Mélanie Lemmens and Didier Smeets from the "Carré Noir" brand were rewarded in the "Unflavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles" category. Each one received a silver medal for the "Vietnam" praline. The Brussels resident, Laurent Gerbaud, received a gold medal in the "Flavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles" category.
The competition was created in 2012 and was held in London. Dozens of chocolate craftsmen from around the world presented their creations and many nationalities were rewarded, including the Liège company "Carré Noir". Mélanie Lemmens, the brand's creator, is a chocolate enthusiast and learned her trade late in life, originally having trained as an art historian. She explains that she has looked for the best chocolate among craftsmen from around the world and only used her favourites, prepared with exceptional products.
"The International Chocolate Awards is an independent competition celebrating excellence in the production of chocolates and products prepared with quality chocolate. As the only completely independent international competition for high quality chocolate, we aim to support companies producing fine chocolates and chocolate makers, small enterprises and craftsmen working with exceptional chocolate. By helping these markets to grow and develop, we also aim to support farmers who grow cocoa", declared the organisers.
The competition's ambition is to inform the consumer about the dedicated work of craftsmen who devote themselves to making the best chocolate-based products. The International Chocolate Awards help the high quality chocolate industry to develop on existing markets and to establish a footing in new markets. By helping to identify the best chocolate made with the best cocoa, the organisers hope to help chocolate makers and farmers continue to successfully produce the best cocoa and chocolate in the world.
The rules and decisions are supervised by the members of the permanent Grand Jury, the Partner Countries and independent experts, which define the rules for the Prize in constant association with the participants.
