Valrhona's pastry chef, Jermie Runel, poses with his favourite read. Valrhona?s pastry chef Jermie Runel gives away the secrets
7 Boutique revolution
Chocolate is by no means immune to the region’s continuing thirst for quality and exclusivity. Many chocolate suppliers have quickly diversified away from the mass-market to capitalise on the profitable luxury sector.
“In this region, chocolate has slowly moved away from being a mass-consumer product to something more boutique,” explains ChoCo’a managing partner, Assem Hamzeh, “and the emergence of this premium category has been a noticeable development.
“Today’s customers are more interested in the artisan elements that make up the taste and the product’s origin, so the region’s consumers are definitely more quality-driven and on the lookout for exclusive products that are less mainstream.”
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The trend is most evident in five-star hotel restaurants where a huge amount of emphasis is placed on the quality of the chocolate used on the menu in an attempt to differentiate the taste experience from the competition.
“In five-star hotels, finer chocolates are used for production,” explains Mövenpick Hotel Al Khobar executive sous chef, Gaurav Kakkar. “These chocolates are gaining acceptance because the region’s palate is developing with the introduction of many fine dining venues. Award winning chocolate manufacturers have now gained entry into the market and have created a niche for themselves in the luxury segment.”
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Jun 5, 2012 , United Arab Emirates
camel milk chocolate is not somthing new, I have tried it back in 2004