Master presentation done by chocolate taster and bean to bar maker, Alain d'Aboville at chocolate conferences. The main evolution is the renewed interest for a science backed approach to flavors in chocolate.

1. CHOCOLATE RENAISSANCE
Back to the flavors
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2. CONTENT
Chocolate numbers
Varieties
Flavors and sensations
Hacking chocolate or “Bean 2 Bar”
Coming next
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3. CHOCOLATE NUMBERS
World market - US$ 83.2 Billions in 2010, to be US$ 98.3 Billions in 2016 - 2.7
% yearly growth. (Filmed entertainment $ 88 B; Consumer Electronics $289 B)
Americans consumed 3 Billions Pounds (1.6 Billions Tons) of chocolate for
$13.1 Billion in 2001
Non chocolate candy products = $ 7.6 B
71% of Americans prefer Milk chocolate - 4 Billion ton of beans harvest in 2013
A 1500 year old business, at least
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4. WHO EATS IT?
Europeans
16 of the top 20 consumers per capita
GER, Swiss, UK are top with approx. 10kg/
head/year
All Americans
Others
Overall consumption trend is a yearly 2-5 % increase
3.3% on average over last 10 years
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5. WHAT DO THEY EAT?
Milk far ahead,
then filled
chocolate
Large
differences
(Belgium)
FDA White chocolate:
At least 20% cacao butter/fat and 14%
dried milk. - 55% sugar MAXIMUM
FDA Milk chocolate
10% chocolate liquor minimum
12% dried milk minimum
Fat must be from cacao bean (butter)
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Dark chocolate

6. WHERE IS CACAO
COMING FROM?
3/4 come from Africa (40% Ivory Coast alone)
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7. CONCENTRATION OF
PRODUCERS
In 10 years
Africa 69 to 72%
America 14%
Asia 17 to 15%
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8. CACAO PRICE 2002/2012
Variations between $ 1,361 to $ 3,730 / Ton
• Prices barely kept pace with inflation in
buyer’s markets
• No visible impact of social initiatives
• Price increase due to higher demand
• Bulk buying remains king
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9. COCOA CLASSIFICATION
Bulk - Uncertified, no guarantee of variety, ripeness, fertilizer, fermentation level etc..
Commodity price - Approx. $ 2.25/Kg
Certified: By one or more certifying body usually focused on one specific characteristic (organic, fair, no-children
slavery etc.) This guarantees the certified component but does not necessarily guarantee variety,
quality or taste.
Improved commodity price - $ 2.5 to $ 3.5/Kg
Fine flavor (high quality): Guarantees of variety, origin, processes and taste. But not necessarily clear on
other criteria.
Negotiated price well above commodity price. Up to $ 20/Kg
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10. GLOBAL GROWTH
• Certified segments growing faster than
overall production
• Fine flavor steady in volume, grows in value
• Volume and value growth in bulk
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11. BIGGEST BULK BUYERS
Large multinational companies
with worldwide sales
High level of concentration
No reference to cacao quality
Top 10 chocolate/candy companies
Billing in US$ M Brand Country
Mondelez (ex-
Krafts food)
19.965 Toblorone,
Cadbury US
Mars 16.200 Mars, Twix,
Bounty
US
Nestle 12.808 Kit Kat,
Smarties
CH
Ferrrero Spo 9.612 Nutella IT
Hershey’s 6.112 Hershey’s bars US
Lindt 2.796 CH
August Storck 2.205 Merci, Original GR
Yildiz 2.095 Godiva, TUR
Meiji Co. 1.791 JAP
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12. BEAN VARIETY
The “historic” classification
Criollo - Originally from Central America, Criollos dominated the market until the mid 17th. There may not
be any “pure” Criollo trees left. ~ 6% of world production
Forasteros - Originally from the Upper Amazon region, the appellation covers a large group of
cultivated, semi-wild and wild sub-varieties. They include Comum in Brazil, West African Amelonado
(Africa), Nacional (Ecuador),Matina or Ceylan in Costa Rica and Mexico. Hybrids from the Upper
Amazon region are widely used in large plantations worldwide. ~ 82% of world production
Trinatario - Considered part of the Forasteros family, are a cross of Criollo and Forastero started
unintentionally in Trinidad after the 1727 “blast” destroyed the original Criollo trees. Currently present in
Venezuela, Ecuador, Cameroon, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Java and Papua New Guinea. ~ 12% of world
production
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13. THE DNA CLASSIFICATION
10 DNS identified strains (USDA, Mars - Motomayor study 2008)
Cluster Outside Inside Flavor Comments
Amelonado Melon shape, thick skin,
shallow ridges, round tip
greenish
seeds
Earthy cocoa, leather,
wood, bitter
Close to the Guina. Used to
be important in West Africa
Contamana Oblongue, rugby ball shape purple-ish
seeds
Floral, complex fruity Witch broom resistant,
widely cross bred
Criollo Round and oblongue shape
with moon-like surface redish seeds
Very fruity and
complex aromas with
fine acidity
Pre-Columbian strain with
extra qualities but weak and
short yield
Curaray
Guiana Small size and yield. Earthy and strong
cacao flavor
High fat and high caffeine
content,
Iquitos
Maranon Close to the Ecuadorian
“Nacional”
Nacional Orange colored avocado
shaped pod
Very dark
seeds
Fruity and floral
including red fruits,
berries. No bitterness
Very fine quality originally
form the foot hills of the
Andes in Peru and now
Nanay mostly in Southern Ecuador
Purus
Source http://www.c-spot.com/atlas
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14. 37 “CULTIVARS” -
Source http://www.c-spot.com/atlas
Amazonas - Bahia- Cacao Monka - Canoabo - Carenero - Catongo - Caucano -
CCN-51 - CCRP - Ceylan - Chuao - Chuno - Comum - Cumboto - Cuyagua - EET
- Esmeraldas - Guasare - ICS - IMC 67 - Indio Rojo - Java - La Red - Maracaibo
- Matina - Merideño - Nicaliso - Ocumare - Pajarito - Pandora - Perija -Playa Alta
- Porcelana - Rio Caribe - Sur Del Lago - Theobahia -Trinitario
CCN-51 = Coleccion Castro Naranjal 51 (1965) Guayaquil (Ecuador)
CCRP = Cadbury Cocao Research Project (1979) Oceania
EET = Estacion Experimental Tropical (1950’s) Ecuador Some are “Fino Aroma”
ICS = Imperial College Selections
IMC 67 = Iquitos Mixed Calabacillo (1930’s) based on Maranon fromPeru
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15. CERTIFICATIONS
Fairtrade
Rainforest Alliance
UTZ Certified
Many others
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16. WHAT’S IN A BEAN?
Variances exist depending on
varieties
Polyphenols contains the
“Flavonoids”
Average Component %
Oleic acid 18
Shearic acid Cacao
18
Palmitic acid butter
14
Other fat ~ 54%
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Carbohydrates 31
Protein 11
Polyphenols 3
Minerals 1
Total 100
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17. CACAO PRODUCTION /
GROWING
Select the variety
Seed and transplant
Protect
Harvest
Ferment 3 to 8 days
Dry
Bag
Ship
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18. CHOCOLATE PRODUCTION
Processes made by all chocolate
makers, including large firms and
bean 2 bar
Ex. Hershey’s, Amano, Potomac chocolate or
Nestle etc..
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Not needed if you don’t
want cacao powder
Depends on the maker’s
private recipe

19. FLAVORS & SENSATIONS
Humans have 8,000 taste buds scattered over the tongue capable of
perceiving salty, bitter, sour, sweet and umami (Meat) sensations
Each bud has a matching sensor in the brain (Columbia University)
The brain interpretation forms the taste.
Taste is a “holistic” sensation - Square chocolates do not taste the same as
round ones
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20. CHOCOLATE FLAVORS
Many aromas
Inspired by wine tasting
6 to 7 main aroma groups
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21. FLAVOR AND VARIETIES
Traditional / “old” vision
Criollos are fruity and great - High quality. About 7% of world production
Forasteros are acidic and rugged - Low quality. About 85% of world
production
Trinatarios are close to Criollos - about 8% of world production
Translates into : South American beans are great, African beans are low quality,
Asian beans are middle ground - NOT QUITE TRUE
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22. WHERE IS FLAVOR FROM?
50% comes from genetics, i.e the bean variety
30% from the processes,
Approximated percentages
20 % “terroir” e.i. location, soil, weather etc.
Fermentation, roasting and conching are the key flavor-forming steps
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23. YIELD VERSUS FLAVOR ?
Criollo yield ~ 1 to 1.5 Ton per hectare
“Fino de aroma” + Certified + custom
Susceptible to desease
CCN-51 ~ 4 to 6 Tons per hectares
Desease resistant
No questions asked
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24. GOURMET CHOCOLATE
EXPLODES!
In 2013 global chocolate market grew by 3.4% while first gourmet
chocolate maker, Barry Caillebaut grew by 19.3% in volume and 21.4%in
value (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/15/us-barrycallebaut-results-idUSBREA0E0IU20140115)
In 2013 - 20% of chocolate sales worldwide in “Dark chocolate”, and
growing - a 93% growth over 2010 (KPMG Report)
There are 22 “Salon du chocolat” (totaling over 3 million visitors worldwide)
plus countless conferences worldwide, totaling millions more.
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25. HACKING CHOCOLATE?
Passionate chocolate lovers
Dissatisfaction with existing products
Bean quality, sugar, grower’s treatment etc.
Low cost tools, DIY and the Internet
Wet grinders, small tempering tools etc.
Web communities - thechocolatelife.com ; chocolatealchemy.com; www.homechocolatefactory.com etc.
New suppliers cocoatown, cacaocucina, brooklyncacao etc.
Affluent buyers
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26. HACKING CHOCOLATE?
Quality oriented - Meticulous bean sourcing - Small batches (Starting 20lb)
- Creative flavors - Creative marketing
59 Bean 2 bar makers in the US, (25% in CA)
http://ultimatechocolateblog.blogspot.com
Very small to semi-industrial
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27. THE NEW CONSUMER
Hybrid consumer - Luxury & Quality seeker,
Daily luxury versus volume eater
Life style choice
Dark chocolate perceived as quality
The global experience , i.e the chocolate pause
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28. THE IRRESISTIBLE DARK
INVASION
Key market 5 year
evolution
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29. COMING NEXT
Towards a healthier Chocolate - Traceable origin, varieties, sustainable, fair etc..
“Customization” from small newcomers will be expanded by big players
Innovation via digital revolution in making new shapes and sensations
Sustainability and productivity in the field are main issues
Key volume markets: Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Russia, South Africa,
Turkey and Vietnam (Mondelez statement)
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30. ?
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