Welcome Qantu: a brand new, award-winning maker from Canada

Meeting a new craft chocolate maker and tasting their bars is always exciting. Meeting a new craft chocolate maker who has already won a host of awardsand tasting bars that make your jaw drop is pretty special.

At the Academy of Chocolate Awards this year we had the pleasure of meeting Maxime & Elfi of Qantu. Having only launched Qantu in February of this yearthey had flown over especially from Montreal to collect an award for every barthey entered (two Golds & one Silver) as well as a special New Chocolate Maker Award.

Quantu’s first three bars all use Peruvian beans and are classic, simple, andwonderful bars that just contain cocoa mass, cocoa butter and some sugar. The depth and balance of flavour in each iss remarkable. Qantu has nowadded a fourth bar to its collection: a 100% crafted from Peruvian Chuncho beans with a fantastically smooth, deep profile.

The pair attributes Quantu’s chocolate achievements to years of chocolate eating. A few years ago their gourmand hobby even led them to visit a farm inSan Martin in Peru, which planted the seed of their future endeavours.

When Maxime & Elfi decided to turn their long term passion into a life it wassimple to decide where they would start looking for beans. They traveled toPeru, where Elfi was born and raised, and where the couple first met. Thename Qantu also reflects these roots. Qantu or Cantuta is the national flowerof Peru (and, confusing, also for Bolivia).

They are currently working with two different farmer co-operatives: one inPiura and one in Ayacucho. Qantu buy and import directly from the co-opsthemselves without any middlemen.

They are currently working with two different farmer co-operatives: one inPiura and one in Ayacucho. Qantu buys and imports directly from the co-opsthemselves without any middlemen. Once the beans arrive from Lima, Elfi andMaxime can start crafting their bars. The time it takes to get from bean to bar varies, as the pair adjust roast and conche times for each of their chocolates. When asked the secret to their chocolate making process, the answer wassimple, ‘Just a lot of love!’.

They hand craft every bar. They’ve been delighted by the way their bars havebeen received – and have struggled to craft bars to meet growing demand intheir local home market. We’ve persuaded them to let us have a very small allocation for this year – so if you want to be on the few to try these amazing bars this year, we strongly suggest you order them now and “love them” thesame way Max and Elfi have enjoyed crafting them!

Try the bars from Qantu today.

We hope you love these bars too!