The International Chocolate Awards is pleased to announce the Winners of the D.A.CH. (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and Eastern European Craft Chocolatier competitions, which were judged remotely in Spring 2023.
Winners of these rounds will pass through to the World Final organized later in 2023.
This craft competition awards prizes for craft chocolatier products including filled chocolates/bonbons, pralines, enrobed fruits and nuts and chocolate spreads made with bean-to-bar chocolate as well as flavoured bars made with couverture. Plain/origin and flavoured bean-to-bar products from all European chocolate makers were judged at the 2023 European, Middle Eastern and African Bean-to-Bar competition.
Craft Chocolatier Competitions
Starting with the 2021-22 season, we relaunched our filled chocolate competitions as “Craft Chocolatier Competitions”, with an increasing focus on cacao sourcing and traceability. With these ideals in mind, we have made the decision that, from the 2021-22 season onwards, all our chocolatier competitions will now be solely dedicated to dark and milk chocolate products made with cacao with an identifiable and traceable source. (Note: this rule does not currently apply to white chocolate or cocoa butter). This new approach reflects not only current trends in craft chocolate, but also our own founding philosophy and focus on fine cacao.
The International Chocolate Awards is an independent competition recognizing excellence in fine chocolate making and in the products made with fine chocolate.
Judges
The judges were drawn from local experts, food journalists, our IICCT Alumni and members of our permanent international Grand Jury.
Prizes
The categories judged included filled chocolates, enrobed fruits and nuts and chocolate spreads, as well as flavoured bars (not bean-to-bar). All judging is anonymized, including at the Grand Jury final session, where Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes are awarded by private voting.
Awards are awarded only to entries that meet the required standard for each prize.
The 2023 D.A.CH. Craft Chocolatier Winners are:
(Prizes are shown in score order for each medal)
Flavoured bars
Dark chocolate bars with inclusions or pieces
Silver: Schokov (Austria) – Schokov Organic “No6” Orange & Cacaonibs (87.4)
Dark chocolate bars with a filling
Gold: LABRIQ (Germany) – Valencia (89.6) (**)
Silver: LABRIQ (Germany) – Breton (87.8) (**)
Milk chocolate bars with a filling
Silver: Trüffel Güse Hannover (Germany) – Best Flirt ever! Coco & Cacao (86.7)
Bronze: LABRIQ (Germany) – Brisbane (84.9) (**)
Ganaches, palets, ganache pralines and truffles
Flavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles
Silver: LA MARA Chocolaterie (Germany) – Schwarze Vanille (86.8)
Flavoured milk chocolate ganaches or truffles
Gold: Léonie Corentin Chocolatier (Germany) – Olive (88.8)
Silver: LA MARA Chocolaterie (Germany) – Passionsfrucht Praline (87.3)
Silver: FischerS (Germany) – Cherry C. Lady (86.9)
Flavoured ganaches or truffles with combination coating or filling
Gold: Léonie Corentin Chocolatier (Germany) – Lavando (88.8)
Nuts
Nut based pralines with milk chocolate
Silver: Das Bernsteinzimmer (Germany) – Pistachioporn (86.6)
White chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Silver: Loompaland (Germany) – Fairy Bites (86.4)
Bronze: AHERZ (Austria) – Piemont Haselnuss Dragees Muzungu-Weiss (84.8) (**)
Nut based pralines with combination chocolate
Silver: Naschkatze Münster (Germany) – Karamell auf Haselnussknuspernougat (86.3)
Silver: Naschkatze Münster (Germany) – Dulcey Espresso (86.3)
Combination chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Bronze: Loompaland (Germany) – Macadamania (85.9)
Others – fruit/sugar/butter/cream/misc
Dark chocolate enrobed whole fruit
Silver: Léonie Corentin Chocolatier (Germany) – Kandierte Orange (87.4)
Spreads
Spreads with dark chocolate (no milk powder)
Gold: AHERZ (Austria) – Piemont Haselnusscreme 63% Nuss+Semuliki (88.8)
Spreads with milk chocolate
Gold: chocolate valley Schokoladenmanufaktur (Germany) – Aufstrich Passionsfrucht (88.4)
(*) Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.
(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.
The 2023 Eastern European Craft Chocolatier Winners are:
(Prizes are shown in score order for each medal)
Ganaches, palets, ganache pralines and truffles
Flavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles
Gold: Harrer Chocolat (Hungary) – Timutbors Bonbon (89.0) (**)
Silver: Harrer Chocolat (Hungary) – Málna pálinkabonbon (87.9) (**)
Flavoured ganaches or truffles with combination coating or filling
Silver: Harrer Chocolat (Hungary) – Sárgabarack pálinkabonbon (86.4) (**)
Nuts
Nut based pralines with milk chocolate
Silver: Chocolala (Estonia) – Hazelnut praline in milk chocolate (87.8) (**)
Milk chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Bronze: chocoMe (Hungary) – Almond with Maldon salt, black sesame (84.7)
White chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Bronze: Harrer Chocolat (Hungary) – Pumpkin Dragee (84.7) (**)
Nut based pralines with combination chocolate
Silver: Maria Magdalena Bizgan (Romania) – Cremino with Dark Milk and White Choc (86.0)
Caramels
Dark chocolate enrobed caramels
Bronze: Chocolala (Estonia) – Sea-buckthorn caramel in dark chocolate (84.5) (**)
(*) Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.
(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.
