In harmony with nature and social structures
The story of our two new couvertures, Grand Cru Chakra Noir 70% 66h and Grand Cru Chakra Lait 40% 36h, begins in the Chakra gardens of the indigenous Kichwa community in the Amazon region of Ecuador. This is where the Nacional fine flavoured cocoa thrives, which the members of the Kichwa-run Kallari cooperative harvest, ferment and dry before it starts its journey to Europe. For one Chakra – the name has nothing to do with the Indian term for the human energy centre – the Kichwa usually clear about a quarter of a hectare of rainforest. In doing so, they take care not to interfere too much with nature and to keep the biodiversity of the areas at a high level. One hectare of land used as Chakra is home to up to 100 animal and plant species. Intact nature prevents diseases and plagues. Thus, the use of chemical products is not an issue for the Kichwa. In addition, the mixed cultivation has an extremely positive effect on the quality of the fine cocoa, which forms a variety of interesting aroma facets. The families who belong to the Kallari cooperative can cover the costs of their health care and the education of their children, amongst other things, through cocoa cultivation. In addition to the cocoa trees, they have enough arable land for self-sufficiency.
Felchlin – the perfect partner
Since our couvertures should be as natural as possible and express the place of origin of the cocoa, we refrain from using vanilla and soya lecithin. Apart from Nacional fine flavoured cocoa from the Chakra Gardens of the Kichwa and cocoa butter from the Dominican Republic, we only use Swiss granulated sugar and, in the case of the milk couverture, local milk powder. At Felchlin in Ibach SZ, the cocoa beans are first cleaned, gently roasted in small batches, peeled, and crushed. The other ingredients are subsequently added. The conching process, which is essential for smoothness and melting, is then carried out in the traditional longitudinal conching machine, where the aromas in the mass are optimally brought out through hours of agitation and aeration. After an intensive test phase, several tastings, and lively discussions with the experts at Felchlin, we decided on 36 hours of conching time for the milk couverture and 66 hours for the dark couverture. Too long a conching time would be at the expense of the character of the Couvertures. The Grand Cru Chakra Lait Couverture with a cocoa content of 40 per cent already has an intense cocoa aroma. In addition, it has harmoniously integrated caramel notes without a spiky sweetness. It was very important to us that the essence of the bean could be tasted even in the light couverture, as milk chocolate is not usually conched in the traditional machines. The Grand Cru Chakra Noir Couverture contains 70 per cent cocoa and is correspondingly strong. Strong cocoa notes are joined by intense flavours of roasted beans, light acidity and refreshing fruitiness reminiscent of blackcurrant or blackberries. The absence of vanilla, which usually provides a certain sweetness in dark chocolate enables the cocoa notes to come to the forefront.
The challenges for our chocolatiers
We have been using the Grand Cru Chakra couvertures since mid-September 2022 for almost all of our products that contain chocolate. Company owner Cristina de Perregaux has thus fulfilled a long-cherished dream, and head chocolatier Ivo Jud emphasises: “Being able to help design a couverture from scratch is a unique experience in the professional life of a chocolatier. We can now design our pralines, truffles, and other chocolate specialities even more individually. Especially in the area of milk couverture, the leap is enormous.” The fact that the Grand Cru Chakra couvertures do not contain soya lecithin increased the challenge for Ivo Jud in terms of craftsmanship: “Lecithin ensures that the melted chocolate flows well; if it is missing, it thickens more easily and is even more sensitive in terms of the temperatures at which it can be worked with. This is especially true for the Grand Cru Chakra Lait Couverture, as the milk powder already makes the mass more viscous.” The challenges are not a burden for the head chocolatier. Rather, they are the “salt in the soup” of his work, since he is one of the few craftsmen who still produces highly sensitive or enormously labour-intensive products, such as “Kirschstängeli” also known as “Bâtonnet de Kirsch” and leafy nougat, in the traditional way.
Discover our exquisite chocolate range with the Grand Cru Chakra delicacies.
