An yearly October appointment anticipated by thousands of attendees, EUROCHOCOLATE is officially the largest and most famous chocolate festival in Italy.

Loyal to its location in the beautiful province of Perugia, the festival offered 10 days (October 13-22) filled with dozens of chocolate exhibitors, presentations, activities for kids and adults, educational sessions and interactive cacao experiences.

The goal is the same at every edition: to give chocolate lovers a fun time while also bringing home more knowledge, awareness and appreciation of their favorite food.

Among creative chocolate sculptures, thousands of gianduja blocks, overflowing hot chocolates, artisan bonbons and colorful inclusions, the most curious and refined palates could find a quieter space where to elevate their senses: the Eurochocolate World area where more than 40 craft bean-to-bar chocolate brands were showcased.

This special place welcomed international guests, professionals and chocolate makers from all over the world. All this was made possible especially thanks to Beatrice Rosa from Cacao Motum and Andrea Mecozzi from Choco Fair that joined forces to bring to Italy some of the most renowned personalities in the industry. But this was only the beginning …

From the interactive tree-to-bar experience, to the cacao route pavilion, the educational presentations and the speakers from cacao origins, Eurochocolate aimed at combining the fun of a chocolate festival with an active education on all things cacao, to make attendees aware of how chocolate is made and how many actors work hard behind the scenes to make it happen.

As a craft bean-to-bar chocolate lover, here are my highlights from Eurochocolate 2023.

Birth of the Italian Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Association

For the first time at Eurochocolate, Italian craft bean-to-bar chocolate makers reunited under the same dedicated space.

May be the vicinity of their booths or the adrenaline of the event, representatives of each brand started meeting, gathering, sharing experiences, exchanging opinions and ideas, getting closer every day. Eurochocolate represented the perfect occasion to network and connect for craft chocolate makers that would otherwise never interact because located in distant cities.

Some of them have a direct relation with cacao at origin (Nina Kakaw in Ecuador, Vega Community in Honduras, Aroko Chocolate in Venezuela). Others come from a background of chocolatiers and pastry chefs (Viganotti in Genova, Cioccolato Banchini in Parma, Riva Bean To Bar Chocolate in Bergamo). Some more already own a specialty food business (Forno Brisa in Bologna) or are passionate about the health side of cacao (Matù Chocolate in Avellino).

Their friendship strengthened over the 10 days at Eurochocolate. So much so that they ultimately decided to form the Bean-To-Bar Italia Association to prolong and nourish the sense of community started at the festival.

Tree-to-Bar Interactive Experience Never Seen Before at a Chocolate Festival

How to make chocolate consumers understand all the work behind their favorite food? If you can’t bring them to a cacao farm, bring the cacao farm to them!

At every edition, Eurochocolate refines and improves the Tree-to-Bar Experience, a walkable itinerary that takes inspiration from a real cacao origin. If last year the inspiration was TABASCO in Mexico, this year the experience was themed around PLAYA DE ORO in Ecuador.

The entire process, from cacao picking and harvesting to fermenting, drying, shipping and finally chocolate making was showcased in a dedicated space filled with real-size scenarios and decorations.

Inside the Tree-to-Bar experience attendees could enjoy interactive activities like daily cacao ceremonies, or have a custom cacao pod in resin crafted on the spot by talented Argentinian artist Hernan Diego Mendez. The smell of chocolate from the FBM Boscolo factory concluded the itinerary.

Presence of The Most Renowned Bean-to-Bar Professionals From Around the World

For the first time in Italy, a large group of international professionals of the craft chocolate industry reunited under the same roof.

From consultant and expert Chloe Doutre Roussel and Venezuelan cacao ambassador Maria Fernanda Di Giacobbe, to award-winning chocolate makers like Baiani Chocolates from Brazil, Menakao from Madagascar and Kuyay Chocolates from Peru, but also important organizations and events such as Cacao Of Excellence, renowned cacao competition and research center, and CHOCOA, international festival in Amsterdam, these special guests brought to Eurochocolate a much needed breeze of internationality and professionalism.

For regular attendees, chocolate became the sweet tool for cultural exchange. For professionals in the industry, Eurochocolate became also the occasion for important networking and business opportunities.

Education-focused Presentations, Cooking Shows and Tastings

In each presentation, cooking show and tasting, Eurochocolate made EDUCATION a priority.

The schedule of activities wasn’t just about “the fun”, but also about delivering important messages and values to the audience. Every ingredient during the cooking shows was carefully chosen to tell a story. On stage, cacao producers unveiled the stories from origin and the details behind every cacao process. Renowned pastry chefs and chocolatiers honored cacao’s fine flavors for mindful tastings. Myths about chocolate were dismantled, the most complicated facts were explained, and the tastings were led with clarity and empathy.

From the creation of single-origin Venezuelan gelato to the guided tasting to discern the countless flavors of dark chocolate, attendees got the chance to feel like real chocolate experts!

Cacao Route To Book Your Own Trip to Origin

Visiting cacao farms, cooperatives or other cacao-related sites in a country of origin is an experience usually reserved to professionals.

Importers, distributors and producers organize this kind of trips for their current and potential clients. But what if you were a regular chocolate lover wanting to get a full cacao experience? At Eurochocolate, your dream could come true in the Cacao Route pavilion.

Experienced and trustworthy tour operators were grouped side by side. Each booth meant a different destination, from Venezuela to the Dominican Republic, from Ivory Coast to São Tomé, and beyond. Without needing to be a professional or business person in the chocolate industry, any attendee could get information and details on pre-planned and well-organized tours dedicated to cacao and chocolate activities around the world.

An original idea that got the attention of many people dreaming of exotic cacao destinations.

While the majority of the Eurochocolate attendees were still strangers to craft bean-to-bar chocolate, it was crucial to have so many renowned exhibitors present at the festival, and willing to explain that a different kind of chocolate do exist. The organizers managed to create an enchanted space dedicated to craft bean-to-bar chocolate where attendees could meet chocolate makers and cacao producers, and taste fine chocolate for the first time.

Was the Italian crowd puzzled by the higher-than-average prices? YES.

Were attendees curious and ready to open their minds to new sensorial experiences when given the chance? ABSOLUTELY!

Craft Chocolate Highlights From Eurochocolate 2023

Birth of the Italian Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Association

Tree-to-Bar Interactive Experience Never Seen Before at a Chocolate Festival

Presence of The Most Renowned Bean-to-Bar Professionals From Around the World

Education-focused Presentations, Cooking Shows and Tastings

Cacao Route To Book Your Own Trip to Origin