Sweet international award success strikes a second time

Sweet international award success strikes a second time in two weeks for Hogarth Craft Chocolate

Nelson-based fine chocolate producer Hogarth Craft Chocolate has secured a second raft of global awards wins in two weeks, taking home four gold awards in the 2017 International Chocolate Awards, announced on 27 June.

Hogarth won gold again for their Dark Hazelnut Gianduia bar, Gran Blanco Peru bar, and for their Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Log. The company also received gold in a special awards section as a ‘Micro batch – chocolate maker’. They were the only maker to be given an award in this section.

Hogarth was the only New Zealand producer to make the finals in the Asia-Pacific section of the International Chocolate Awards, alongside chocolate producers from Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore and Australia. This is the first year that the Asia-Pacific entrants have been placed in a separate competition to the Americas, due to the record number and quality of entries from both regions. More than 1000 individual entries were received in 2017, including more than 650 plain and flavoured chocolate bars.

The International Chocolate Awards were founded in 2012 and are run by a group of independent international partners based in the UK, Italy and the USA, with years of experience tasting and evaluating chocolate. To cope with the amount of entries in the competition, it is divided into regions – Americas, Asia-Pacific, British, Scandinavian and Italian-Mediterranean. International Chocolate Awards judges include a wide range of experts, tasters, pastry chefs, food journalists, bloggers, sommeliers, chefs and the International Chocolate Awards ‘grand jury’.

Marina and Karl Hogarth are thrilled with the result, particularly given they were up against such robust international competetion. “Starting our business has taken all our ingenuity and commitment over the past few years,” says Karl Hogarth. “To have our chocolate recognised with such a flurry of awards is a little overwhelming to be honest, but we are taking a moment to really celebrate this moment together. Thank you to everyone who supports us and believes in us and our products.”

Tuesday’s International Chocolate Awards gold award successes come just one week after Hogarth won gold for its Dark Hazelnut Gianduia bar, and silver for both its Acul du Nord Haiti and Gran Blanco Peru bars in the 2017 Academy of Chocolate awards.

ENDS

About Hogarth Craft Chocolate:

Marina and Karl Hogarth started their business prompted by a shared passion for chocolate making and boosted by a very enthusiastic reception for the chocolate bars that they initially made in their shed at home. After setting up a certified kitchen that allowed them to sell their chocolate at Nelson’s iconic Saturday Market in 2015, Karl left his career at sea and the couple both worked in their business fulltime. Less than a year later, they launched their retail brand Hogarth Craft Chocolate which is now winning international awards, is being sold in the UK, Paris, USA, Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia and is sought after by some of New Zealand’s finest chefs (including Simon Gault and Josh Emett).

Karl and Marina craft their chocolate from single-origin raw cacao beans through to the finished tablet. The cacao beans are purchased via direct trade with suppliers, ensuring that all Hogarth Chocolate is ethically sourced. Each Hogarth Craft Chocolate product has a different level of pure cacao and a distinctive flavour reflecting its origins.

For more information go to http://hogarthchocolate.co.nz/

About the International Chocolate Awards:

The International Chocolate Awards is an independent competition recognising excellence in fine chocolate making and products made with fine chocolate. To cope with the amount of entries in the competition, it is divided into regions – Americas, Asia-Pacific, British, Scandinavian and Italian-Mediterranean.

Regional competitions are held in a growing number of countries and regions around the world, including Italy, the UK, USA, Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium and other locations, with more competitions added each year. Winners of the regional competitions are judged together at the World Final, which celebrates the best entries of the year. International Chocolate Awards judges include a wide range of experts, tasters, pastry chefs, food journalists, bloggers, sommeliers, chefs and the International Chocolate Awards ‘grand jury’. The 2017 Asia-Pacific winners were announced in Hoboken, New York Metropolitan area on June 26 at 7pm EST.

As the world’s only fully independent international fine chocolate competition, it aims to support companies producing fine chocolate and chocolatiers, small companies and artisans working with fine chocolate. By helping these markets to grow and develop, it also aims to support the farmers that grow fine cacao.

For more information go to http://www.internationalchocolateawards.com/

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