Canadian Bean-to-Bar and Craft Chocolatier Competition 2026 – Winners

The International Chocolate Awards is pleased to announce the Winners of the 2026 Canadian Bean-to-Bar and Craft Chocolatier competition, which was judged remotely during Spring 2026. This year was the first time that the Canadian competition was organised as a whole competition including all categories (except drinking chocolate) as part of our World Final series.

The Grand Jury Finalists are listed here.

Winners of this competition will pass through to the World Final organized in October-November 2026.

This craft competition awards prizes for plain/origin and flavoured bean-to-bar chocolate bars, as well as 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. 

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 plain/origin and flavoured bean-to-bar chocolate bars, flavoured bars made with traceable couverture, filled chocolates, enrobed fruits and nuts and chocolate spreads. All judging is anonymized, including at the Grand Jury final session, where Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes are awarded by private voting.

** Bean-to-bar chocolatier products – recognising the growing trend of filled chocolate made by chocolate makers, winning products made with an entrant’s own chocolate are marked with (**).

Awards are awarded only to entries that meet the required standard for each prize.

The 2026 Canadian Bean-to-Bar and Craft Chocolatier Competition Winners are:

Download PDF:

(Prizes are shown in score order for each medal)


‘Best in competition’ overall winners

Plain/origin dark bar categories

Gold: Qantu  (Canada) – Malingas 75% (90.5)

Flavoured bar categories

Gold: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Strawberry White (90.2)

Pure/origine repen

Pure/origine donkere chocoladerepen

Bronze: Hummingbird Chocolate Maker  (Canada) – Cap Haitien 70% (87.2) (**)

Bronze: Hummingbird Chocolate Maker  (Canada) – Hispaniola 70% (86.6) (**)

Micro-batch – Pure/origine donkere chocoladerepen

Gold: Qantu  (Canada) – Malingas 75% (90.5) (**)

+ Gold: Direct Traded

+ Gold: Chocolate Maker

Silver: Qantu  (Canada) – Gran Blanco 70% (88.6) (**)

Silver: Common Ground Cacao  (Canada) – Maranon – Single origin 72% (88.5) (**)

Silver: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – 70% Nantou (88.3) (**)

Silver: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – 70% Costa Esmeraldas (88.0) (**)

Bronze: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – 70% Tuao (87.8) (**)

Bronze: DesBarres Chocolate  (Canada) – Ambanja 72% (87.6) (**)

Bronze: Palette de Bine  (Canada) – Kahalu’u Hawaii 70% (87.1) (**)

Bronze: Qantu  (Canada) – Chaska 70% (86.9) (**)

Bronze: DesBarres Chocolate  (Canada) – O’payo 72% (86.9) (**)

Bronze: Choco de Léa  (Canada) – O’tuma 70% (86.8) (**)

Bronze: DesBarres Chocolate  (Canada) – Maya Mountain 72 % (86.5) (**)

Puur/origine donkere chocoladerepen 100 %

Silver: Spice Isle Craft Chocolate  (Canada) – 100% Classic Dark Chocolate (88.8) (**)

Micro-batch – Pure/origine melk chocoladerepen

Silver: Qantu  (Canada) – Dark Milk 60% Oh La Vache! (88.5) (**)

Bronze: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Goat’s Milk (86.8) (**)

Bronze: Black Jaguar Chocolate  (Canada) – Dark Milk (86.0) (**)

Bronze: Schoki Chocolate & Nelson’s Chocofellar  (Canada) – Madagascar 62% Buttermilk (85.6) (**)

Pure/originele chocoladerepen met alternatieve suikers

Bronze: Etat de Choc  (Canada) – Érable (86.7) (**)

Pure/origine chocoladerepen met andere Theobromas

Bronze: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Chocolat Noir Jaguar 70% (85.5) (**)

Pure/origine witte chocoladerepen

Bronze: Etat de Choc  (Canada) – Blanc + Vanille (85.6) (**)


Repen met toegevoegde smaak

Donkere chocoladerepen met een infusie of aroma

Silver: DesBarres Chocolate  (Canada) – Black Pepper Cardamom 72% (87.3) (**)

Silver: The Organic House  (Canada) – Nature’s Candy – Soursop 70% (87.3) (**)

+ Special: Innovation

Silver: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Single Malt (87.3) (**)

Bronze: Chachalate  (Canada) – Silver Tip Jasmine Tea (86.5) (**)

Bronze: The Organic House  (Canada) – Kumquat Dark Madagascar 70% (86.4) (**)

Bronze: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Chocolat Noir 70% Au Whisky (86.4) (**)

Bronze: DesBarres Chocolate  (Canada) – Only in Canada 72% (86.3) (**)

Bronze: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Ocean Mysteries (85.9) (**)

+ Special: Modern

Bronze: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Tanduay Rum (85.8) (**)

Donkere chocoladerepen met insluitsels of stukjes

Silver: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Forest & Sea (87.5) (**)

Silver: The Organic House  (Canada) – Rosemary Focaccia 65% Thailand (87.2) (**)

Silver: The Organic House  (Canada) – Cinnamon Bun 65% Thailand (87.0) (**)

Bronze: Chachalate  (Canada) – Golden Osmanthus (86.4) (**)

Donkere chocoladerepen met een vulling

Gold: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Barre Au Gianduja, Sarrasin Et Melilot (90.0) (**)

+ Special: Local ingredients

+ Special: Alternate theobromas

Silver: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Barre Au Gianduja (88.4) (**)

Silver: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Barre Au Gianduja Et Grué de Cacao (87.9) (**)

Silver: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Barre Au Gianduja Et Noisettes Entières (87.8) (**)

Melk chocoladerepen met een infusie of aroma

Bronze: Qantu  (Canada) – Milk 55% Maple Moo…ments (86.7) (**)

Bronze: Common Ground Cacao  (Canada) – Mazamari Single Origin 53% (86.6) (**)

Bronze: Cocoaro Craft Chocolate  (Canada) – Strawberry Shiso (85.7) (**)

Melkchocoladerepen met insluitsels of stukjes

Silver: Common Ground Cacao  (Canada) – Pineapple Habanero Coconut 54% (87.5) (**)

Witte chocoladerepen met een infusie of aroma

Gold: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Strawberry White (90.2) (**)

+ Special: Local ingredients

+ Special: No-milk white chocolate

Silver: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Raspberry White (89.0) (**)

Silver: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Chocolat Aux Framboises Et Citron (88.8) (**)

Silver: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Durian White (87.4) (**)

Bronze: Kasama Chocolate  (Canada) – Calamansi White Chocolate (85.8) (**)

Witte chocoladerepen met insluitsels of stukjes

Bronze: Common Ground Cacao  (Canada) – Caramel Vanilla Creme Brulee (86.4) (**)


Ganaches, palets, ganache pralines en truffels

Ganaches of truffels van melkchocolade

Silver: Mellis Chocolate  (Canada) – Passion Fruit (87.1)

Bronze: Monde du Chocolat  (Canada) – Lychee Osmanthus (86.5)

Ganaches of truffels van witte chocolade

Bronze: Monde du Chocolat  (Canada) – Guava Camellia Oolong (86.7)

Bronze: Mellis Chocolate  (Canada) – Apricot Osmanthus (86.4)

Bronze: Mellis Chocolate  (Canada) – Grapefruit Geranium (85.7)

Ganaches of truffels met een coating of vulling van gemengde donkere/melk/witte chocolade

Bronze: Guild Chocolates  (Canada) – Aroma: White Cedar (86.9)

+ Special: Innovation


Noten

Pralines op basis van noten met melkchocolade …

Silver: The Jewelled Cocoa Bean  (Canada) – Salted Caramel Pecan Bonbon (87.9)


Karamels

Combination chocolate enrobed caramels

Bronze: Guild Chocolates  (Canada) – Revolution: Lemon + Black Currant (86.1)


Smeerpasta

Donkere chocoladepasta (geen melkpoeder)

Gold: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Tartinade Sarrasin / Buckwheat spread (90.0) (**)

+ Special: Local ingredients

+ Special: Gastronomic

Silver: Allo Simonne  (Canada) – Tartinade Chocolat Jaguar / Spread (89.4) (**)


(*)  Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.

(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.