PIERRE MARCOLINI: THE FIRST CHOCOLATIER TO PROCESS CHINA’S COCOA BEANS

PIERRE MARCOLINI: THE FIRST CHOCOLATIER TO PROCESS CHINA’S COCOA BEANS

Freddy Kwarteng

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Pierre Marcolini, a chocolate processor based in Brussels, Belgium has become the first processor to have access to China’s prized cocoa beans, according to a post by Jeanne Guillet, the Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Marcolini, Asia, on Linkedin.

“Such an exciting journey since we first met with the cooperative of Hainan XingLong Tropical Botanical Garden! You might know Hainan Island for its beaches or its attractive shopping policy. Hainan is also the home of the only cocoa trees plantation in China and Pierre Marcolini is the first international chocolatier to have access to its prized cocoa beans”, she said. 

Jeanne Guillet made this observation when she paid a working visit to the Hainan XingLong Tropical Botanical Garden on the Island of Hainan, China.

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The Hainan Plantation is China’s largest cocoa plantation which last year shipped the countrie first ever cocoa beans to Belgium, according to the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS).

According a report captured in the www.chinadaily.com, “The first batch of 500 kg of cocoa beans, worth 3,044 euros (about $3,600), was produced in Xinglong, a township of Hainan with a tropical climate”.

Speaking to China Daily, Hao Zhaoyun, a researcher with CATAS, said, “Cocoa is a raw material for making chocolate. With the increasing demand for chocolates, Hainan has been expanding its cocoa planting area and making breakthroughs in technological development and as Belgium is dubbed ‘kingdom of chocolates,’ exports to the country indicate that our cocoa production standards have been recognized by the international community”.

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According to Jeanne, Pierre Marcolini, the chocolate maker has always searched for the finest cocoa terroirs across the Cocoa Belt, from South America to Asia via Africa.

 “The Trinitario variety produces beans with spiced aromas, notes of grapefruit and a delicate acidity. The beans were delivered to our atelier in Brussels and here comes the very first Grand Cru Tablet from Hainan”, she added.

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About Pierre Marcolini

Pierre Marcolini (CEO) is one of the few chocolatiers to roast his cocoa beans himself. In order to unearth the finest cocoa beans, be they Criollo, Trinitario, Nacional or Forastero, he searches the planet himself to source them directly from growers in a range of countries. He personally controls every stage of the production process.

Source: ghanachocolatehub.com