Single Origin Chocolate - What's the Deal?

Okay, so I’m sure you are all asking, what’s the big deal about Single Origin chocolates. I have some information below, mostly from the NYT article http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/dining/08choc.html. The article is worth the read if you are really into wine or the finer points of chocolate. If not, a quick and dirty summary is below:

• Single origin chocolates are made from cocoa beans from a particular region or area.
• In the example of Santander (from the article below), the beans are all grown in Columbia.
• Estate or single varietal chocolates are a take on the single origin, only they are from an even smaller geographic area or plantation.

Many other things effect the taste of the chocolate including how the cocoa beans are dried and roasted, how much cocoa butter is added, the amount and quantities of everything else going into the chocolate such as sugar, vanilla, cocoa butter, and inclusions.

Happy Eating!

Chocolate Santander

Always on the hunt for the best and most saleable chocolate we can find, we found another hot one - Santander. Santander is a chocolate company based in Columbia. All of the chocolate they produce is single origin. Below are some highlights and our product list. I have stolen the wording and information liberally from their website.

• Chocolate Santander, a single origin chocolate produced in Colombia, takes its name from the State of Santander, Eastern Colombia. The privileged terrains of the Andean mountains of Yariguies, yields Colombia’s best cacao known by its exquisite and delicate flavor.
• Peasants in the Santander municipalities of San Vicente de Chucurí, El Carmen, Rionegro and Landázuri have been growing cacao for more than two centuries in medium-size and small farms that sustain over 12,000 families. Cacao pods, in colorful yellows and reds, oranges and violets, are hand harvested with scissors and forks, split-opened with short machetes, sorted, fermented in wooden boxes, and then dried in the sun on wooden boards, all according to a centuries-old tradition that brings out the outstanding organoleptic attributes of Chocolate Santander.
• The special features of Chocolate Santander, the mix of Trinitario and Criollo cacao, rural tradition, and modern processing and quality-control technology are the pride of Compañía Nacional de Chocolates. Remarkable of this exceptional family of exclusive single-origin chocolates are the outstanding flavor, the richness of its floral and fruity aromas, and the distinctive nutty hues, attributes that will doubtlessly please the palates of the most demanding chocolate experts.
• For over half a century this company has been promoting good cultivation practices among growers like the use of organic fertilizers, species improvement and soil protection through adequate shading in planted forests that protect water sources and mountain slopes. For over half a century since the 1950’s, Compañía Nacional de Chocolates has been working side by side with cocoa growers. Its policy has been that of building an equitable and fair model that benefits producers and consumers alike and contributes to the country’s development.
  
  Aware of its responsibility, the Company abides by its corporate principles, namely:
• Fair prices and cash payments to growers.
• Permanent attention to maintaining good working conditions for all our personnel.
• Contribution to the wellbeing of workers and their families.
• Support to research and new technological developments at the Company’s agriculture farm.
• Promotion of sustainable and friendly agricultural practices.
• Establishment of a new farm with other sector members.
• Strengthening of cooperatives and growers associations.
• Improvements to growers’ competitiveness and returns, emphasizing sustainable environmental management of crops.
• Active participation in the Cocoa National Council, the Sector’s Policy Committee and the Technical Committees that direct and determine the sector’s future.
• Sponsorship of educational programs in cooperation with the Presidency of the Republic.
• Execution of the educational program “Nacional de Chocolates loves children” in existence for more than ten years.

Now its time to give this a try. My mouth is watering.

The product is inexpensive compared to other premium bars and is sold in 10 counts. Another neat thing is the range of cocoa contents as well as the interesting inclusions. Let us know what you think!

Click on the item number to see a picture.

40042	SANTANDER 36%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz
40041	SANTANDER 53%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz
40040N	SANTANDER 65%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz
40043	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/COFFEE BITS	10/2.5oz
40044	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/EXPRESSO	10/2.5oz
40252	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/NIBS	10/2.5oz
40122	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/PASSION FRUT	10/2.5oz
40123	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O BAR W/PINEAPPLE	10/2.5oz
40039	SANTANDER 70%COLUMBIAN S/O COCOA BAR	10/2.5oz

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MARGARITAVILLE

Margarita is a great flavor - heck its a great drink. In fact, we believe it is the favorite drink in the Southwest. We'd like to talk about the margarita items that we carry. They are in 2 categories - Redstone Branded Items and Non-Redstone Items.

Redstone Branded Items
55101 RED STONE'S MARGARITA CHOCOLATE BAR 24/2.25z
55200 RED STONE'S MARGARITA DROPS 6/7oz
55165 RED STONE'S MARGARITA RIM TRIM 6/4.5oz
8140 RED STONE'S MARGARITA SOURS 12/10oz
55400 RED STONE'S MINI MARGARITA COOKIES 11/9oz
55300 RED STONE'S JELLY – MARGARITA 12/12oz

• These are all fantastic tasting, nothing is compromised in taste just to say Margarita.
• They do well all year, but particularly well in the Spring and Summer time.
  
• You will not have competition on price for these item from national accounts. You will not find these in any of the "Marts" or Wal-Greens, etc. We design these items with the specialty retailer, and the typical margins, in mind.
• These are all small case packs with displays where appropriate. All have an easy way to merchandise them and have solid turns to keep product on the shelf fresh.
  
• Special deal on Rim Trim - we have a buy 2, get 1 offer, while supplies last.
  

Non-Redstone Items
001269 COCKTAIL CANDY TWIST – MARGARITA 12/1.26z
0075 HOTLIX MARGARITA POPS W/SALT SUGARFREE 36/1oz.
52968 JELLY BELLY MARGARITA 10/LB
351 STRAWBERRY MARGARITA WRAPPED HARD CANDY 30/LB

• These are not generally available in the mass market.
  
• They can be part of a seasonal section in your store, but can be sold off the shelf as well.
• Merchandising is fun with these items! The first two do really well by the cash register, the final two FLY off the shelf when merchandised inside of an oversized cup or margarita glass.

Please give these a shot and let us know how it goes!

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Sconza - Fantastic Products

Sconza is a great company with some fantastic items. They are family owned by some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. On top of that,

Anyhow, they have 3 outstanding items that I'd like to mention.
they have some really terrific items. Did you know that they are the largest producer of Jordan Almond's in the country? Pretty cool heh?

1. Chocolate Toffee Almonds: Four scrumptious layers of quality confectionary goodness: toasted almond, layer of buttery toffee, drenched in rich milk chocolate and dusted in delicate powdered sugar

· Made with premium California almonds

· Real premium grade Milk Chocolate

· Real Butter in Toffee

· Dusted in special confectioners powdered sugar

2. Chocolate Toffee Pistachios: Four scrumptious layers of quality confectionary goodness: toasted pistachio, a layer of crunchy buttery toffee, drenched in rich milk chocolate and dusted in delicate powdered sugar.

· Made with premium California pistachios

· Real premium grade Milk Chocolate

· Real butter in Toffee

· Dusted in special confections powdered sugar

3. Dark Chocolate Walnuts:

• Oversized toasted Walnut pieces drenched in dark smokey chocolate.

· Made with premium grade walnuts

· 52% Cacao Chocolate

SCONZA CANDY GENERAL INFORMATION:

· Sconza family started making and selling candy in the San Francisco

Bay Area in 1939.

· Today, the third generation of the Sconza family continues the candy making tradition.

· Signature confections are chocolate covered fruits and nuts.

· Quality ingredients are part of the family legacy.

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February Deals

Gang - We have some hot deals for February. These are items that we think needed a boost or product that is still fresh, but did not meet our expectations and we are clearing it out. If you'd like to see the list and are a current customer, please email our Customer Service.

cs at red stone foods dot com - this is all one word. We have to type it this way so that we don't get spammed like crazy. If you don't understand how to type this, just call us at our regular number.

THANKS!

Chili in Chocolate ???

You bet! When Redstone launched the
Redstone Red Chili Chipotle bar (72%
Belgian chocolate with Chipotle pepper),
people thought we were crazy. Less
than 3 years later, it is a top selling
bar. We now have a line of bars - see
below. The Christian Science Monitor
has an interesting story about spices in
chocolate.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/
1205/p13s01-lifo.html

55101RED STONE'S MARGARITA CHOCOLATE BAR

55102RED STONE'S RED CHILI CHIPOTLE CHOCOLATE BAR

55103RED STONE'S RED CHILI AND CURRY CHOC BAR

55104RED STONE'S JALAPENO & SALTED PEANUT - MILK

55105RED STONE'S OLD NEW ORLEANS CHOC BAR