2do Concurso Nacional de Chocolate de Origen Colombiano, 2023

Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Closing date: July 28, 2023
Judging dates: June 22, 2023 – August 22, 2023

THIS COMPETITION WAS ALREADY JUDGED.

The International Chocolate Awards is pleased to announce its second Cacao Country Support Competition in Colombia, the 2do Concurso Nacional de Chocolate Colombiano de Origen. With the partnership of the International Chocolate Awards, the contest is organized by the Salon de Cacao y Chocolate de Colombia with the support of the National Federation of Cacao Growers, the Government of Arauca and SierraCol Energy.

The International Chocolate Awards is the premier international competition focusing on fine chocolate, bean-to-bar craft chocolate makers and artisan chocolatiers and is organized by The International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting. In the ten years since our foundation in 2011, we’ve sampled 10,000s of products and now run thirteen regional, national and world competitions every season.

As the World’s only fully independent international fine chocolate competition, we aim to support craft chocolate makers and chocolatiers, small companies and artisans working with fine chocolate. By helping these markets to grow and develop, we also aim to support the farmers that grow fine cacao. With the goal of promoting the emerging fine origin chocolate sector in cacao growing countries, the International Chocolate Awards has created a program of competitions and educational initiatives, designated as our Cacao Country Support Program. The program has its roots in 2015, with the creation of the Peruvian National Competition, which was joined by the Central American Regional competition in 2017, hosted in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. These events focus on fine origin cacao from specific countries and regions. Cacao Country Support Competitions follow the same rules and protocols used for all our competition, which are overseen by the IICCT and our expert Grand Jury panel.

Judging

This 2do Concurso Nacional de Chocolate Colombiano de Origen will use the online evaluation system developed by the IICCT and used in all International Chocolate Awards competitions. The samples will be judged remotely. The panel of Colombian and international judges will be sent judging packs created from the samples received and processed at the FEDECACAO offices in Bogotá, using our established remote judging protocol.

This competition, the first of its kind in Colombia, is open to all organizations, companies, chocolate makers and chocolatiers based in Colombia. The following products will be accepted: bars of origin chocolate (dark, milk and white); chocolate bars flavored with natural flavors (dark, milk and white) by means of infusions or powders, with inclusions and fillings, pralines and chocolates made with Colombian origin chocolate.

The competition will be carried out in three stages 1. Reception and preparation of products in Bogotá, Colombia, 2. General evaluation of products by a group of judges (invited qualified judges), national and international 3. Final Evaluation by the international Grand Jury.

The prize ceremony of the competition will take place in a virtual format over Zoom in September 2023.

Eligibility

All chocolate used in all entries in this competition must be made from cacao with a declared and traceable source. Details of the source must be provided when entering each product and will remain confidential. For products made with couverture, details must be obtained from the chocolate maker. Restaurants, hotels, and chefs may enter provided their products follow the normal rules of the International Chocolate Awards and are available to consumers as part of a hospitality service.

This is a chocolate competition for all categories EXCEPT drinking chocolate, spreads, and products with a shelf life of less than two months.

The admission fee for this competition is USD $25 and the fee for each entry is USD $20. Prices will be converted into local currency by your credit card company, if required.