Meet the maker
Pure Imagination
About Pure Imagination
Founded in 2007 by Janice Wong, Pure Imagination is Singapore’s first single-origin chocolate company – a milestone not just for Janice, but for Singapore’s growing place in the world of craft chocolate. Their mission? To create uniquely flavoured craft chocolate bars using responsibly sourced cocoa beans. Through technique, design, or storytelling, Pure Imagination pushes the boundaries of what can be done with chocolate and art — their packaging is designed in-house by their team, with each one featuring Janice’s very own artwork, making each of their products a work of art in itself.
For their single-origin chocolates, Janice works with Mario Vandeneede, the founder of Chocolatoa, who creates the recipes and crafts the chocolate bars. Mario’s mission is to create pure, origin-based chocolate that celebrates the unique terroir of each bean while building direct, fair relationships with farmers; using only cacao and a small amount of sugar to highlight the bean’s natural flavours.
Mario started Chocolatoa in 2015, after years of experimenting and perfecting recipes. The name Chocolatoa is a nod to Mario’s international experiences and my journey from Belgium to Latin America – it reflects both chocolate craftsmanship and the global bridges he builds between cocoa farmers and consumers. He focuses on sustainability, traceability, and transparency, ensuring that every step — from cocoa farm to chocolate bar — adds value for both the farmer and the final consumer. Mario also aims to educate through workshops and coaching, inspiring others to understand the story behind chocolate.
How they became makers…
Janice’s journey with chocolate began during a university exchange program in Melbourne, Australia. In her spare time, she visited local farms, and one visit to a strawberry farm completely changed her perception of ingredients. Growing up in Singapore, fresh produce and farm visits were rare. Everything came neatly packaged from supermarkets. But in Australia, the ingredients tasted different — there were grassy, earthy, even smoky notes that Janice had never encountered before. That experience sparked a deep curiosity within her — she realized that food was more than just sustenance — it could be a powerful medium for expression and artistry. That was the moment that set her on the path to crafting chocolate.
By contrast, Mario grew up in Belgium, surrounded by a rich tradition of chocolate-making. After graduating as a chocolatier in Mechelen, he wanted to understand the roots of chocolate, and travelled to Ecuador at 19 for a volunteer project where he taught chocolate processing at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. While living there, Mario discovered that most people in Latin America were only familiar with cocoa farming, while in Belgium chocolatiers work with ready-made chocolate. During this time, he worked closely with farmers and spent six months maintaining a cocoa plantation by himself. This experience sparked Mario’s dream to one day make chocolate directly from the bean.
Pure Imagination’s Sourcing
Pure Imagination sources their beans by visiting farms overseas, including places like Sumba. They spend time listening to the farmers’ stories, learning about their processes, and carefully analysing the quality of their beans.
Mario is also always exploring new origins and loves to experiment with flavours. His current bars feature beans from Peru, Uganda, Costa Rica, India, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Tanzania, and Madagascar, but he’s constantly on the lookout for new farmers and cooperatives.
Photos from Pure Imagination
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