Parliament – Chanthaburi, Thailand, Dark 70%

About the bar

This 70% dark bar from Parliament Chocolate is delicate and sweet. The chocolate slowly develops at it melts on the tongue into notes of pine nuts, coconut, and a hit of cherry near the end.

About the maker

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!

The beans

The beans for this bar are sourced from 40 growers in the Chanthaburi region of Thailand, from Thai Cacao Distribution which was established by chef, chocolate maker, and entrepreneur Ryan Berk (founder of Parliament Chocolate) in 2016. Over the last eight years, Ryan and his team have developed the largest cacao export operation in the country. Post-harvest processing is managed at family-run fermentation and drying stations, with the largest at Suriya Farm and Boom Farm.

There are 5 “gathering groups” who purchase cacao pods from the producer network every 15 days. The growers in Thailand sell the cacao as whole pods into these gathering groups, who also buy other crops from the farmers. This market structure is driven by cultural practices of how to sell fruit, especially durian, which is the primary crop produced in the Chanthaburi region.

Allergens*

No allergens listed by maker.

Ingredients

Cacao 70% sugar 30%

*Allergen advice: We directly import, and purchase, all products from independent makers and have these shipped by our partner warehouse (which is not certified allergen-free), and so we cannot guarantee that any product will be allergen-free. Even where an allergen is not listed, products may have been produced, shipped, or stored in facilities which handle allergens.

If you would like further information about a specific product, please contact us on [email protected] or contact the maker directly.