Madecasse Encourages Chocolate Tastings Akin to Wine Tastings

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company named Brooklyn-based Madecasse one of the "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" for building the only bean-to-bar chocolate company in Madagascar, one of the world's poorest countries, where the average person lives off of less than a dollar a day. The native heirloom cocoa discovered by Madecasse is the key source in the chocolate, giving a pleasant smooth flavor with a fruity finish.

Former Peace Corps volunteer, Tim McCollum, co-founder of Madecasse, leads the way for a new generation of chocolate. Like wine tastings that introduce the palette to a new grape, chocolate tastings introduce the importance of the cocoa bean and its distinct flavor.

"Most people realize dark chocolate is healthier but still prefer milk chocolate because it's sweeter and they assume all dark chocolate tastes bitter," explains McCollum. "They are amazed when they taste good dark chocolate for the first time. It forever changes the way they look at chocolate."

Madecasse chocolate is not a candy bar, it's in a category all its own. Just as certain wines pair better with certain dishes, good chocolate pairs well with a range of ingredients; Madagascar combava fruit, sakay chili pepper, espresso beans and sea salt.

"Dark chocolate isn't new to the market, but good chocolate is. It's similar to the trends we've seen in other parts of the food industry – coffee, beer, cheese – where there's a focus on better ingredients with more of a craft approach to making the product," says McCollum.

Madecasse in direct partnership with local farmers pays them a premium for quality, four times fair-trade, and trains them in the best fermentation and production methods. There are no middlemen and no exporters. It's a completely different business model and pricing system than the mass-produced cocoa trade in West Africa.

Until Madecasse came to being, 70% of the world's cocoa came from Africa, but 0% was produced there. 100% of the Madecasse cost including harvesting, producing and packaging is paid to and benefits the people of Madagascar, helping to raise the standard of living.

The United Nations Office of Partnerships and the Foundation for Social Change named Madecasse "2012 Leader of Change".

Madecasse products are available in stores nationwide and at www.madecasse.com.

Ryan Hallett
PR Manager, Madecasse
[email protected]

SOURCE Madecasse