At an event held at the Antwerp Stock Exchange, where the price of imported cocoa beans used to be set, Italian Tommaso Grollero won the World Chocolate Masters. This prestigious competition was held in Antwerp for the first time in 20 years. “I think the jury appreciated the personal touch in my creations and the way I’ve made my best desserts ever,” beamed the winning chocolatier.
Becoming a World Chocolate Master is one of the most coveted titles in the world of chocolate. For the past 20 years, the competition has taken place in Paris; this time, organiser and chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut chose Antwerp and the historic Antwerp Stock Exchange for the first time.
“If you look at the chocolatiers and pâtissiers here in Antwerp, the city really is one of the hotspots for chocolate. Not just in Belgium, but actually all over the world,” says organiser Dries Roekaerts.
‘Throughout the four challenges, Tommaso Grollero demonstrated just how exceptionally well he combines flavour, technical precision and a distinctively creative vision. He epitomises a chef’s consistent and clear vision of flavour,’ says Amaury Guichon, chair of the World Chocolate Masters judging panel.
The Italian beat 14 other international competitors. Lyu Haoran from China and Keita Koshimizu from Japan completed the top 3.
The port also plays a major role in the development of the chocolate industry in Antwerp. “It is the port in Europe where the largest quantity of cocoa beans is stored,” says Piet De Lombaerde of Antwerpen Koekenstad, the non-profit organisation that promotes the historical heritage of chocolate and biscuits.
“Only the port of Amsterdam handles a greater volume of cocoa beans. The reason for this is that the Dutch company Van Houten invented the process for effectively separating cocoa from the oil – the butter – contained within it. That is why most roasting takes place in the Netherlands.”
Thanks to cocoa imports through the port of Antwerp, the industry soon began to focus on chocolate production. The Felix Archive contains an application from 1852 by an entrepreneur who wished to install a machine for roasting cocoa beans in Antwerp’s Kasteelpleinstraat.
“Antwerp has been a pioneer in many areas. For example, the very first chocolate bar was launched here with the ‘Perrette’,” says De Lombaerde. “Chocolaterie Meurisse, Belgium’s first major chocolate factory, which opened in 1845, launched the bar at the Liège World’s Fair in 1905. The idea arose during a crisis. Chocolate in larger forms had become too expensive, so a smaller bar was developed.”