Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/986636
T he journey from bean to bar for Madécasse choco- lates has not been a snap, but the rewards have been sweet. With nearly 500 specialty chocolate makers and manufacturers worldwide, including roughly 200 in the U.S., how does a small brand stand out? A good story always helps. The Brooklyn-based Madécasse has that cov- ered and more. An Eye-Opening Experience Tim McCollum's impetus for co-founding the company was inspired by two years in the Peace Corps teaching English in Madagascar. The island nation off the southeast coast of Africa is best known for vanilla and an animated comedy produced by DreamWorks. It also happens to yield some of the world's finest heirloom cocoa beans, explains McCollum, such as ancient criollo, whose flavor is robust, fruity, and creamy, with more depth hitting the back of the teeth than the commodity chocolate generally found in the marketplace. PHOTO: MADÉCASSE 56 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com producer profile It's been a challenge to build artisan chocolate production on this African island, but with a new factory about to open, the opportunities for local cocoa producers are about to double. BY JULIE BESONEN Tim McCollum, Madécasse Chocolate Bringing Sweetness from Madagascar