Valrhona unleashes first vegan-certified Grand Cru single origin ‘milk’ chocolate from Madagascar

Valrhona-unleashes-first-vegan-certified-Grand-Cru-single-origin-milk-chocolate-from-Madagascar.jpg
Valrhona's AMATIKA is vegan-certified by the European Vegetarian Union and by Vegan Action in the United States. Pic: Valrhona

Described by the company as 'a milestone in chocolate-making’, the AMATIKA 46% is the latest in the Valrhona collection - described as a 'sweet and creamy like a milk chocolate couverture, yet powerful like a single origin chocolate' - and is now available for both pastry chefs and home gourmets.

Valrhona, partner to pastry professionals since 1922 and a pioneer in the world of chocolate, said the result comes from passionate teamwork between sourcing teams, cocoa producers, innovation and sensory experts, and L’École Valrhona’s pastry chefs.

AMATIKA 46% gives artisans the opportunity to see vegan pastry as a new source of inspiration, a way to stand out from the crowd and to serve a broader range of customers.

If the vegan movement maintains the current rate of growth over the next decade, at least one in 10 people will have adopted plant-based diets. But it still presents a real challenge to pastry chefs, who must rethink their traditional techniques and revise their tried-and-tested methods.

To support them on their road, the chefs at L’École Valrhona have created a collection of recipes using AMATIKA 46%, as well as resource guides and classes to teach chefs the ingredients and techniques they need to create exceptional dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan desserts.

A vegan Grand Cru of single origin from Madagascar sets AMATIKA apart from other milk chocolate, with its melt-in-the-mouth texture revealing notes of cacao, toasted almonds and a hint of acidity “for a sensuous journey to the shade of a Madagascan garden”.

The balance between cacao, fat and sugar delivers the perfect texture for all classical pastry making techniques with a vegan twist. It is especially suited to providing an exquisitely creamy addition to ganache and mousse.