Artisan chocolatier extends dark chocolate range
Artisan chocolatier Cobden and Brown in Northern Ireland has strengthened its portfolio of chocolate bars to include a new dark variety.
The small business, based near Moira in county Down, has introduced a 60 per cent cocoa dark chocolate with tangerine bar in tune with the growing market demand.
The new 100g bar is produced from fine Forastero cocoa beans infused with a hint of tangerine. The product is also free from gluten, egg and wheat and suitable for coeliacs and vegetarians.
Chocolatier Caroline McArdle, who launched her original business in 2001, says: "The new bar has a distinctive citrus finish with a low bitter content and is ideal for those seeking a dark chocolate with fruity flavour.
"The new bar has been influenced by the growing demand from consumers for such products and particularly from a staff member at Arcadia, the leading deli in Belfast, who suggested the combination. I tried it out and it really works. I am always keen to respond to feedback from customers."
It follows the success of her dark chocolate and lime bar with pink Himalayan salt which gained a gold star in the recent UK Great Taste Awards.
She rebranded to business as Cobden and Brown in 2012 with premium packaging and a focus on the development of a range of luxury bars.
Another key feature of the chocolates is that they are produced without any processed ingredients. The chocolates are carefully handmade in small batches to recipes that she has developed and are fully tested as being gluten-free by a fully accredited laboratory.
"This means that chocolate lovers can count on the products being completely gluten-free and on the provenance of all the ingredients. We have total control over the sourcing of all ingredients and the entire production process," she adds.
The range of luxury chocolates includes milk chocolate, dark and white bars. The range also includes a dark 70 per cent using single origin beans from Ecuador and an 85 per cent house blend for lovers of a bitter cocoa flavour.
