7 local chocolate brands you should know

Straying from the conventions of chocolate bars is Cocoraw, drawing inspiration from silken Japanese nama chocolates. Each of its offerings takes the form of melt-in-your-mouth cubes dusted with cocoa powder and infused with quintessentially Malaysian flavours.

You’ll find chocolate truffles flavoured with teh tarik, complete with notes of black tea and condensed milk, Ipoh white coffee chocolate truffles, and truffles infused with smokey gula Melaka. Also on offer are single-origin chocolate truffles made in collaboration with Chocolate Concierge and Benns Ethicoa.  

Based in Sabah, Jaws & Claws focuses on Borneo-sourced single-estate cacao beans. Its Apin, Sook, Salung, and Pasir Putih varieties can sourced on Chocolate Concierge’s website, with each bar boasting its own unique profiles, from walnuts and butter to honey and blackcurrant. More elaborate chocolate creations can be found at Chocolate Room in Kota Kinabalu including chocolate canales and decadent chocolate bonbons. 

See also: For Asia’s top chocolate makers, it’s about far more than just making sweets

Established in 2013, Love18 Chocolatier makes handcrafted chocolates with high-quality European ingredients. The brand has received international recognition, including awards at the International Chocolate Awards in 2019 and 2020. Their “First Love” series, featuring ganache chocolates dusted with cocoa powder, has been a popular choice, with over 100,000 boxes sold, while the “Beautiful Life” series, offering hand-painted bonbons, is also well-regarded for corporate gifting and special occasions. 

A homegrown bean-to-bar chocolatier, Benns Ethicoa sources cacao directly from local farmers and aims to showcase Asian terroir in each creation. The brand takes into consideration cacao farmers, aiming to bolster the growth of the Asian cacao industry with fair sourcing and investing in more sustainable methods of production.

Sweets crafted with chocolate from across the continent can be found here, with its gift box of 10 bars housing chocolate from India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Dark chocolate-coated coffee beans, chocolate buttons, and drinking chocolate sourced from these regions are also available here. 

Founded in Imbi, Kuala Lumpur, Harriston Chocolatier offers over 150 chocolate treats crafted with time-honoured practices and unique recipes. Sweets here range from classic chocolate-coated almonds to bars infused with ginger and coconut. More elaborate treats are also on offer here including milk chocolate bonbons filled with coffee rum ganache, white chocolate pralines filled with rose gel, and roasted sesame dark chocolate pralines. 

Cocova puts a different spin on the art of chocolate making, using fair trade cocoa to create natural and healthier treats. No artificial flavours, preservatives, or cocoa butter are used, with the brand focusing on 68 per cent or 72 per cent dark chocolate. You’ll find an assortment of dark chocolate buttons, dark chocolate coated nuts, and limited edition items like chocolate hazelnut spread. 

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