In a previous blog I shared a review on cacao beans I received from Plantacion de Cacao del Eden in the Dominican Republic that I paired with a variety of items to draw out their unique flavors (click here to read it). In addition to the cacao beans, Plantacion de Cacao del Eden’s own Tamara Moore treated me to a sampling of Saveurs et Nature’s 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate made with their cacao beans.
I am always fascinated by people’s stories of their introduction to the chocolate world. Saveurs & Nature’s story is one that is certainly worth sharing. According to their website,
Saveurs & Nature is a family business founded in 2001 in Nantes, near the Atlantic Ocean.
I (J.M. Mortreau) used to produce small quantities of organic chocolate to offer my clients a nice treat in the restaurant I had with my wife Valérie. This restaurant called "Resto'Bio" was one of the first organic restaurants recognized in France.
Employees of regional organic shops became regular clients and they loved the quality of chocolate so they asked me to sell them! I started producing bigger quantities and chocolate bars were first shelved during the year 2001: that is how the story began!
For nearly five years, our chocolate attracted more and more gourmets who convinced us to sell the restaurant and dedicate ourselves to the production of chocolate. Valérie and I moved to Vendée (southern Loire region) to open our Saveurs & Nature chocolate factory.
Since 2006, we have been developing a wide range of organic chocolates to be savoured all the year round: dark/ milk/white chocolate bars, chocolate boxes, pralines, snacking, shapes and Christmas and Easter figures, candied fruits coated with chocolate.”
Quite the start, wouldn’t you say?
Having sampled the cacao beans that their 70% Dominican Republic tablet is made from gave me an even greater appreciation for Saveurs & Nature’s work of taking cacao beans and creating a product that is delightful to the palate.
Sadly, the bar did not do well in transit and was broken into many pieces. Thus, for picture taking purposes the bar was left in the clear package to keep it held together. As such, the pictures are not the best visual representation of this tablet. However, to give you a sense of what it looked like it was adorned with cocoa pods gracing the top left corner and was scored into 21 pieces, which makes it easy to share with others.
This thin 100g bar had a light snap and the sweet fragrance of raisins with a hint of a vegetal veil. Saveurs & Nature took beans that I described as having a “rather delicate bitter cocoa flavor that transitioned to gentle floral notes and finished with a dash of bright red fruit akin to cherry” into something distinctive and enticing. The flavors were true to its aroma as the first thing to hit the tongue was the taste of sweet stewed prunes followed by an ever so fine earthy touch of grass that developed into a deep fudgy cocoa character that coated the mouth. This flavor sensation doesn’t linger long, so you will appreciate that the bar was scored into many pieces thus removing any barriers to continuing your sampling pleasure.
Saveurs & Nature has many other chocolate bars to discover including their pure origins collection, specialty bars, inlaid tablets, milk chocolates, white chocolates, vegan bars, filled squares, various spreads, and a sport and nutrition line. Consider experiencing cacao through the eyes of a company that places great emphasis on remaining 100% organic, advocating for fairtrade, while maintaining high quality - check out Saveurs & Nature.