Japan and a host of other nations give this year’s Salon du Chocolat an international taste

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Japan's premier chocolatiers return to the Salon du Chocolat in 2023. Pic: Salon du Chocolat

After an absence of two years because of the pandemic, Japan’s master chocolatiers are set to return to Paris for this year’s Salon du Chocolat as part of a full international delegation that includes 25 countries when it opens at the Porte de Versailles Hall 5, Exhibition Centre from 28 October to 1 November.

Chocolate making has never been more universal, is the message at this year’s event – and the Espace Japon will be one of the highlights with evocative flavours from the Asian archipelago such as matcha and yuzu that have been embraced by French pastry chefs for many years.

To make good chocolate, you must start with good cocoa, and although the Salon du Chocolat is known for its great tastes and flavours, it also promotes sustainability and over the five days, there will be 20 conferences looking at some of those issues.

It will inform visitors that to produce high-quality cocoa, it’s essential to ensure good working conditions, farming practices, salaries, fermentation, storage, and transport, areas in which the cocoa industry is still singled out for criticism. All 250 exhibitors at this year’s event adopt a sustainable approach to their value chains, clearly indicating the exact origin of ingredients to reassure consumers, who are increasingly in demand of a traceable, sustainable, and fair food supply chain.

Other highlights at this year's Paris Salon du Chocolat include stands that will fly the flag for Made in Peru; Made in Bali; Made in Hawaii; Made in Jamaica; Made in Ghana, and Made in Brazil.

Chocolate dresses

Along with the great tasting opportunities, the Salon du Chocolat promises ‘a festival of unbridled creativity with breath-taking sculptures and, unique to Paris, a fashion show of chocolate dresses twice daily on the main exhibition floor that is always a feast for the eyes.

Another unique aspect of the Salon du Chocolat is that it is open to the public, not just for trade, and attracts huge crowds on what is traditionally a holiday weekend in France, allowing exhibitors to sell their products.

There is an exclusive preview of the dresses and some of the top French chocolatiers on Friday 27 October from 7 to 10 pm, in aid of the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque charity that enables children from developing countries with heart defects to undergo surgery.

Tickets to this and the full event are available to the public via this link.

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