Sweet, sweet victory for chocolate makers with Saskatchewan ties

A chocolate company with ties to Saskatchewan is savouring the taste of victory.

Artisan chocolate maker Choco Estates recently won the top innovation award at the Craft Chocolat Challenge, a American-based international competition for the best bean-to-bar chocolatiers.

The win was unexpected but exciting, co-founder Tiffany Rose told CBC Saskatchewan's The 306.

"It was our first time entering the competition and we weren't expecting really to win, but we were hoping for critical feedback," Rose said, adding that the win came as a "surprise and really a delight for us."

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Rose, a resident of Assiniboia, Sask., said the chocolatey journey started when she visited her longtime friend Kristen Krash's Ecuador cacao farm. Krash had moved south from Washington, D.C. in 2016 with her husband, who is Ecuadorian.

When Rose and her husband Robert Payant found land for sale nearby, they decided to buy it and start another cacao farm.

Then two years ago, she and her friend decided they wanted to offer their products — and those of other local farmers — to buyers, Rose said.

Now, Choco Estates sells products like cacao beans and nibs to pastry chefs and other craft chocolatiers, Rose said. And in a small workshop near their Ecuadorian farms, Krash produces small batches of their own artisan chocolate bars.

Rose and her husband still live in Assiniboia for part of the year, as he continues to work on a farm that has been in his family for four generations. Once the Canadian farming season is over, they head back down to Ecuador, she said.

Focus on sustainability, local sourcing

Choco Estates uses ingredients from its own farms or neighbouring farms to make chocolate bars, in order to be more sustainable and have a lower carbon footprint, Krash said.

They also wanted to ensure the chocolate was made locally to resist the "pretty colonial model" of shipping cocoa beans off to chocolate industries in the Global North that pay the farmers in Ecuador a fraction of the sale price.

"It was really important to Tiffany and myself, like as a business model, as an ethical business model, not to repeat that pattern," Krash said.

What was the award-winning chocolate?

The chocolate bar that won the innovation award is Choco Estates' 85 per cent Ecuador Dark Vegan Golden Milk bar.

The 85 per cent Ecuador Dark Vegan Golden Milk chocolate bar was described as "almost addictive" and unique by competition judges. (Submitted by Tiffany Rose)

The team entered it into the contest at the urging of one of their American customers, Rose said. It's one of their most popular treats, featuring two layers: one dark chocolate and the other a mix of turmeric and cardamom.

"Depending on which layer you place in your mouth, up or down, you get a different flavor experience," she said.

Krash created the bar after seeing social media posts about a viral golden milk latte trend. She realized she could re-create the flavour with ingredients she was growing herself.

"It was really gratifying, and not just to win, but also to see how the industry is evolving towards more of like, a rustic, artisanal, hands-on approach," she said.

Two anonymous judges praised the treat in notes from the competition.

One judge deemed the bar "almost addictive," complimenting its "thoughtful and precise approach to flavour pairing."

"The golden milk does not overpower the chocolate; instead, it complements it," the judge wrote. "It reminds me of golden milk extra dark chocolate truffles!!!"

"Each of the two elements of this bar is interesting on its own and make sense on their own … but I think they are better together," another judge wrote. "Do more of these!"