chocoMe Magazin 10TH ISSUE WINTER 2015-2016
SENSUAL INDULGENCE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY!
HAZELNUT SQUARED CHOCOME IN CANADA INTRODUCING EDINA LOIDL INTERVIEW WITH DR. PETRA ERﾅ心
SENSUAL INDULGENCE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY!
Candied bergamot peel covered in Venezuelan dark chocolate
The new VoilĂŠ flavour is a favourite of the world of parfumes and star chefs - at chocoMe, we dip the bergamot peel in a 72% dark chocolate blend made from the noble Venezuelan Criollo and Trinitario cocoa beans. The uniquely complex flower and fruit aromas cast in a special chocolate meld make for an incredible experience.
chocoMe wouldn’t start this year without something new, as usual. In honour of Valentine’s Day we expanded the Voilé family with a new product that’s unique in several ways - a candied fruit peel covered in dark chocolate: the bergamot. How do you imagine the ideal Valentine’s Day gift? In our opinion it would be something that enchants all of the senses. That makes the pupils dilate. Fills the nose and the throat with excitement. Starts salivation and wakes the taste buds – said Gábor Mészáros, chocoMe‘s founding owner. If we said that the ginger Voilé is an “acquired taste for gourmands”, then this is true about our new product tenfold – added the owner.
chocoMe 72% dark chocolate from Venezuela
Venezuela is a country of contrasts, a roller-coaster of snow-peaked mountains and lush jungles. This extraordinary chocolate is made with blends of the cocoa breeds Criollo and Trinitario. The hints of black olives mix with undertones of wood in this insane combination – and all that without any signs of lecithin.
Candied bergamot peel
Thanks to it’s characteristic fragrance the bergamot from Calabria is used mostly in the parfume industry, but this time we paired it’s fruity peel with a chocolate. The plant has a pleasantly citrus-like, fresh, slightly flowery smell, which forms an unforgettable pair with the Venezuelan chocolate speciality.
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chocoMeSQUARED Cao 70% csokoládé bemutatása HAZELNUT a Voilé termékeink egyedülálló alapanyaga NEW Raffinée FLAVOUR MADE BY chocoMe A francia Cacao Barry 70% kakaótartalmú étcsokoládéja lehengerlően kakaós karakterrel chocoMe’s dragee speciality the blonde chocolate Raffinée won a Gold Medal last time at the
rendelkezik. A csokoládé alapjául szolgáló, válogatott kakaóbabok az egyenlítő közelében
prestigious International Chocolate Awards and received the title of the world’s best white
elhelyezkedő ültetvényről származnak, ahol a különleges terroir és a kedvező időjárási
chocolate dragee made with nuts. After the event everyone was seriously excited what will be
körülményeknek köszönhetően egyedülállóan gazdag aromákat hordoznak. A csokoládéban
the chocolate manufactory’s next move.
így az erőteljes kakaósságot enyhén virágos és savanykás gyümölcsös jegyek teszik teljessé.
“The creation of the new, eighth Raffinée flavour wasn’t challenging purely cause of that,
A Cacao Barry több mint 170 éve a kíváló minőségű csokoládék megkérdőjelezhetetlen
we wanted to not just compliment the hazelnut from Piemonte, but to make it even more
szakértője – a francia gasztronómiacreamy szimbóluma -, neves franciaMészáros, séfek, szaktekintélyek, special, without losing it’s characteristic flavour.” - said Gábor chocoMe’s innovatív csokoládékészítők és mestercukrászok Egyedithe terroir és rendkívül founder and owner. We were experimenting for a longválasztása. time but finally new product kedvező időjárási viszonyok jellemzik kakaóültetvényeiket, a kakaó gyümölcsöket helyi took form as the exciting, sensual mix of ground Harrar coffee ahol beans and hazelnut chocolate. farmerek közreműködésével termesztik, melynek köszönhetően a kézzel begyűjtött és Valrhona’s unique hazelnut chocolate this chocoMe creation: it is the perfect válogatott kakaóbabjaik páratlanuldebuts gazdagwith aromával rendelkeznek. harmony of hazelnut, creamy milk and chocolate of unequaled quality. We condense this chocolate mass and enrich it with the roasted, ground, exceptionally sweet and intense
VL102 VL103 HarrarVL101 coffee delicacy to form the chocolate shell that encases the Piemonte hazelnut. Piemonte hazelnut covered in ground Ethiopian Harrar coffee and hazelnut flavoured milk chocolate
Piemonte hazelnut covered in ground Ethiopian Harrar coffee and hazelnut flavoured milk chocolate. We tuned this milk chocolate creation to perfect harmony with finely ground Harrar arabica coffee from Ethiopia and silky smooth hazelnut cream. We cast the worldfamous hazelnuts from Piemonte into the embrace of this exciting chocolate mass.
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chocoMe in canada Introducing our partner, daniel Loszmann Please introduce yourselves, how did you start the cooperation with chocoMe? I got in contact with the brand the simplest possible way, a co-owner in another of my companies brought the brand and it's export successes to my attention. I asked him to find out if they have any Canadian distributors, meanwhile I did my research and tried to get as much information as I could. I liked their track record and in the end my wife convinced me to give it a shot, so we sat down to talk with the company in 2014. Did you came across the brand before? Previously I had the good fortune to get in contact with chocoMe only for a bite or two. What was your first impression about the products? First time I saw the chocoMe homepage, I was really enamored with the package. I remember to the day when the first samples arrived in Canada, we couldn't stop sampling the raspberry RaffinÊe with my wife and kids. How big a challenge was it to introduce these products in Canada? I did a lot of market research before we started the distribution process. I found that Godiva is our only real competition. Their products are not handcrafted, but Godiva is an old company and their name is one with luxury in North-America. Despite that there are a lot of customers craving something new and fresh. So everyone found chocoMe hard to resist with it's sleek looks and quality ingredients, it was a quick and great success. We were luck to able to start in the most well known places right away, places with not just local, but international reputation, like the Ritz-Carlton and Shangri-La hotels, or the Pusateri’s and Cheese Boutique gourmet shops. As well as the world famous Holt Renfrew exclusive clothing store and the Art Gallery of Onatrio.
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I think when such big names are selling your chocolate that eliminates every possible doubt about the quality and the credibility of your brand. Naturally our old contacts helped in getting into some of these places, but without the quality and craftsmanship involved in the products that advantage would have been short lived. Last but not least I have to mention the tremendous ammount of help from the Hungarian Consulate who support us and advertise the chocoMe chocolates to this day.
What are the unique features of the Canadian market? Which products are the most popular? Canadians are big chocolate lovers and are really open to everything new, and the winters are long and really cold, so everything is given for a great confectionary market. The absolute favourite? Our whole RaffinĂŠe range. For Hungarian eyes - despite its size - Canada is invisible, with really different consumer habits and preferences than say the US. They a whole lot more quality oriented.
How many people help you in your duties? The company changed a lot since the beginning. Three of us are owners, we split up the different aspects of everyday work between ourselves along with the workforce. We have one other sales rep outside this system and the various ammounts of temporary employees we hire depending on the events, season, and the size of our weekly chocolate tastings.
What is the main focus this year? As Canada is the second largest country in the world our most important task is to make chocoMe available in the farthest corners as well, from Vancouvert to Halifax. We are looking for new distributors and more efficient logistic solutions every day. We are still well in the season, getting ready for the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day. It is one of the great perks of the colourful multiculturalism of Canada, there's always a new holiday or celebration around the corner.
Are you planning to attend any events this year? Of course, yes, we have the annual events the we attend with a bigger and bigger kiosk every year, and we are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities nationwide. We've been to gourmet events in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa and the chocoMe products are always a shining success. I'm proud to say we are amongst the most popular exhibitors wherever we go. Which one is your favourite creation? Presently our latest RaffinĂŠe product, the blonde chocolate covered Sicilian almond dragee is the one closest to my heart. But I'm not alone, whole Canada is with me on this.
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INTRODUCING Edina Loidl OWNER OF Loidl Kereskedelmi Kft. When did the cooperation begin, how did you get in contact with chocoMe? We partnered up five years ago after the starting of the brand, we were one of the first distributors. A friend introduced me to chocoMe she was already selling these special chocolates. The first time we saw the products on the shelves in her shop, we knew right away this is something we would like to be a part of. Where and how did you met the brand for the first time? A couple of month prior to that was the first time I saw a creation in a wine shop, but at the time I didn't know it's a Hungarian product, so I didn't even think about distribution. I only realised after our proper introduction how wide chocoMe's product portfolio is. Where did your business idea came from? Tell us about it in a few words, please! The brand name is a family name, that came to be recognized internationally within a few year. It was more than 20 years ago that we decided, we'll provide the opportunity for companies and private individuals as well to make their wildest decoration and home design ideas come true. As time went on our brand became a nationally well known name within the flower and gift industry. Our self-developed flower arrangement product came to be recognized on the European market as well, which we are very proud of. Thanks to our innovations we can cater for all the needs of small start-up boutiques as well as big successful businesses with decades of history. Do people tend to purchase chocolates because of the flowers, or vica versa? In the beginning nobody knew that we also sell chocolate, so they only bought the creations ad-hoc, but in the last couple of years we met a lot of customers who are popping in solely to buy chocoMe chocolates. We sell chocoMe products not just in our flower shops but in our interior decoration and design wholesale store as well, where they are pretty popular the whole year round. People buy flowers all the time, but tell us, which is the busyest time of the year? Yes, as you said we are busy all the time, we have excelent sales figures no matter the season. Thank God, there are still tons of real gentlemen who love to surprise their loved ones on a regular basis with flower and chocolate. Which one is your best selling chocoMe creation? We sell the products that best pair up in colour with our flowers, the most populars are the ones made with red fruits I think. Which one is your personal favourite? The new blonde chocolate RaffinĂŠe is a masterpiece and was my instant favourite. But knowing GĂĄbor, he will swoop in and surprise us with something even better soon. Can't wait.
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´´ INTERVIEW with Dr. Petra ErOs chocoMe's LEGAL ADVISOR Please introduce yourself in a few words and tell us how you got in contact with chocoMe? About myself I would only add that I am the mother of a three and a half year old badass little boy. I came in contact with chocoMe through recommendation, that was more than 5 years ago. Did you know the company before or the products? No, I am their legal advisor from the start. How did you become a lawyer, was it a childhood dream or a family tradition perhaps? It was my childhood dream, and everyone was pushing me toward this career cause I was talking all the time :) What is the real challenge in your work? The challenge is the diverse array of legal problems we face. Every issue is unique, and we bump into really puzzling cases sometimes, but we always figure a way out. Which proved to be the biggest challenge of all of chocoMe's cases? The international trade procedures. But it is a fantastic feeling to take a stroll in one of the big cities abroad and suddenly come up to a storefront with chocoMe creations in the window. Are you the legal representative of other confectionery companies as well? Yes. There's a lot of different duties for a lawyer, what kind of jobs are your favourits? I like to be the standing representative of economic associations. What do you do in your free time? I spend all my free time with my son and my family. Which one is your favourite creation? I can't really decide, all the creations are so good, I would have a bite of any of them any time. If you insist that I choose one, I'd say the salty blonde chocolate covered almond.
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Virágok és virágos INTRODUCING
csokoládék forgatagában
Tamás Szemenyei
chocoMe's WAREHOUSE CLERK How did you end up in the chocoMe team? How long have you been working for the company? After I finished my education as a logistics administrator I started job hunting, with little success in the beginning. A member of my family was already working at the company, I got into this position based on their recommendation. Istarted in October 2014, and haven't left since. What did you do before joining the team? I had temp jobs when I was still studying, this is my first serious employment. What's your job at chocoMe precisely? Warehouse and inventory duties, like receiving ingredients, packaging material, sending the finished creations on their way, compiling orders. What is the best part of your work? It's diverse, there's always something to do, some tasks are big, some are small, but I'm never bored. And I work in the field I know and love. Which one was the most interesting creation you ever saw? The candied flower petals were pretty puzzling for me at first. Do you have a favourite chocoMe product? Anything with honied peanut and/or blueberries. How do you spend your free time ? I spend my free time with my significant other. We try to be active, but if we can't get ourselves to leave the house, that's okay too.
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chocoMe Kft. 1135 Budapest, Kisgรถmb utca 23. www.chocome.hu info@chocome.hu www.facebook.com/chocome.hu +361 789 5755