Loading...

Zero waste & emission free

100% Organic

Pick & mix your own box!

Book a tour of the factory

Single Origin

Chocolatemakers makes strong chocolate from bean to bar 100% in-house

What started as a boyhood dream for Enver and Rodney of Chocolatemakers, making chocolate themselves, grew into the opening of the world's most sustainable chocolate factory. The founders expect to produce 200,000 kilos of chocolate in the factory, which will be open to the public from 5 October. Large quantities of chocolate bars will leave the factory that many thousands of fans in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany consume every day.


With this, we are realising a long-cherished dream. From our very beginning in 2011, we wanted to show people how chocolate is made. And not the mass-produced chocolate from mega-factories, but the artisanal process where quality rather than efficiency is key. Where the focus is on the bean, its origin and its fantastic flavours. We bring the human touch back into the process and you can taste that,' say Rodney Nikkels (48) & Enver Loke (45).

Sjakie and the...
Sustainable chocolate factory, of course. But that's not so natural. Where can you find a chocolate factory where chocolate is made entirely in-house, from bean to bar? Only when you have mastered all the steps of chocolate making can you call yourself a true chocolate maker.
Chocolatemakers. Where at present 60-70,000 tonnes (60-70,000 kilos) of chocolate are made from beans to bars and couvertures in-house, the two chocolate makers expect to produce 200 tonnes of chocolate in the near future, and even 400 tonnes in the long run.

 

The Dutch chocolate brand shows that the entire cocoa chain, from farmer to consumer, can be transparent, fair and sustainable. Rodney explains: 'That means that we innovate on all fronts . We look beyond fair trade or organic: environmentally friendly transport, a zero-waste production process and nature conservation are also part of it. We believe in a holistic approach. The farmers' cooperative from Peru with whom we opened a chocolate factory in Peru in May this year, are also shareholders in the new factory in Amsterdam. In 2014 we were already named Amsterdam 's most sustainable SME and now five years later we are proud to open our factory, with a fully transparent roof of solar panels, so that we can provide for our own energy needs.'

Visitable chocolate factory
In recent years, Rodney and Enver have built their own sustainable chocolate factory in Amsterdam-West, in the middle of the largest cacao port in the world. From the end of this year, everyone is welcome in the Chocolatemakers factory to see (and taste) how the chocolate is made.
This unique tour can be booked via the website www.chocolatemakers.nl.

The chocolate factory works exclusively with 'single origin beans', which are bought directly from farmers. The sailing ship that brings the cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic can moor right in front of the door of the new chocolate factory. And there is room for the cyclists
of the bi-annual Schokofahrt to distribute the chocolate on bicycles to Germany.

About Chocolatemakers
Chocolatemakers makes the chocolate from bean to bar in their own factory in Amsterdam. The chocolate is made with 'single origin' beans purchased directly from cocoa farmers. Three origins, each with its own story:

Large quantities of chocolate bars leave the factory and are enjoyed daily by many fans in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The products are available at Ekoplaza, Marqt, Holland & Barrett and other (organic) shops throughout the Netherlands or via the webshop www.chocolatemakers.nl.

 

(more...)