Zero waste & emission free
100% Organic
Pick & mix your own box!
Book a tour of the factory
Single Origin
About 100 cyclists ride more than 1250 kg of chocolate from Amsterdam to 32 cities in Germany
On Saturday 30 March, around 100 cyclists from all over Germany will come to Chocolatemakers, the Amsterdam chocolate factory, for the 15th time. The company Chocolatemakers has a radically different view of impact and makes the impossible possible. A large part of Chocolatemakers' cocoa beans comes from the Dominican Republic to Amsterdam with the sailing ship 'Tres Hombres' entirely on wind power. This is used to make delicious chocolate that is cycled to Germany completely emission-free by enthusiastic German cargo cyclists: the 'Schokofahrt' – the largest bicycle transport in the world! From Berlin to Mannheim, cyclists come to pick up around 14,000 organic chocolate bars in Amsterdam.
The cocoa used for the Tres Hombres bar arrives in Amsterdam once a year on the sailing ship Tres Hombres. In 2016 , some German cycling fanatics were stimulated by the story of Chocolatemakers and the Tres Hombres, which grew into a major movement within a few years. Since then, the Schokofahrt has taken place twice a year (April and October) to transport the Tres Hombres bars from Amsterdam to Germany and put them on the shelf in stores emission-free.
"Everything we do at Chocolatemakers, we do based on our conviction that business operations can and must be done differently. Finding alternatives for production, packaging and logistics is central to us, but also just the adventure. The Schokofahrt was also born from that idea and we are very happy to work with them!", says Rodney Nikkels, one of the founders of Chocolatemakers.
More info on www.chocolatemakers.nl and www.schokofahrt.de
Last Friday, the crew of the sailing freighter Tres Hombres loaded the new cargo of Trinitario beans from our partner Conacado!
On Saturday they left for the Azores, led by captain Anne-Flore, the last stop before they are expected at our quay in Amsterdam around April 20th!
We hope to welcome them back to our factory in a big way. Since they travel purely by wind power, we never know exactly when to expect them.
If you want to be there, keep an eye on our social media channels!
Follow the ship: Tres Hombres – Marine Traffic
Read more about the origin: Dominican Republic
Chocolatemakers comes out with the most sustainable Saint letters ever.
From the solar-powered factory in Amsterdam's Cocoa Harbour comes another innovation that pushes the boundaries of sustainability. Chocolatemakers is launching Sintletters for the first time this year. In line with their high standards of sustainability, the cocoa for these letters came to Amsterdam by sailing ship from the Dominican Republic. As if that were not enough, all three types of letters are completely vegan.
Taste is at the heart of the Amsterdam chocolate factory. Ten years of artisan experience and dedication mean that new and better flavors are constantly being created. Above all, the chocolate must be tasty; this is the only way to increase its impact. The recent IPCC report makes it clear: We can no longer afford to damage the crucial ecosystems of our planet.
And companies can do much more to positively influence climate change.
The market for Sinterkletters in the Netherlands is large, which is why the chocolate company chose to make an impact then when people snack the most: during the holidays. The letters come in three flavors: 65% dark, 40% vegan milk with Sinterklaas spices and golden white. As usual with Chocolatemakers, all the letters are 100% organic and available online and in organic supermarkets.
Every letter sold increases the impact and protects the rainforest, ensures that farmers are paid a living wage and protects our climate. The letters are also available for businesses as St. Nicholas gifts.
October 2023, Amsterdam
For years, the Amsterdam chocolate company has been the textbook example of sustainable business and production. From sailed cocoa to a factory running on solar energy, the Amsterdam entrepreneurs have always been ahead of their time when it comes to sustainability. That's why the company is now fully behind the biodynamic trend that is becoming increasingly visible on supermarket shelves. Their collaboration with Brazilian biodynamic farmers that had already started last year with two bars has now expanded to a larger assortment that includes special inclusions such as vegan caramel.
Biodynamic agriculture complies with all the regulations that organic agriculture must meet. All biodynamic products are also organic. However, biodynamic agriculture goes further and has more rules for the environment and animal welfare. The basis of biodynamic agriculture is the structure and fertility of the soil. A natural soil with a healthy and rich soil life is the starting point of good biodiversity in an ecosystem. Preserving the individual character of animals and plants and the taste of products is another spearhead of the biodynamic method. Natural manure and compost are used and even though there are more rules attached to it, farmers often prefer this method. There is no need to purchase expensive chemical pesticides, the land remains more fertile and healthy, and the farmer can do it all himself.
Chocolatemakers has been the epitome of sustainability for more than a decade, focusing on climate, farmers and biodiversity. This is why they decided to invest in expanding their biodynamic range. The four bars under the Demeter range are all vegan. A vegan bar with 30% cocoa and vegan caramel, a vegan bar with 48% cocoa, a pure bar with 65% cocoa and roasted hazelnuts and a pure bar with 70% cocoa and sea salt.
The range is now available in organic supermarkets and Chocolatemakers' webshop
CHOCOLATE MAKERS
Chocolatemakers is all about creating the perfect taste. The unique taste is an outcome of all the sustainable choices they make within the chain. All products are organic, plastic-free and produced on solar energy in their own factory in the cocoa port of Amsterdam.
www.chocolatemakers.nl
In July, our colleague Julia went to Colombia to visit our partner, the women's cooperative CooAgroNevada. It is always special to visit the farmers and cooperatives we work with. A friendly reminder of what a biodiverse rainforest looks like, how well-paid farmers like what they're doing, and how tangible our impact really is. We would like to share some highlights with you.
Did you know?
- The cooperative started in 2007 with 4 acres of land in the area of Sierra Nevada where coffee and cocoa are grown
- One acre of land provides around 800-1000 million kg of beans
- The cooperative currently works with 50 farms of which 16 grow cocoa
- The cocoa is growing 800m above sea level (1000m is the maximum altitude at which cocoa plants can flourish)
- The pods are harvested twice every year in the months of May, June, July, and then again in November & December
- The cocoa beans in the pulp need to get to a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius on the first day of fermentation, and after that to sometimes even 50 degrees. Thanks to the temperature in the city and working with wooden boxes this is achievable. The first step of the fermentation process takes 48 hours before the beans are moved to a so-called 'fresh' box where they remain for 24 hours. This cycle repeats for 7 days.
- In other parts of the area the crops are grown non-organic, with pesticides and insecticides depleting soil and biodiversity. That causes all sorts of animals to relocate towards the CooAgroNevada area to live where no harmful pesticides are used at all. Resulting in a paradise of flourishing biodiversity.
- Additional beehives have been placed throughout the area to increase biodiversity. The delicious honey is sold locally.
- Some things here are hard to describe or catch in a photograph. But the most extraordinary fact here is the land itself. The cocoa grows under the canopy of tall, old trees. This way of cocoa farming is called a shadow-plant system. The best and most natural method to restore biodiversity and protect the rainforests as well as the yield.
- The finished product -chocolate- is mostly eaten in countries where cocoa plants don't grow. This means that most of the world's cocoa farmers never actually get to taste chocolate. Unlike the team of CooAgroNevada. They have been making chocolate traditionally at home for years!
- CooAgroNevada chose to grow organically for two reasons:
=> This way of farming educates people on how to work with the land, help it restore, and keep it in its "original state"
=> Chemical fertilizers are very expensive in Colombia
Chocolatemakers is the sole buyer of the beans from CooAgroNevada. Our Pure Love bar is the world's only bar made with their beans!
After a long, but prosperous journey of nearly 6 months, the sailing freighter the Tres Hombres has returned to Chocolatemakers in the western port area of Amsterdam. In the hold: no less than 12 tons of organic Trinitario cocoa beans. Good for some 240,000 special Tres Hombres bars.
Every year since 2012, the Tres Hombres has been bringing a large load of cocoa to the Chocolatemakers' chocolate factory. This time, too, it took six months to complete the journey. A journey that takes 4143 nautical miles (7673 km) from the Dominican Republic to the Netherlands.
The idea behind the Tres Hombres and its shipping company Fairtransport fits seamlessly with Chocolatemakers' sustainable philosophy. Founder and owner Rodney: "Sustainability and taste are our starting points in everything we do and make. For example, our chocolate factory has a roof made entirely of solar panels, we already produce almost entirely CO2 neutral as a result. When we heard about the Tres Hombres 10 years ago, we immediately sought cooperation. That ship was named after three friends who dreamed of sustainable cargo transport by sea. They have beautifully restored a 32-meter brigantine from 1943. With self-trained people, they sail from Europe to the Caribbean every year. They unload the cocoa at our own quay, right next to the factory, energy-efficient as can be."
In the fall, the ship will set sail again for the Caribbean.
The sailing cargo ship "Tres Hombres
The 32-meter brigantine "Tres Hombres" has been in service since December 2009. She operates a sustainable cargo service between Europe, the Atlantic Islands, the Caribbean and the Americas. In addition to a cargo capacity of 40 tons, she has accommodation for 7 crew & 8 apprentices / trainees.
CHOCOLATE MAKERS
Chocolatemakers is all about creating the perfect taste. The unique taste is a result of all the sustainable choices they make within the chain. All products are organic, plastic-free and produced on solar energy in their own factory in Amsterdam's cocoa port. www.chocolatemakers.nl
Download the photos here: Arrival Tres Hombres
Amsterdam-based chocolate producer Chocolatemakers is introducing two new Demeter-certified bars, building on the sustainability of their range. The bars with biodynamic ingredients come in two flavors, a 70% dark and a vegan "milk" bar. Through continued innovation, Chocolatemakers is gaining a foothold on organic retail shelves and setting the standard for sustainability ever higher.
Taste and innovation
Although there are more and more organic products in supermarkets and organic chocolate is also gaining ground, the sector often still lacks innovations and lags behind especially on taste. Chocolatemakers has managed to change that. The best restaurants and pastry chefs from all over the Netherlands are using their chocolate because the taste in the category far exceeds it.
With the latest innovation, these chocolate makers are once again making themselves heard and attracting the attention of chocolate lovers. Two Demeter certified bars with cocoa from biodynamic farms in Brazil. A dark bar with 70% cocoa and sea salt, and a 48% vegan "milk" bar that manages to convince with a real chocolate taste and is barely distinguishable from ordinary milk chocolate. A necessary innovation for the vegan consumer, who often had to choose products with huge amounts of sugar and little real chocolate taste.
Biodynamic chocolate
For more than a decade, Chocolatemakers has been making organic chocolate. That two biodynamic varieties have now been added to the range is the next step in the company's ongoing sustainability efforts and in line with their vision.
"Chocolate should taste great. Organic cacao tastes many times better than conventional cacao, that has to do with the lack of harmful additives and the fact that farmers are paid better and can take their time drying and fermenting the cacao. Biodynamic goes even a step further than organic, with a strong focus on soil health. This contributes to the health of people and the planet, something we have always contributed to." - Chocolatemakers
Consumers are becoming more conscious and the need to make better choices for the body and the planet is becoming more apparent. Demeter could therefore report a 28% growth in sales last year compared to 2020.
Schokofahrt#11
On 16 April, 165 cyclists will ride from the Chocolatemakers' factory in Amsterdam to Germany to deliver 18,000 chocolate bars to German shopkeepers.
This "Schokofahrt" is an initiative by German bicycle enthusiasts who, in this way, make Chocolatemakers' chocolate available in Germany. Nikolai Wystrychowski, initiator of the Schokofahrt from Münster: "We would like to contribute to the mission of Chocolatemakers to make the last part of their cocoa chain sustainable. It feels good to contribute in a positive way with our passion for cycling'.
The event normally takes place twice a year, but due to Corona it was in a different form the last two years. In April, the Amsterdam chocolate makers can finally welcome their German friends back to the factory. Once there, they load 18,000 kg of chocolate into their cargo bikes and drive back to Germany to deliver the special chocolate to 120 shops. The route varies from 230 km (Münster) to 1300 km (Vienna-Austria).
With the Schokofahrt, Chocolatemakers is forming its own unique chocolate chain that is sustainable from start to finish.We have realised a fully sustainable chocolate chain, from bean to bar. The beans (from the Dominican Republic) are sailed to Amsterdam on the sailing ship 'Tres Hombres' and we turn them into delicious chocolate in our own solar-powered factory in Amsterdam.
The Schokofahrt cyclists each organise their own bicycle tour in cooperation with shops in their city. In the end, they all meet here in Amsterdam at our factory.Everyone is excited to join in and be part of our adventure to make the whole cocoa chain sustainable. It is a beautiful story that everyone wants to be part of.
More info on www.chocolatemakers.nl and www.schokofahrt.de
Download the photos here.