Chocolate made in Vietnam wins French people’s favour

The lightly bitter, sweet taste of Vietnamese chocolate bars has won the hearts of many French people in a recent meeting in Foyer Vietnam in Paris.

Imported by Delikats Company, the Vietnamese chocolate brand Marou is now present in France, one of the world’s best-known chocolate makers and processors.

The creation of the Marou brand name is attributed to the passion and creativity of two French chocolate makers, Vincent Mourou and Samuel Maruta, who quit their jobs in finance and advertising in France and traveled to the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions of Vietnam. There, they worked with Vietnamese farmers at cocoa farms.

The Vietnamese chocolate brand Marou. Photo: thechocolatechronicles.com

Their ambition was creating a chain of self-contained chocolate production, from processing cocoa seeds to packaging and selling chocolate bars. This production form is called “bean-to-bar” in English, but it had not yet been carried out in Vietnam.

So far, the French company has created six types of chocolate products, with the content of cocoa ranging between 70 percent and 78 percent. The cocoa is chosen from different localities such as Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Ba Ria, Tien Giang, Dong Nai and Ben Tre. Each has its own distinctive flavour notes.

Klervi Mandon, a representative from the company, said the Marou founders have lived in Vietnam since 2011. They hired around a dozen rural families to grow cocoa on various areas, each about two hectares.

Vincent Mourou and Samuel Maruta built a production factory in Thu Duc district, Ho Chi Minh City, with a 20-member staff.

Their handmade chocolate products are more expensive than industrial ones, but the quality and flavour meet the needs of high-end markets in Vietnam and compete with international products.

Foyer Vietnam Manager Nguyen Binh could not hide his pride about the fact that Vietnam has made its name abroad as a chocolate maker.