Chocolatier preferences
In Chantal Coady's book The Chocolate Companion, she not only talks about each of the featured chocolate companies, but lists the kind of chocolate they use.
Chantal Coady is a force for chocolate in the UK. She founded Rococo Chocolates.
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Interview: Rococo Chocolates, Creative Director & Founder, Chantal Coady The most striking thing about Chantal Coady, Creative Director and Founder of Rococo Chocolates is that her business has come from her dream and her passion. Coady took a plain department store experience and sensualised it, creating a genuine and fantastical place for people to come and shop. “Setting up my shop was quite a brave thing to do,” she says with sincerity. Having created and designed a shop from scratch with her friends in the 80’s, the chocolatier began a shift in the way chocolate is marketed in the UK. It was bombastic, had a strong aesthetic and was a memorable luxury for people. “My friends from art school painted cherubs by Bottochelli on the ceiling and we made the shop into a fantasy land that was also genuine,” she adds. Nowadays, design and how food is marketed is essential to success. The M&S ‘This is not just food’ campaign in 2006 made mainstream food sensual and memorable, but one could argue that Rococo got there two decades earlier. “You look at what there is and then you think what difference you can make- you could say that is the secret to retailing,” says Coady. With three stores currently around the most exclusive areas of London - Chelsea, Belgravia and Marylebone, and confectionary being sold in Waitrose, Harvey Nichols and John Lewis, her vision has a broad appeal and her shops are flocked to from all over the world. Chantal has always been interested in the history of chocolate and has written three books on the subject. The cocoa bean has enjoyed a rich and varied history; the first chocolate was not eaten but drunk and arrived in Europe via Spain at the end of the 16th century. The beans were not grown into a fine paste and made into bars of fine chocolate until the age of steam power. And Swiss chocolate inventor Rudolf Lindt invented the conching process, which removes the acid and gritty texture. Soon after 1795, Dutch chemist Conrad van Houten invented the first cacao butter. When Coady began her business 30 years ago, the most extravagant flavour known was violet creams. Since then she has created so many more, often unexpected flavours, such as sea salt, lavender and chili pepper. Today, Rococo is a family business as Coady’s husband, James Booth is Managing Director and even her two children help out at events, most recently at the 30th anniversary of the business this year. They are two very well adjusted and unspoiled children and it’s not an easy job for any mother to bring up children in this day and age. You never see them running around taking advantage of any ‘free’ chocolate! Now considered an expert in the food world, her chocolates are legend and she has been rewarded for her efforts by the Academy of Chocolate for ‘Changing the way people think about chocolate.’ The Wall Street Journal also recognised her as ‘The Founder of a new British school of chocolate.’ The old quote from Theodore Roosevelt “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” rings true for Coady’s spontaneous yet settled attitude to retailing. We speak about the high-street’s future in the UK following the rapid expansion by out-of-town supermarkets. Could an online tax help the high-street? “I think it is terrible that Amazon can get away without paying tax because of offshore accounts. If an online tax could be policed and were successful then it would make a difference. But I don’t know how it would be done,” she says. The future of the high-street is a topic that has been dominating retails collective consciousness. How can shops possibly adapt to the growth of online shopping channels such as Amazon? And should landlords do more to assist the independent stores? “It is really hard to say but I think people seem to be able to move around less and less today because of time constraints. They may be able to only visit one little section of Marylebone High Street in their time off. That affects retail,” she says. Coady adds that since the heatwave has struck London the shops have been quieter, but she is never resting and always tweaking and reveals that the £4.50 Rococo artisan bar will go into a box; becoming more of a gift. With online sales growing faster and faster, would Rococo ever do away with their physical aesthetic and employ multi-channel in-store promotions? Replying with grounded realism she says, “I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to anything e-commerce or m-commerce. Our website sales are growing all the time.” However, she has considered joining up with contemporaries Godiva, Hershey’s Chocolate World, and Forey & Galand in an even more sweltering location than London. Would Rococo ever consider going to Dubai as part of the billion pound booming shopping revolution? “We actually went out to Dubai a few years ago because we were interested in the area, but decided against it for now because it would be a massive distraction!” But after the experience of a British heatwave denting her London profits could her chocolates ever handle a fierce Middle-Eastern heat? Whatever Coady does or goes next, she will continue to shock the palate and please the eye with her brand of pioneering confectionery. |
The first edition of the book was published in 1995 with an updated second edition published in 2006 and things change, but the following graph taken from her research in the first edition will give you an idea of the popularity of different chocolate producers.
* Re Barry Callebaut: Cacao Barry and Callebaut have now merged.
Note that the larger companies seem to be more apt NOT to disclose what chocolate they use.
Also note that the new listings in the Second Edition are more apt to use a finer brand, especially Valrhona
The graph above is based on the following information:
The Chocolate Companion A Connoisseur's Guide Second Edition
Chantal Coady, Publisher: Quintet Publishing Limited (2006).
Listings are organized by:
Company, Address
Chocolate used in 1995 in black type. Updated in 2006 in Red if there was a change. New chocolatiers in Second Edition are also in Red.
Ackermans, 9 Goldhurst Terrace, Finchley Road, London UK
Callebaut and LesmeAltmann & Künne, 1010 Vienna, Graben 30 Austria
Suchard and KnabchenAmedei, via San Gervasio, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy
Their ownAngelina, 226 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
Top secretAux Délices de la Tour, 1 Rue de Lices, Angers, France
Chocolaterie du PecqBaixas, Barcelona, Spain
Valrhona, Callebaut, Cacoa Cream Caracas and GuayaquilBaratti & Milano, Via Nannetti 1, Bologna, Italy
UndesclosedBéline, 5 Place Saint Nicolas, 72000 Le Mans, France
CallebautBendicks of Mayfair, London, UK
Private blend of West Indian and West African beansBernachon, 42 Cours Franklin Roosevelt, 69006 Lyon, France
Made on Premises, Madagascan vanilla, no lecithin, aged 3 months.Bernard Dufoux, 32 Et 40 Rue Centrale, 71800 La Calyette, Lyon
Valrhona with Venezuelan and Caribbean beansCacao Sampakam, Vic, Spain
ChocovicCaffarel, Via Gianevello 41, To, Italy
Made in house, the rarest being Esmerelada from Equador and Angoleta from Samoa.Camille Bloch, Ch-2608 Courtelary, Switzerland
Top SecretCharbonnel et Walker, 1 The Royal Arcade, London, UK
Belgian CouvertureCharlemagne, Herstal, Belgium
Couverture designed and created in their own laboratoryChocolaterie Bernard Callebaut, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
CallebautChococo, Dorset, UK
El Rey and CallebautChocolat Moderne, New York, NY
ValrhonaThe Chocolate Society, North Yorkshire, UK
ValrhonaChocolats Le Français, 269 South Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, IL
Mostly Valrhona, though they also mix in other chocolate to balanceChristian Constant, Paris, France
Various beans from Central America and are generally criollo and trinitarioChristian Saunal, 31 Avenue des Minimes, 31200 Toulouse, France
Valrhona, Cacao BarryChristopher Norman Chocolates, New York, NY
SchokinagConfiserie Heinemann, Krefelder strabe 645, Monchen-Gladbach, Germany
Top SecretCote de France, 9 Av du President Salvador-Allende, Vitry-Sur-Seine, 94400 FranceTop Secret South American and Indonesian
Cuba, 12100 Cuneo, Piaza Europa 14, Italy
House blend of Guayaquil (Ecuador), Venezuela and GhanaDamien Allsop Consulting US
Valrhona and Michel CluizelDe Bondt, Via Turati 22, 56125 Pisa, Italy
Top SecretDe Léaucour, 45/47 Chaussee D'Estaimpuis, 7712 Herseaux-Gare, Belgium
Top secretDeleans, 20 Rue Ceres, Reims, 51100 France
Blends using Valrhona and Callebaut while adding extra Cacao butter and Cocoa powderDreimeister, Weststrasse 47-49, Westonnen, Germany
Callebaut and Cacoa BarryDudle, Weggisgasse 34, Lucerne, Switzerland
FelchlinFassbender, AM Markt 12, 5200 Siegbourg, Germany
Valrhona and CallebautFauchon, 26-28-30 Place de la Madeleine, Paris France
Valrhona, Caraïbe, Manjari, Guanaja, and Jivara LactéeFlickorna Kanold, Goteborg, Sweden
Michel CluizelFouquet, 36 Rue Laffitte, 74009 Paris, France
Top SecretFortnum & Mason, London UK
Top SecretFrancisco Torreblanca, 103 Avenida Jose Martinez Gonzalez, 03600 Elda, Spain
ValrhonaFran's Chocolates, Seattle, Washington
Valrhona, Scarffen Berger and CallebautGodiva, Brussels, Belgium
Their own from a patent recipeGerard Ronay, 3 Warple Way, London, UK
Valrhona, Cacao Barry and Grossistes de FranceGinet, Lyon, France
ValrhonaHedh et Escalante Chocolatier, Malmo, Sweden
Valrhona and their own commissioned PorcelanaHotel Sacher, Philharmonikerstrasse 4, Vienna, Austria
Top SecretHovby No 9, Lund, Sweden
Chocolaterie de l'Opera, with some Michel Cluizel and ValrhonaJean-Paul Hévin, 3 Rue Vavin, 75006 Paris, France
ValrhonaJoël Durand, 5 Quai Chateaubriand, 3500 Rennes, France
Cocoa Barry and he is experimenting with making his own couverture.Juncal, Calle Recoletos No 15, Madrid, 28001, Spain
In houseKnipschildt Chocolatier, Norwalk, Connecticut
Valrhona and BelcoladeL. Heiner, Café Konditorei, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Top SecretL'Artisan du Chocolat, London, UK
Chocolaterie de l'Opera, Michel Cluizel and ValrhonaLa Boutique Michel Cluizel, Paris, France
Made in-house using beans from Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Columbia, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Java.La Praline Chocolatier, 2A Avenida de Los palos Grandes, Carmelitas, Caracas, Venezuela
El Rey and BelcoladeLalonde, 59 Rue St Dizier, 54400 Nancy, France
Valrhona's Caraque, Extra Bitter and SuperalpinaLa Maison du Chocolat, Paris, France
ValrhonaLaurent Gerbaud, Brussels, Belgium
DomoriLe Chocolatier, Miami, Florida
GuittardLe Chocolatier Bruyerre, Faubourg de Bruxelles, 125-131, Gosselies, Belgium
CallebautLe Roux, 18 Rue du Port-Maria, 56170 Quiberon, France
French-madeLetuffe, 10 Place Francois, Angouleme, France
Top SecretLindt & Sprüngli, Kilchberg, Switzerland
Their own house blend from Trinidad, Grenada, GhanaMary, 73 Rue Royal, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Callebaut special blendMazet de Montargis, Montargis, France
Chocolate du PecqMelchior Chocolates, Station Road, South Molton, Devon, UK
Max Felchlin, MaestraniMichael Recchiuti, San Francisco, CA
El Rey, Valrhona, E.Guittard, Scharffen BergerMichel Chaudun, 149 Rue De L'Universite, 75007 Paris, France
French couverturesMicheli, 1 Rue Micheli-du-Crest, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Top SecretMoonstruck Chocolatier, Portland, Oregon
Own recipe from assorted chocolate liquorsNeuhaus, Vlezenbeek, Belgium
CallebautOberweis, 19 Grand-Rue L-1661 Luxembourg
Valrhona for centers, Lindt for enrobing and molded shellsOrtrud Münch Carstens, 425 East 58th Street, New York, NY
Valrhona Grand CruPalais du Chocolat, 3309 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC
Callebaut, Cacao Barry, and Valrhona Guanaja and CaraquePaul A. Young Fine Chocolates, London, UK
Valrhona and AmedeiPeltier, 66 Rue de Sevres, 75007 Paris, France
Valrhona and Cacao BarryPierre Colas, 2 Rue Champagne, 4577 Modave, Belgium
Made by BelcoladePierre Ginet, 9 Rue de la Charite, 69002 Lyon, France
ValrhonaPierre Herme, Paris, France
ValrhonaPralus, Roanne, France
Their ownPrestat, 14 Princes Arcade, London, UK
Top SecretPuyricard, Quartier Beaufort, Puyricard, France
Special recipe from Callebaut, milk is made from Javan or Madagascan beans, dark from South and Central American criollo and trinitario blended with African forasteroRamón Roca Chocolates, Mercaders, Gerona, Spain
Top SecretRichard Donnelly Fine Chocolate, Santa Cruz, California
Valrhona, Callebaut and Cacoa BarryRichart, Paris, France
Their ownRococo, London, UK
Valrhona Manjari and Caraïbe
Gru Grococo - in partnership with Grenada Chocolate Company and made from "one harvest of beans" pure Trinitario, 66% cocoa solids, with added cocoa butter and NO vanilla.Sara Jayne Stanes, 53 Cavendish Road, London, UK
AmedeiSchaetjens, 21 Rue des 3 Cailloux, 80000 Amiens, France
Valrhona Café Noir and Superalpina, Cacoa Barry's Guyaquil and Mi-amèreSlitti, Terme, Italy
Top SecretSpecial Edition Continental Chocolates, Honeyholes Lane, Dunholme, Lincolnshire, UK
Schokinag of Mannheim, Maestrani whiteSprüngli, Zurich, Switzerland
Lindt & SprüngliTorras, CTRA, Girona, Barcelona, Spain
Top secretTruffles, Brougham Hall, Cumbria, UK
Cocao Barry Mi-amère, Lactée Superior, Blanc SatinWilliam Curley, Surrey, UK
Valrhona and AmedeiWittamer, 12 Place du Grand Sablon, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Special blend by CallebautWoodhouse Chocolate, St. Helena, CA
E. GuittardZeller Chocolatier, Place Longemalle 1, 1204 Geneva, Switzerland
Top Secret
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