The Belize Chocolate Company was recently awarded the silver medal at the International Chocolate Awards in Hoboken, New Jersey, beating out more than 800 entries submitted by 130 companies from around the world to clinch a stunning second-place finish.
Formed in 2007, the Belize Chocolate Company is a family-owned craft bean-to-bar gourmet chocolatier that uses ingredients entirely sourced from Belize, including organic cacao beans grown in Toledo District and pure sugarcane grown and processed in Orange Walk District. Currently, the only place to buy or sample products from the Belize Chocolate Company is from one of their stores on the islands of Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye.
All of the Belize Chocolate Factory’s products are organic, fair trade or direct trade certified and made by hand at their processing facility in San Pedro. Owned and operated by a local family, the Belize Chocolate Factory works directly with local farmers. The Belize Chocolate Family personally selects the cacao nibs, roasts them according to a proprietary recipe to make chocolate bars, chocolate syrup, chocolate-coated truffles, cocoa butter, and other luxury chocolate treats. They also hold chocolate-making classes at their facility in San Pedro.
Cacao beans and products made from them, including rich chocolate drinks, have been a mainstay of the Maya culture for more than 5,000 years. The center for modern Belize chocolate making is in Toledo District where the rich mineral soils are ideal for growing cacao that is used by famed chocolatiers like Maya Gold and the Belize Chocolate Company.
One of the most popular chocolate festivals in the world is held every May in the southern Belizean town of Punta Gorda in Toledo District. Featuring a range of delicious chocolate treats as well as unusual delicacies like chocolate wine and chocolate beer, the Belize Chocolate Festival is a great opportunity for chocolate lovers to sample concoctions both ancient and modern from some of the finest chocolatiers in the country, including the Belize Chocolate Company.
If you’re interested in sampling some of the incredibly delicious chocolate made in Belize, you can stay at the Chabil Mar Resort. A perennial TripAdvisor favorite, Chabil Mar is a luxury beachfront resort with two freshwater infinity swimming pools, a gourmet restaurant, a lush tropical garden, and 22 elegant villas.
Chabil Mar is close to all of the top attractions in the country and regularly organizes tours to visit traditional Maya villages and cacao farms.
For information about Belize, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge{@}chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at:reservations{@}chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.
