| Editorial team
Chocolate always works. If you have been diligent as a reward. When you are doing well as a pleasure multiplier. When things go bad as a comforter. When you are under stress as a sedative. When you feel dull as a stimulant. An all-rounder – something that consumers value and that go straight for chocolate, as a glance at the sweet market shows.
The per capita sales of chocolate products in Germany alone amounted to 5.7 kilos in 2019. An increase to 6.3 kilos is forecast by 2025. This despite the fact that five years ago it was said that the European chocolate market was saturated. At that time, annual sales across the EU stagnated at just over four billion kilograms – which corresponds to around 40 billion bars.
The hype surrounding handmade chocolate bars with sometimes exotic flavor creations continues. This is due not least to an equally unshakeable to indestructible spirit of innovation. One of the most creative minds in the industry works in Erfurt. Over the past 16 years, Alex Kühn has built up and expanded his chocolate manufactory Goldhelm, which started out as a one-man show in a small store on the Krämerbrücke in Erfurt, into a small gourmet empire with supra-regional appeal. He now supplies more than 300 retailers throughout Germany and is knocking on the door of the Austrian market with increasing vehemence.
The Dutch brand Original Beans pursues the same concept - personal relationships with producers, direct supply routes and long-term contracts that are well above the market price and away from world market fluctuations. It is a radically sustainable approach that extends from cultivation and harvesting to processing and distribution. Customers come equally from the retail and food service sectors. The list of prominent brand ambassadors is long, ranging from Peter Gordon and Jamie Oliver to Thomas Scheiblhofer, Juan Amador, Tristan Brandt and Sabrina Ghayour. Awareness of the combination of sustainability and top quality continues to grow, and Original Beans does not believe the trend is slowing down. However, the concept at Original Beans is understood holistically. The company focuses on vegan chocolate, plastic-free, sometimes revolutionary, compostable packaging and plants a tree for every bar (which can be viewed directly via a QR code on the packaging) - so that in the end, every chocolate has a positive impact on the climate. Snacking while saving the world can be so easy.
In Austria, it has recently become possible to acquire the technical skills for this profession as part of a separate apprenticeship. The Chocolatier/Chocolatière training regulations came into force on August 1, 2021.
The new currency in cuisine is called trust. Guests no longer want theater—they want substance. Straker delivers exactly that. This attitude also sends a strong signal to restaurateurs in Austria and Germany: back to basics does not mean back to the past, but forward with authenticity.
A cookbook for everyone who wants to stage less and achieve more – at the stove and in their hearts. Perfect for professionals who are looking for honest inspiration and want to motivate their team to break new ground – with butter, gut feeling, and enthusiasm.
INFO
Recipes you’ll love
Author: Thomas Straker
Publisher: Callwey
240 pages
ISBN: 978-3-7667-2760-2
From liquid gold to fermented subtlety: here you will find everything you need to take your culinary repertoire to the next level. This section showcases food discoveries, ingredients, and gourmet products that everyone should know about—to refine, seduce, and amaze.
A new service employee is wanted. The position needs to be filled urgently, time is short – and the application arrives at half past midnight. Not by email, but via WhatsApp. The first questions are answered by an AI-supported chatbot, and the date for the trial period is suggested automatically. Everything runs efficiently, quickly and seemingly without any human intervention.
Such processes are no longer a future scenario, but reality. But this is precisely where the question arises: How much should AI be allowed to decide on its own – and when is human control necessary? A new area of tension is emerging between automation and responsibility, which must be handled with sensitivity, especially in labor-intensive industries such as catering and food production.
Chocolate always works. If you have been diligent as a reward. When you are doing well as a pleasure multiplier. When things go bad as a comforter. When you are under stress as a sedative. When you feel dull as a stimulant. An all-rounder – something that consumers value and that go straight for chocolate, as a glance at the sweet market shows.
The per capita sales of chocolate products in Germany alone amounted to 5.7 kilos in 2019. An increase to 6.3 kilos is forecast by 2025. This despite the fact that five years ago it was said that the European chocolate market was saturated. At that time, annual sales across the EU stagnated at just over four billion kilograms – which corresponds to around 40 billion bars.