Mont Blanc will soon have a market first in the form of its single-origin syrup, which goes into production next week. I am excited about this new product, since it is the first time that any company has made a chocolate syrup using single origin cocoa, and the idea of single origin and sustainable production fits nicely with single-origin coffees that so many of our café customers serve in their drinks.

I purchase the cocoa from Omanhene, the company that introduced the concept of single-origin chocolates to the United States 15 years ago.  Omanhene founder Steven Wallace has done something unique in the world of chocolate manufacturing. Chocolate manufacturing is dominated by a handful of multinational companies mostly unknown by those outside the industry. Even the largest chocolate brands such as Hershey’s rely on these companies to process bulk chocolate from cocoa beans.

Chocolate production follows a typical commodity supply chain paradigm. That is, the commodity, cacao beans, are grown in a third world country, extracted and sold for a small sum. The beans are then transferred to an industrialized country where they are processed. The finished product is then sold for significantly more than the cost of the commodity itself. I know of one artisanal chocolate maker who pays higher than market rates for cacao beans (currently about $1.00 a pound). He sells his finished chocolate bars for almost $50 a pound.

What makes Omanhene unique is that it has set up a factory in Ghana so beans are processed in the country where they are produced. The end result is that significantly more money from each sale stays in Ghana rather than going to an industrialized nation elsewhere.

This guarantees higher pay for farmers, creating a sustainable cycle for the farmers, growers and processors.

Everyday we hear about organic foods, fair trade coffee, and single-origin chocolates.  Although all can be terrific products, unfortunately the descriptors of organic, fair trade, and single origin have nothing whatsoever to do with quality.

As we tested cocoa powders for our new Single Origin chocolate syrup line, we tasted a half dozen single-origin cocoa powders that we mixed into our chocolate syrup formula. For consistency we used the same recipe with the same amount of cocoa powder in each one. The tastes ranged from the extraordinary—notes of deep chocolate, to the ones we rejected.

Those not making the cut tasted dirty, musty, bitter, and rancid. It is important to remember that just because it says single origin, it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily made using either the highest quality beans from that origin or that the cocoa has been processed in the best way.  The most disappointing thing in the world is to taste something for which you have great expectations because of the packaging or hype and not enjoy what you are eating.