Honest, raw, organic, delicious chocolate.

Anthony Gird and Michael de Klerk.

Michael  De Klerk and Anthony Gird are two very lucky guys.

 They get to melt, stir, spoon and mould chocolate.

And then they get to taste their work.

I joined them for one of their daily chocolate making sessions and it was an eye opening experience.

First of all they use unroasted organic raw cocoa beans in making their chocolates.

And what is so good about that?  Well according to the guys, this means that the good nutrients and enzymes in the cocoa are not destroyed.  The result is a product is a product that is rich in anti oxidants and contains no sugar or dairy products.

The cocoa has one of the highest levels of antioxidants and is rich in magnesium. Using unheated organic cocoa means that this chocolate retains its healthy attributes.

Anthony tempers the chocolate on a granite counter.

Their cocoa comes from ethically managed farms in Ecuador. The cocoa is organic, GM and pesticide free.

It was on a trip to New York that Anthony first came across raw chocolate and he was taken with the concept and the taste. Back in South Africa he began making this chocolate as a treat for friends.

Anthony got in stuck and taught himself how to make chocolate because there is a bit of science to it. You’ve got to get your temperatures and crystallisation exactly right. As things began to take off Michael joined him in the business.

I look on as the guys determine whether or not the chocolate is at the right temperature for each process.

Their bonbons consist of a harder outer layer which is called a couverture and a soft chocolate filling.

The outer layer is the part which is prepared by tempering. The tempering is done by hand on a smooth granite slab, granite because it helps to cool the chocolate down.

The tempering is moving the chocolate around with the use of a metal blade.

Back and forth. I got to have a go at dipping the chocolates, it looks easy but it’s not, it definitely takes practice.

Dipped bon bons dry harden.

The bonbons are made using raw organic cacao, organic blue agave nectar, organic virgin coconut oil which has been cold pressed and organic vanilla pods.

Honest chocolate has two different flavoured bon bons; mint and chocolate. There are plans to develop other flavours.

And the moment of truth, I tasted the chocolate bon bon and it was amazing, really incredible.

Cocoa taste, fruit, rawness. Intense, intense flavours. None of the cloying awful sweetness that you get in some chocolate.

In fact, they are sugar free and are suitable for diabetics.

I’m a convert.

The boys don’t like it if people eat their chocolates straight from the fridge; they say they are best eaten at room temperature as this allows the real flavour of the chocolate to come through.

Honest Chocolates are available from;

Neighbourgoods Market, Wellness Warehouses, Suprette, and the Biscuit Mill.

Deliveries in Cape Town are free for three little boxes or more.

www.honestchocolate.co.za

Anthony@honestchocolate.co.za

Anthony Gird.                    082 829 3877

Michael de Klerk.              082 736 3889