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Van Heinde en Verre chocolate offers a unique combination of local and exotic ingredients and is made with direct trade cocoa beans, Dutch beet sugar and milk. Rotterdam-based chocolate makers Ewald Rietberg and Jan-Willem Jekel are true craftsmen; they leave no detail to chance. They select the best single origin cocoa beans, roast them until they have discovered the ideal roasting profile.
In a previous life, both Ewald and Jan-Willem worked for KPN. As a vinologist, Ewald made several culinary wine trips and ski trips. When they were on a skiing trip together and tasted a chocolate bar at the airport, they thought; there must be a better way! They started with small lab rigged up at Ewald's home in Amsterdam and they did that until Ewald's wife no longer found it acceptable. So said and done, the gents moved to the Zomerhofkwartier in Rotterdam where they set up a pilot plant. The Chocolate Girls had the pleasure of taking a look in the kitchen. Consequently, the enthusiasm of the two gentlemen was highly contagious, and it seemed as if it permeated the chocolate. You can taste the craftsmanship of Heinde en Verre in every bar. Not for nothing they are also called The Grand Cru among chocolate and many of their bars have won awards.
Eventually, even the pilot plant became too small for Ewald and Jan-Willem's ambitions. This caused them to move to a large production facility in Rotterdam. Meanwhile, they are doing well in the global market and their bars can also be found in Australia and America.
They decided to switch completely from gas to electricity in their new factory for roasting cocoa and heating buildings. The factory now runs on 100% Dutch green and traceable wind energy, making their production process completely CO2 emission-free.
Does this mean their chocolate is completely carbon neutral? Unfortunately no. The entire supply chain is not yet free of CO2 emissions. For instance, cocoa is still imported by ship, consuming fossil fuels, and the production of their paper packaging remains energy-intensive. Factory CO2-free production is a big first step for Heinde en Verre. Wherever possible, they try to improve each step.
You will find this the slogan on the packaging of Heinde en Verre's bars. This may sound a bit vague but it is nonetheless true. The gentlemen explain that much chocolate tastes as we expect from chocolate, but high-quality cocoa often has surprising flavours beyond the typical chocolate taste. The more expensive the cocoa, the less it tastes like chocolate. The most exclusive cocoa varieties hardly have a chocolate flavour and are more reminiscent of nuts, fruits, flowers and fruit notes. This is a fascinating aspect of chocolate. Many people are unaware of this and discover these nuances only after repeated tasting.
Heinde en Verre works exclusively with traceable, organic cocoa, which comes directly from the farmers themselves. This ensures that the farmers get a fair price, allowing them to take good care of their workers and the environment. You can trace the origin and farmers of the cocoa on every chocolate bar.
Heinde en Verre's chocolate can be eaten worry-free. All their bars are free of nuts, soy, egg, gluten and lactose, except for the plain milk chocolate bars which contain cow's milk. No nuts are processed in their factory, so their bars contain no traces of nuts. The milk chocolate bars are processed separately, but milk powder is present in the factory.
Heinde en Verre's goal is to use ingredients of the best quality and taste with the lowest impact on the environment. For them, this means selecting organically grown, non-GMO ingredients, and locally grown where possible. This applies, for example, to the sugar beets they use from Dutch soil and, of course, the Dutch milk powder for their milk chocolate.
Heinde en Verre's commitment to craftsmanship, sustainability and quality is evident in every chocolate bar they produce. With their passion for creating exceptional flavours and commitment to eco-friendly production processes, Heinde en Verre offers a chocolate experience that goes beyond the typical chocolate taste. By choosing traceable, organic cocoa and local ingredients, they ensure that both farmers and the environment benefit.
It's time to treat yourself to the unique and award-winning flavours of Heinde en Verre chocolate. Discover for yourself the rich variety of flavours this chocolate has to offer. Buy a bar today and discover for yourself why these two men's chocolate has won so many awards!
Want to know what bean-to-bar chocolate is, how it is made and much more?
Read all about sustainable chocolate in our blogs.