Madagascar Chocolate
Madagascar is not widely known for its chocolate brands, at least not in the way that Switzerland or Belgium are. But as many chocolate experts will agree, Madagascar is a high quality cocoa producing nation boasting two major bean-to-bar chocolate factories, making especially delicious dark chocolate from natural and organic cocoa grown in the Ambanja region, the northwest of the country.
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Madagascar has in fact a long history of chocolate production, dating back to the early years of the French colonial times, 1937 to be precise. In those days, Madagascar was a major cocoa exporter to a metropolitan France. Today Madagascar's cocoa production is tiny in comparison to the Ivory Coast for example which produce about 38% of the world's cocoa, while almost all cocoa grown in Madagascar come from an area about 50-kilometre in radius and represent less than 1% of the world's cocoa production. The farming areas are within the Sambirano region, named after a river by the same name that runs from the foothills of Madagascar's highest peak and into the Indian Ocean. The Sambirano riverbed and its surrounding cocoa plantations are enriched with nutrients of the soil through annual floods. Unlike cocoa producing regions in many other countries, the area around Sambirano is unique in that it yields cocoa all year round. There are plenty of Criollo - the best quality cocoa, Forastero - the most common variety used for bulk cocoa, and Trinitario - a cross between the former two.
Most if not all cocoa plantations in Madagascar are operated by small independently run family farming businesses, who have been growing cocoa without use of fertilisers and other mass farming methods in ther natural environment for generations. While slave labour is commonly reported in the cocoa industry, especially in the Ivory Coast, it is non-existent in Madagascar. Much of Sambirano's cocoa grow on former fruit plantations that were in use during the French colonial period. The resulting a crop is uniquely fruit flavoured and naturally sweet, especially suitable for producing non-bitter dark chocolates without use of excessive sugar content or unnatural sweeteners. The final chocolate product is one that is generally rich in antioxidant flavoinoids, the healthy and reputedly aphrodisiac ingredients that can be found in high proportions in pure Malagasy cocoa.
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Chocolaterie Robert and Cinagra are the only two bean-to-bar chocolate producers in Madagascar. Their chocolate is of single Malagasy origin, meaning they both grow their own cocoa and produce their chocolates in Madagascar.
Chocolaterie Robert dates back to 1937, when a French couple, Mr and Mrs Robert, set up Madagascar's first chocolate factory in Brickaville. Today, Chocolaterie Robert's bars can be found everywhere from small village shops to upmarket confectionery stores in metropolitan areas. In 2006 Chocolaterie Robert's Mora Mora and Sambirano brands respectively won the Chocolate Academy's Silver Cup and the Best Buy Ethical Award.
The second in size and more recently established Malagasy chocolate maker, Cinagra, has been making chocolate at their Antananarivo based factory since 2006, also using single origin cocoa grown in the Sambirano region. In 2009 their 63% cocoa based Tsar bar won first price at the prestigious Salon de Chocolat Paris in France and since 2008, they are producing chocolate for Madecasse, a brand which is exported and sold primarily within US and Canada.
A third and tiny but nonetheless appreciated Madagascar chocolate maker is Chocolaterie Colbert. Although they do not run their own farms or buy and process cocoa directly from farmers and can therefore not be classified a bean-to-bar producer, their recipes are their own and since they buy the raw ingredients from both Chocolaterie Robert and Cinagra, their final products are of single Malagasy origin. Colbert's highly priced range of handmade pralines and chocolate bars can be found only at Pâtisserie Colbert in Antananarivo. Their chocolates which are handmade by a small team of talented chocolatiers and always sold fresh at the counter, make ideal presents for special occasions.
Madagascar is not an industrialised farming nation by any measure, and thus it's cocoa remains relatively short in supply. Perhaps this explains why Madagascar chocolates cannot easily be found in stores outside Madagascar. A tip for anyone visiting the large island: Buy and bring back with you home as many of Robert's, Cinagra's and Colbert's bars and pralines as your budget allow or suitcase will fit, because you will not likely find as high quality chocolate at any similar prices anywhere else in the world!