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[[File:Chocolaterie Robert 016.jpg|thumb|600px|none|A selection of fine pralines sold at one of Chocolaterie Robert's boutiques, La Chocolatière, Antananarivo.]]
Chocolaterie Robert is a household brand name in Madagascar where its chocolate bars can be found everywhere from small village shops and department stores to upmarked upmarket confectionery stores and gift shops in cosmopolitan areas. In rural areas, usually one or more of the four chocolate bar varieties can be found.
[[Image:Chocolaterie_Robert_009.jpg|600px|none|thumb|The Chocolaterie Robert brands include
Blanc Superérieur (34% cocoa butter), Noir Spécial (73% cocoa), Supérieur au Lait (34% cocoa) and Noir Supérieur (47% cocoa)]]
The Malagasy cocoa, also known as "green gold" “green gold” of [[Sambirano]], has in recent years gained a high quality reputation amongst chocolate experts worldwide. However, Malagasy cocoa production remains relatively small-scale in comparison to other major cocoa exporting nations.
Chocolaterie Robert is a major contributor to the local economy, providing employment for about 120 independent farmers and up to 200 factory workers. The company operates both as a cocoa bean processor and chocolate manufacturer, using 500 tons of the total 4,000 to 5,000 tons annual cocoa production in Madagascar.
* Cocoa bean processing and chocolate paste making
* Chocolate bar making
* Chocolate confectionary confectionery (chocolate sweets and figurines)* Sweet confectionary confectionery (sugar sweets and chocolate bars)
In recent years, Chocolaterie Robert has combined its time-proven knowledge of chocolate production with the expertise of renowned French Chocolatier André Rosset who has advised the company in the latest trends and technologies in the fine art of chocolate making. All of Chocolaterie Robert's products are classified as pure and single origin entirely made in Madagascar. Dark chocolate made by Chocolaterie Robert is rich in flavonoids that occur naturally in Croille cocoa beans. Unlike other dark chocolates derived from cocoa grown elsewhere, the Madagascar variety is low in bitterness and naturally sweet. Furthermore, the company is dedicated to fair trading and supports several small cocoa farmers through micro-financing programmes. Today, the Chocolaterie Robert factory is a semi-industrial operation whose management, in an age of automated systems, still prefers to work with local people rather than machines.
