Seventy% - Topic: Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Masur on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Thu, 19 Aug 2004 16:23:08 +0000

There exist a nice Danish website about chocolate([url]http://www.criollo.dk[/url]). Maybe they know about Scharffen Berger in Denmark.

Masur

Polarbear on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Thu, 19 Aug 2004 12:29:38 +0000

quote:

Originally posted by legodude

Polar, if you check into the pages of Scharffen Berger, there is in the menu something called store locator. On Scandinavia there is this Friis-Holm i Copenhagen. I have tried to e-mail him on two different e-mail addresses, but none worked. I also saw Scharffen Berger in Aalborg, but only the cocoa powder.

Grrrr...it seems that googling for chocolate and Copenhagen wasn't enough to find all the goodies....well, it became expensive enough anyway [:D]

***
My name is Polarbear and I am a chocoholic...

choca on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Thu, 19 Aug 2004 09:20:18 +0000

I checked out El-Rey with friends in Venezuela yesterday . They have always bought beans from other farmers and bought some land with some cocoa trees on it after they had been making chocolate for some time, in order to show the press . the land they own , would not produce enough chocolate to meet demand for one month .
The cash flow problems seem to be down to the huge loans they took out with a Spanish company in order to buy machinery .
They seem to be supplying Europe but not directly the U.K. Their U.K. distribution agent relationship fell apart because of supply problems .
The last time i tried El-Rey it still tasted good though !

VonRock526 on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Thu, 19 Aug 2004 03:14:56 +0000

Choca this info is only two days old. This was what I was told and the ownership can be verified on the El-Rey website. Go to my profile and click on the El-Rey address. The website also has a contact link and you can ask them yourself , to verify what I wrote. Please tell them VonRock sent you. The woman I directly deal with, told me that they sell to the UK and Europe now.

choca on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 17:34:41 +0000

Von , how recent is this info .
Have They have only just started reselling into Europe ? and are you sure about the non American omnership ? and are you really sure that all El-Rey chocolate is from their own estates ?

legodude on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 14:35:48 +0000

Polar, if you check into the pages of Scharffen Berger, there is in the menu something called store locator. On Scandinavia there is this Friis-Holm i Copenhagen. I have tried to e-mail him on two different e-mail addresses, but none worked. I also saw Scharffen Berger in Aalborg, but only the cocoa powder.

Polarbear on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:53:09 +0000

quote:

Originally posted by legodude

Polarbear, perhaps you could send me an e-mail on were to buy chocolate in Copenhagen. I might go there some time in the fall. Did you Scharffen Berger as well?

El Rey is sold at the Emmerys shops: http://www.emmerys.dk (addresses in website), the shop in Store Strandstræde 21 is very close to where the boats from Oslo arrive. They have Enric Rovira as well.

No, I didn't find any Sharffen Berger. Where is it available in Copenhagen?

***
My name is Polarbear and I am a chocoholic...

legodude on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 20:57:25 +0000

Polarbear, perhaps you could send me an e-mail on were to buy chocolate in Copenhagen. I might go there some time in the fall. Did you Scharffen Berger as well?

Polarbear on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 18:21:44 +0000

I just bought two kilos of El Rey in Copenhagen, and I will get very unpleasant to the people around me if they don't live up to what I am used to [}:)]

***
My name is Polarbear and I am a chocoholic...

VonRock526 on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 14:57:23 +0000

First of all El-Rey is now selling to the UK and Europe too! I spoke to an executive (where I get my shipments directly)where this was discussed. El-Rey owns thier own plantation on Venezuelan soil and doesn't have to buy beans from anyone else even to hybrid!! El-Rey (to my palate) is the closest to Criolo that we are able to get!!!
The other plantations in Venezuela trade beans. The owner is Venezuelan and started this business in 1929 I believe. Please check Maricella Prescilla's book : "The New taste of Chocolate". You will not put down that book. The staff of El-Rey in Texas are all American. The plantation workers are all Venezuelan and third generation workers. They take care of thier help very well I was told.

choca on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 11:04:22 +0000

to the question of buying supplies there are a few firms in the U.K that i could suggest and more in France , but the variety of machinery available to the small chocolatier has gone down by a vast amount in the last 40 years . mainly because of the demise of the small to medium size confectioner since the 60's .
With regard to el-rey , the american market seems to be their number 1 target . they don't wish to supply Europe at present . Are they owned by an American because alot of their staff are American now ? I had also heard that they buy alot of beans from other farmers in the area . While there are hold ups at the port , we are still getting our chocolate through to the uk from Venezeula . it just seems that there is a behind the scenes story about El-Rey that we arer not hearing .

VonRock526 on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Mon, 16 Aug 2004 21:39:45 +0000

Dear Choca:
EL-Rey chocolates are having some supply problems, but not anything critical. This is due to the Embargo at Venezuela and with the container ships to export. They are not "buying" cheaper beans because they have a private plantation in Venezuela. There is definitely a shortage going on, globally. of chocolate however. This is due to the fungus caused by Witches Broom. It attacks the pod, the "teeth" (beans and nibs) and the sticky white pulp which conched, creates the cocoa butter. El-Rey still manufactures the best chocolate to my palate. Due to my palate, I pass it on to my end users! I would love to start a forum here on where to get chocolatiere supplies. Are there anyone here, that would support that forum? I love using rare, hard to find tools. Its a thing I have. I love gadgets.

choca on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Mon, 16 Aug 2004 18:23:29 +0000

Von Rock is right about the dominence of Callebaut Chocolate and Valrhona . Callebaut are huge , but although they were slow to pick up on origins make some good chocolates, and probably match Valrhona . Callebaut also make some cheap chocolate .
There are very few real maitre chocolatiers though , making the whole thing .
On the subject of El Rey , I loved their chocolates , but have now been out of stock in the U.K. for over a year now . The word from Venezuela is that ElRey chocolate has gone down in quality , that they are buying cheaper beans and having major supply problems . Is this happening in the U.S. Von ??

Lone Ly on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Sun, 15 Aug 2004 18:46:54 +0000

Mouthwatering .... [:D]

VonRock526 on Valrhona - arrogance or ignorance

Sun, 15 Aug 2004 14:43:19 +0000

Thank you so much Lonely for your welcome. I have a chocolate business which I create artisanal chocolates and box, package and ship
to corporate clients. This is an exclusive chocolate business, which I marketed myself. I am extremely fussy to whom I sell my chocolates to.
One has to be this way, if one chooses to be exclusive. My business is primarily word of mouth. The chocolates are continental miniatures, truffles, and the artisanal varietals that I create, that few make. I make my own fondant creme centers from scratch as well as a few commercially made centers.