao being produced was low quality –  each factor playing into each other in this broken system. Witnessing the negative impact the chocolate industry was having on so many lives, Jeff and Ishan set out to change this.

Moka – Kokoa Kamili – Tanzania, 100%

The “challenge” (or opportunity) of any 100% bar is to avoid an overwhelming sensation of mouth puckering astringency.  The butteriness of Kokoa Kamili’s beans, combined with crafting skills of Jeff and team, mean that this bar has wonderful intensity whilst also having clean notes of cherry and citrus.

MOKA’s journey started in 2007, when co-founders Jeff and Ishan were working on humanitarian community development at the Himalayan Institute in Cameroon, they noticed the centrality of cacao and agriculture to the country. Cameroon is the 4th largest exporter of cacao in the world. They also noticed the cracks in the industry, there was a lack of investment, farmers weren’t being fairly paid and the cacao being produced was low quality –  each factor playing into each other in this broken system. Witnessing the negative impact the chocolate industry was having on so many lives, Jeff and Ishan set out to change this.

Moka – Kokoa Kamili,Tanzania, 85%

This dark chocolate bar is full of citrus notes and an edge of roasted nuts, astringent throughout.

MOKA’s journey started in 2007, when co-founders Jeff and Ishan were working on humanitarian community development at the Himalayan Institute in Cameroon, they noticed the centrality of cacao and agriculture to the country. Cameroon is the 4th largest exporter of cacao in the world. They also noticed the cracks in the industry, there was a lack of investment, farmers weren’t being fairly paid and the cacao being produced was low quality –  each factor playing into each other in this broken system. Witnessing the negative impact the chocolate industry was having on so many lives, Jeff and Ishan set out to change this.

Original Beans – Cru Udzungwa, Tanzania with Nibs

This playful bar reverberates with floral bursts and whispers of tropical fruits, orange, and toffee. The inclusion of nibs adds an earthy dimension, finely ground so as to give a pleasingly subtle crunch and slightly different texture from the normally smooth Swiss chocolate of Original Beans.

Original Beans was founded in 2008 by Philipp Kauffmann, a former conservationist at the World Wildlife Fund and the United Nations, to be a regenerative chocolate making company that focuses on protecting farmers, the rainforest, and thousands of endangered species. Their One Bar : One Tree programme promises that a tree is planted every time an Original Beans bar is sold, which can be tracked on their website with a special code on the back of the packet.

Parliament – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, Dark 70%

Parliament Chocolate’s 70% Tanzanian bar is delicious and smooth, with tasting notes of roasted malt, hints of marshmallow, and a hit of elderberry on the finish.

Parliament Chocolate was founded in 2022 by husband-and-wife duo Ryan and Cassi Berk. Based in Redlands, California, Parliament Chocolate is a small company with a focus to know where every single ingredient they use comes from. Ryan and Cassi were drawn to craft chocolate as it felt far more personal than mass produced chocolate – the pair strive to build friendships with the people that they source their ingredients with, and make sure that each and every component is held with respect. Ryan and Cassi source their cocoa beans directly from the farmers and their families and pay them above market value for their hard work. According to Parliament, the moral of the story is that good social, agricultural, and economic values = amazing chocolate!

Ruket – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 72% Dark

Ruket founders Alessandro and Marco have always loved food and been fascinated by traditional, artisanal production. Their discovery of craft chocolate happened almost by accident, when Marco wanted to use the best possible chocolate in his ice cream parlour, the pair started experimenting with cacao. The two quickly decided that this chocolate was much more than just an ingredient and that they wanted to share it with the world.

Working with a select few origins, Marco and Alessandro are keen to spread the word and let people discover for themselves the art and flavours of bean-to-bar chocolate.

Sirene – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania Coastal Rainforest Inclusions, Dark 73%

This smooth 73% dark bar encapsulates the flavours of the coastal rainforest. The currant, morel and kelp inclusions found in this bar are but a small part of the life the rainforest sustains. Fruity notes from the currants are delivered alongside kelp flavours, overlaid by a rich umami from the morels.

Sirene is a Canadian small-batch craft chocolate maker, crafting its chocolate in Victoria, British Columbia. Taylor Kennedy founded Sirene in 2013 after 18 years at the National Geographic Society, having become obsessed with the particular and painstaking process required to make great chocolate. Sirene looks at many factors when considering a new cocoa farmer, and considers its relationship with suppliers as one of equals, working together to deliver the best chocolate possible.

Solstice – Kilombero, Tanzania 70% Dark

The tasting notes of this 70% dark chocolate bar has a sherbet sweetness and custard-richness. As the chocolate melts, it has juicy and fresh rhubarb flavours that work so perfectly with the custard and sweeter notes.

Husband and wife Scott Query and DeAnn Wallin founded Solstice Chocolate in 2013, among the scenic vistas of Salt Lake City, Utah. Utah has recently been dubbed the craft chocolate capital of the States, and rightly so with its boom in makers and retailers of small-batch craft chocolate. Starting as a hobbyist before running Solstice as a business, DeAnn has always been fascinated by chocolate. Chocolate made its way into many of DeAnn’s family activities, from making chocolates as a child with her grandmother, to making chocolates as a mother with her daughters. Yet another example of chocolate finding wonderful ways to bring people together.

Stranger – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania Dark 70%

This award winning 70% dark bar is smooth and creamy. Notes of prunes, chocolate, figs and raisins all roll over one another, creating an incredible tasting experience.

Born from a true passion to transform the Ukrainian chocolate industry, Stranger Chocolate was founded in late 2016 by designers Ruslan and Tetyana. Their mission: for people to enjoy the unique flavours of cocoa beans from around the world, without the use of slave or child labour through the cultivating process. Although Stranger has already racked up two Silver Awards and two Bronze Awards in the International Chocolate Awards 2021-22, what really makes them stand out is their sheer strength and endurance – Ruslan and Tetyana are still making chocolate at their factory in Poltava, Ukraine, with the help of their children, Anya and Matvii, despite the war knocking on their front doorstep.

Svenska Kakaobolaget – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 100%

This 100% Tanzania chocolate has a creamy mouthfeel and somewhat green in flavour, with a slightly smoked edge nearing the finish. This is a highly approachable 100%, and one we fell in love with on first taste.

Fredrik and Ulrika think of the summer of 2013 as their “vacation that never ended”. While making a coffee stop in the small Swedish village of Österlen, they happened upon the 19th-century red brick school building that housed the Österlenchoklad confectionery factory – and it was for sale. They quit their jobs, bought the factory, and moved 600km to the southern Swedish countryside, where they established their bean-to-bar chocolate company, Svenska Kakaobaloget – “The Swedish Cacao Company”.

Svenska Kakaobolaget – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, Dark 74%

This fruity 74% dark bar has a high acidity, which is balanced by sweet and deep flavours. The chocolate carries complex jammy notes of plums, cherries, raisins, and tart apples.

Fredrik and Ulrika think of the summer of 2013 as their “vacation that never ended”. While making a coffee stop in the small Swedish village of Österlen, they happened upon the 19th-century red brick school building that housed the Österlenchoklad confectionery factory – and it was for sale. They quit their jobs, bought the factory, and moved 600km to the southern Swedish countryside, where they established their bean-to-bar chocolate company, Svenska Kakaobaloget – “The Swedish Cacao Company”.

Table – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, Dark 72%

This 72% dark bar is extremely smooth and well-balanced, with tasting notes of mango and stone fruits, as well as a lengthy finish.

Founded in late 2021 as Liverpool’s first bean-to-bar chocolate maker, Table Chocolate is the brainchild of three extraordinary people – entrepreneur and pastry chef Tian, graphic designer (turned chef) Remy, and marketing magician Andrea. Table Chocolate pride themselves on putting traceability at the forefront of their chocolate-making mission. And in addition to bringing traceability to the ‘table’, Table Chocolate want to help change minds through taste, vision and knowledge – especially the minds of pastry chefs who are stuck to contracts with chocolate industry giants worldwide.

Zotter – Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania, Dark 75%

This 75% dark chocolate is made from Trinitario beans, a sublime cocoa variety with a very fruity aroma. This bar is packed with fruity notes of red berries, apples, plums, and tropical fruit.

Josef Zotter is one of the long-established heroes of the craft chocolate movement. He has been producing chocolate since 1992, became famous for his wacky flavour combinations (scarlet runner bean and coriander pastry, anyone?), and was one of the earliest to produce 100% Organic and Fairtrade products. He has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of his growers around the world, engaging in numerous initiatives in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. He also runs an outstanding chocolate factory visitor experience – The Zotter Experience – that is a must-see for any chocolate-loving visitors to Austria.