Krak Chocolate - Madagascar - Mava Sa Ferme D'ottange

The cocoa comes from the Ottange Farm, located on the Ramena river in the Sambirano Valley in the north-west of Madagascar. This farm is part of the Mava plantations and is the smallest of the eight.

The chocolate itself is made and packed in the Netherlands by Krak Chocolade. The country name in the product name therefore refers to the origin of the cocoa beans, not to the country where the bar is produced.

The Ottange Farm won the International Cocoa Awards in 2017. Around 6 tonnes of cocoa beans are grown there each year, and most of that is used by the owner, the Ramanandraibe family, to make chocolate themselves.

Only a small part of that harvest is sold. Krak Chocolade is allowed to make bars from it, which makes this a small and rare origin. Many chocolate makers count cocoa from Madagascar among the best in the world.

The ingredients of this bar are of organic origin. The packaging states the certification code NL-BIO-01.

That code refers to the Dutch inspection body for organic products. If you want to read the full composition or certification, check the label on the bar itself.

Store this bar cool, dry and dark, preferably at around 15 to 18 degrees and well sealed.

Do not put chocolate in the fridge. The cold and the moisture can make the chocolate bloom, which leaves a grey haze on the bar and makes the texture less fine.

Bean-to-bar means that Krak Chocolade handles the whole process itself, from cocoa bean to bar. Mark Schimmel selects the cocoa beans by harvest year and by origin, and roasts and refines the chocolate himself.

Most chocolatiers and pastry chefs work with melted industrial chocolate. Because Krak keeps every step in its own hands, you get flavours that you will not find in a supermarket bar.