European Craft Chocolatier Competitions 2021-22 -Winners

The International Chocolate Awards is pleased to announce the Winners of the European Craft Chocolatier combined competitions, which were judged in late 2021 and early 2022 and included DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Scandinavian, Eastern European, French, Benelux and British entrants. The prize ceremony took place on April 7, 2022 in a virtual setting.

Winners of these rounds will pass through to the World Final organized later in 2022.

This craft competition awards prizes for craft chocolatier products including filled chocolates/bonbons, pralines, enrobed fruits and nuts and chocolate spreads made with bean-to-bar chocolate as well as flavoured bars made with couverture. Plain/origin and flavoured bean-to-bar products from all European chocolate makers are judged at the 2021-22 European Bean-to-bar Chocolate Maker competition.

Craft Chocolatier Competitions

For the 2021-22 season, we’re relaunching our filled chocolate competitions as “Craft Chocolatier Competitions”, with an increasing focus on cacao sourcing and traceability. With these ideals in mind, we have made the decision that, starting with the 2021-22 season, all our chocolatier competitions will now be solely dedicated to dark and milk chocolate products made with cacao with an identifiable and traceable source. (Note: this rule does not currently apply to white chocolate or cocoa butter). This new approach reflects not only current trends in craft chocolate, but also our own founding philosophy and focus on fine cacao.

The International Chocolate Awards is an independent competition recognising excellence in fine chocolate making and in the products made with fine chocolate.

Judges

The judges were drawn from local experts, food journalists and pastry chefs and members of our permanent international Grand Jury and guest judges.

Links

Prizes

The categories judged included filled chocolates, enrobed fruits and nuts and chocolate spreads, as well as flavoured bars (not bean-to-bar) and are based on yearly feedback from our entrants and in consultation with the fine chocolate industry. All judging is anonymised, including at the Grand Jury final session, where Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes are awarded by private voting according to the Grand Jury rules.

** 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 (**).

Awards are awarded only to entries that meet the required standard for each prize.

(Prizes are shown in score order for each medal)


Flavoured bars

Milk chocolate bars with inclusions or pieces

Silver: chocoMe  (Hungary) - chocoMe Entrée F130 (86.3)

Combination chocolate bars with an infusion or flavouring

Bronze: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Mastic, vanilla, cardamom Chocolate Bar (84.2)


Ganaches, palets, ganache pralines and truffles

Unflavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles

Gold: Andreas Muschler  (Germany) - Emelie (89.4)

+ Special: Classic

Gold: Ara Chocolat  (France) - Ganache Nature Agua Viva Criollo (89.0) (**)

Flavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles

Gold: Harrer Chocolat  (Hungary) - green coriander (83.9) (**)

Silver: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Quince fruit and alcohol dark ganache (87.5)

Silver: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Black cherry dark chocolate ganache (87.1)

+ Special: Local ingredients

Silver: Suklaa Täplä  (Finland) - Cloudberry Night (86.7)

Silver: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Spicy mango dark ganache (84.7)

Silver: Harrer Chocolat  (Hungary) - Kaffirlime lemongrass (82.7) (**)

Bronze: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Lemongrass coconut spicy dark ganache (86.3)

Bronze: La Fèverie by Hasnaâ  (France) - Ganache au vin - Pauillac (85.9)

Bronze: La Fèverie by Hasnaâ  (France) - Ganache au vin - Pomerol (85.7)

Bronze: Shinichi Asaba  (Belgium) - Dark chocolate with quince and Earl Grey (85.1)

Bronze: Chococo  (United Kingdom) - Tangerine Dream (84.7)

Bronze: Fjåk Chocolate  (Norway) - Lervig Christmas beer bonbon (84.2) (**)

Flavoured milk chocolate ganaches or truffles

Silver: Friis-Holm Chokolade  (Denmark) - Green Cinnamon (87.1) (**)

Silver: Andreas Muschler  (Germany) - Mogador (86.8)

Bronze: Ten Watch Chocolates  (United Kingdom) - Beurre Noisette Bonbon (85.4)

Bronze: La Fève by Pavel Pavlov  (Bulgaria) - Rose geranium (79.6)

Flavoured white chocolate ganaches or truffles

Gold: Friis-Holm Chokolade  (Denmark) - Black Currant (87.7) (**)

Silver: Summerbird  (Denmark) - Chocolate Truffles Liquorice (87.4) (**)

Silver: La Vie Chocolat  (Czech Republic) - Strawberries with balsamic (81.7)

Bronze: Jentene på Tunet – Chocolatier  (Norway) - Pasjonsfest med yoghurt (85.6)

Bronze: PetriS Chocolate  (Finland) - Rosmarin - Seabuckthorn (85.4)

Bronze: Trondheim Sjokolade  (Norway) - Yuzu Cheesecake (84.6)

Flavoured ganaches or truffles with combination coating or filling

Gold: Fifth Dimension Chocolates  (United Kingdom) - Pineapple & Tomato (88.6)

+ Special: Gastronomic

Gold: Jentene på Tunet – Chocolatier  (Norway) - Multe og tindved (88.3)

+ Special: Local ingredients

Silver: Chococo  (United Kingdom) - Mango + Passionfruit (87.5)

Silver: Chocolatte  (Sweden) - Vanilla caramel / blackcurrant (86.7)

Silver: Jentene på Tunet – Chocolatier  (Norway) - Karamellpasjon (86.2)

Silver: Jentene på Tunet – Chocolatier  (Norway) - Lakris og banan (86.2)

Silver: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Irish coffee Piura ganache (84.3)

Bronze: Jentene på Tunet – Chocolatier  (Norway) - Kremet bringebær (85.3)

Bronze: Trondheim Sjokolade  (Norway) - Cinnamon Bun (84.9)

Bronze: Jentene på Tunet – Chocolatier  (Norway) - Pærefull (84.8)

Bronze: Chococo  (United Kingdom) - Rhubarb + Vanilla (84.4)

Bronze: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Blackberry lavanda two layers ganache (82.2)


Nuts

Nut based pralines with dark chocolate

Gold: La Fèverie by Hasnaâ  (France) - Praliné Noisette Croustillant (87.4)

+ Special: Local ingredients

Bronze: SIGOJI  (Belgium) - Pavé Cinacien - Noisettes Cafe (84.6)

Nut based pralines with milk chocolate

Silver: SIGOJI  (Belgium) - Pave Cinacien - Praline Cacahuetes (86.3)

Bronze: Jentene på Tunet – Chocolatier  (Norway) - Hasselknas (85.9)

Bronze: Solkiki Chocolatemaker  (United Kingdom) - Peanut Esmeraldas Bonbon (85.8) (**)

Bronze: Shinichi Asaba  (Belgium) - Umami , Bonbon Au Chocolat With Miso (84.2)

Nut based pralines with white chocolate

Silver: Fjåk Chocolate  (Norway) - Bergamot caramel & breton biscuit (86.9) (**)

Nut based pralines with combination chocolate

Silver: Fifth Dimension Chocolates  (United Kingdom) - Pistachio Cremino (87.9)

+ Special: Classic

Silver: La Fève by Pavel Pavlov  (Bulgaria) - Pecan (87.4)

Silver: Solkiki Chocolatemaker  (United Kingdom) - Gran Palo and Piedmont Hazelnut Bonbon (87.4) (**)

Silver: Das Bernsteinzimmer  (Germany) - Pekan - Karamell - Tarte (87.3)

+ Special: Organic

Combination chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts

Bronze: Lyra  (Slovakia) - Maximum Hazelnuts Caramel (85.8)


Caramels

Milk chocolate enrobed caramels

Gold: Chococo  (United Kingdom) - Molasses + Brown Butter Caramel (89.5)

+ Special: Local ingredients

+ Special: Classic

Bronze: SIGOJI  (Belgium) - Truffe Passion - Poire Piment D'espelett (85.6)

Bronze: Trondheim Sjokolade  (Norway) - Liquorice Caramel (84.2)

Bronze: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Salty caramel milk chocolate (83.1)

White chocolate enrobed caramels

Gold: Maria Magdalena Bizgan  (Romania) - Coffee whisky white chocolate caramel (89.8)


Others - fruit/sugar/butter/cream/misc

Dark chocolate enrobed fruit pastes, jellies/gelée

Bronze: Harrer Chocolat  (Hungary) - Peru - ginger passionfruit dragée (85.4) (**)

White chocolate enrobed fruit pastes, jellies/gelée

Gold: PetriS Chocolate  (Finland) - Raspberry Liquorice (88.0)

+ Special: Vegan

Dark chocolate enrobed whole fruit

Silver: Andreas Muschler  (Germany) - Orangeatstäbchen (86.7)

White chocolate enrobed manon/butter/cream

Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade  (Denmark) - Absinthe (84.8) (**)


Spreads

Spreads with dark chocolate (no milk powder)

Gold: Solkiki Chocolatemaker  (United Kingdom) - Piedmont Hazelnut Chocolate Spread (90.9) (**)

+ Special: Classic

Gold: Bonneheure  (Switzerland) - Crema di Nocciole e Cacao (87.9) (**)

Silver: HILL BAR  (France) - Nocciola (85.5)

Spreads with milk chocolate

Bronze: Fjåk Chocolate  (Norway) - Gingerbread milk chocolate spread (85.3) (**)


(*)  Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.

(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.