Michel Cluizel
It was in 2016 when I truly discovered Michel Cluizel. I remember standing next to praline machines while visiting the factory and asking Marc Cluizel if he sourced hazelnuts for his chocolate from Piedmont, as many other manufacturers claimed to when a smile on his face appeared and in a simple manner, he told me that if everyone used Piedmont hazelnuts, then Piedmont would have to be the size of Italy. Still, to this day, when I enter their shops in Paris, I see that smile on his face.
Note on nuts. As for MC, the nuts could come from Turkey or other regions in Italy, but keeping one thing in mind – they must be of the best quality, and although they do have their growers and suppliers, if the nuts are not good, that season, then go to another supplier. Nothing is more important than quality.
I stood there, in their factory in Damville, in Normandy, with beans being roasted, pralines mixed, and mediants neatly prepared by the hands of several ladies. As if it were today, I remember how I inhaled those three generations of know-how in the process. Everything was better than just good there. Mr. Cluizel spoke passionately about chocolate, telling about the cacao plantations and the farmers they work with, easily describing any products (1300 products in this factory), constantly reminding us that nothing is as important as the base – the cacao bean plantations. Not all plantations are the same, something many of us do not realise.
You can’t make great chocolate from poor beans
The Cluizel family has been preparing chocolate since 1948; now, the third generation has taken over, and the man in charge now, as he laughs, has learned to roast cacao beans and discern the quality of chocolate in his mother’s womb after he has received all of those beautifully and fairly grown beans from a farm they work based on trust, respect and understanding and no signed agreements.
The factory, so simple from the outside, hides the highest level of know-how and respect for products and every person who is later to consume any of the products, as no matter what part of the product, it is made in the factor - from caramels, and liquor infused cherries to candied lemon and orange zests, speculoos cookies and every detail.
200 tons of cacao beans every year and Marc knows where each bean has come from
Not all chocolates are organic, but way more important is the fact that in the process, there is no child labour involved, and the practices have to be natural and sustainable. Plus, the price received for one kilogram is higher (8-12 times) than usual, making the work much more fair.
A topic to discuss. The price
There are many more aspects to consider besides the price paid to families. The ingredient list of the chocolate is obvious – only 4-5 ingredients, no soy, no lecithin, and no overpowered sugar (latter three lower the price because you do not have to add so many beans). This means that the bars are all about cacao beans, and their origin is not hidden behind a heavy dose of sugar. Natural ingredients plus air price and know-how determine the chocolate's price.
Although one might think that plantation chocolate is only for connoisseurs, it is not. Anyone can actually notice the difference. You can feel the citrus, vanilla, mango, and many more notes. Everyone who tries them loves the chocolates.
Things to keep in mind
Cacaofevier – Michel Cluizel is one of the rare chocolate producers to create a cacao paste first, which is then transformed into chocolate. Many of the world’s chocolate producers buy ready-made paste.
Michel Cluizel prepare their own praline paste, gianduja, as well as caramel, liqueurs, and all the other things they add to their chocolates.
Noble ingredients – Michel Cluizel is the only chocolate producer in the world to have received this certificate, indicating that only pure cacao butter is used in the production of chocolate, as well as Bourbon vanilla and sugar.
It goes without saying that Michel Cluizel chocolates do not contain soya or emulsifiers, GM products, or vegetable fat (except cacao butter). They are certified products.