The International Chocolate Awards is pleased to announce the winners of the 1.er Concurso Nacional de Chocolate Colombiano. The prize ceremony took place on December 17, in a virtual setting.
This event was held within the framework of the IX Salón del Cacao y Chocolate Colombiano, a national chocolate show celebrated from November 25-28 in Arauquita, Arauca, one of Colombia’s major producers of fine cacao. With the partnership of the International Chocolate Awards, the contest was organized by the Gremio Cacaotero Araucano with the support of the Government of the Arauca Department, the Municipal Government of Arauquita, the National Federation of Cacao Growers FEDECACAO and the cacao cooperatives Coomprocar and Coopcacao.
With the goal of promoting the emerging fine origin chocolate sector in cacao growing countries, the International Chocolate Awards has created a program of competitions and educational initiatives, designated as our Cacao Country Support Program. The program has its roots in 2015, with the creation of the Peruvian National Competition, which was joined by the Central American Regional competition in 2017, hosted in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. These events focus on fine origin cacao from specific countries and regions. Cacao Country Support Competitions follow the same rules and protocols used for all our competition, which are overseen by the IICCT and our expert Grand Jury panel.
The objectives of the present contest have been to support excellence, generate competition, give added value to fine Colombian cacao by recognizing high-quality chocolates and derived products, promote sustainable businesses and increase chocolate consumption in the national market. The competition uses protocols already validated by a committee of international experts, which guarantee independence, transparency and speed in evaluations during the execution of the competition.
- Winners
- Finalists
- Judges
- Grand Jury
The judges have diligently worked remotely testing and evaluating anonymous chocolate samples in various categories from all over Colombia. In this context, this first contest was executed taking into account the International Chocolate Awards Protocols and its online system (although it is not part of its World Series).
Prizes
Sponsored by the International Chocolate Awards, the competition used the International Chocolate Awards judging system and rules and was adjudicated by members of our Grand Jury. This Cacao Country Support Competition judged bars, filled chocolates, and chocolate beverages, and it is not part of our 2021-22 World Final qualifying series.
The prize ceremony was held on 17 December 2021 in a virtual format via Zoom/Facebook Live.
** Bean-to-bar chocolatier products – recognising the growing trend of flavoured bars and filled chocolate made by chocolate makers, winning products made with an entrant’s own chocolate are marked with (**).
(Prizes are shown in alphabetical order for each medal)'Best in competition' overall winners
Plain/origin dark bar categories
Gold: Chocolate Sierra Sagrada (Colombia) - Sierra Sagrada 64% Sierra NevadaPlain/origin bars
Plain/origin dark chocolate bars
Gold: Elinor Chocolate (Colombia) - Barra de Chocolate Perfección Pura 73%
Silver: Carlota Chocolat (Colombia) - Chocolate Meta 70%
Micro-batch - Plain/origin dark chocolate bars
Gold: Carlota Chocolat (Colombia) - Chocolate Arauca 72%
+ Gold: Chocolate Maker
Gold: Chocolate Sierra Sagrada (Colombia) - Sierra Sagrada 64% Sierra Nevada
+ Gold: Chocolate Maker
Silver: Aroma a Cacao (Colombia) - Arauca Gold
Silver: Aroma a Cacao (Colombia) - Joropo
Silver: Carlota Chocolat (Colombia) - Chocolate Nariño 72%
Silver: Carlota Chocolat (Colombia) - Chocolate Santander 68%
Silver: Chocolate Sierra Sagrada (Colombia) - Sierra Sagrada 72% Cacao Sierra Nevada
Silver: Chocolate Sierra Sagrada (Colombia) - Sierra Sagrada 85% Cacao Sierra Nevada
Silver: De Olier Chocolatl (Colombia) - Chocolate 85% Cacao Fino de Aroma
+ Special: High %
Silver: Legado - Cacao Experience - (Colombia) - Caqueta 70%
Silver: Zurych Chocolate Artesanal (Colombia) - Chocolate Zurych ( * Ricardo Bareño Mendoza)
Bronze: Kilimbo (Colombia) - Chocolate oscuro 70% cacao
Bronze: Maluwa Chocolate Company (Colombia) - Huila 60% - Gigante
Bronze: Xué Chocolate Artesanal (Colombia) - Barra chocolate 72 cacao
Plain/origin chocolate bars with alternative ingredients
Bronze: Maluwa Chocolate Company (Colombia) - Chocó 80% endulzado con miel de abejas
Flavoured bars
Dark chocolate bars with an infusion or flavouring
Bronze: Legado - Cacao Experience - (Colombia) - Legado Spices
Dark chocolate bars with inclusions or pieces
Silver: Chocolate Sierra Sagrada (Colombia) - Sierra Sagrada 70% Cacao y uchuvas
Silver: Provinzzia Chocolates (Colombia) - Sal marina con 65% cacao (**)
Others - fruit/sugar/butter/cream/misc
Other fillings with dark chocolate
Silver: De Olier Chocolatl (Colombia) - Bonbon Miel de Cacao (**)
Ingredients from cacao
Cocoa Powder
Silver: EQUIORI (Colombia) - Cocoa powder
(*) Declared chocolate maker for private label bars. (**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.
