“Just because nobody’s told you you could, doesn’t mean you can’t.” -Samuel Maruta, Co-Founder of Marou Chocolate Samuel Maruta is the co-founder of Marou Chocolate, a craft chocolate company based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Since its founding in 2011, Marou has worked directly with Vietnamese cocoa farmers to source the seven cacao origins …

Considering all the delicious chocolates in Vietnam— and the not-so-delicious— there are enough chocolate shops in Hanoi alone to keep you occupied for a full day. High-quality, home-grown chocolate (sôcôla in Vietnamese) is the future here, and luckily there’s no shortage of it. The country even has some cacao wine producers, and a thriving coffee scene. …

Every time I plan my next Vietnam itinerary, it’s around the same thing: local chocolate. But because my best friend is from Saigon, on my trips I also inevitably get to sample foods and ingredients I might have have otherwise thought of, like street porridge or avocado ice cream. The culinary tastes of Vietnam are …

While Vietnam isn’t currently world-renowned for its cacao— though it’s getting there— the country’s locally-made chocolate has been growing in popularity over the last decade. Despite not being on anyone’s radar 10 years ago, Vietnam is now one of the hottest cacao origins in the world. Yet the story of chocolate in Vietnam goes back …

“Basically we’re finding the limits of what there is today [in terms of quality Vietnamese cacao].” -Samuel Maruta, Marou Chocolate Many people still think of Vietnam in terms of its contentious civil war, back in the 60’s and 70’s. But while the war has certainly left its mark, for chocolate lovers Vietnam has become one …

Vietnam does not make people think of sweets, by any means. In fact, you’ll notice a lot of the same players in the Vietnam dessert scene: coconut, rice, bananas, and fruit jellies. This has much to do with what foods are able to grow in Vietnam, meaning that the differences between northern and southern Vietnamese …

It would be offensive to send you to a Godiva Chocolate in Vietnam. It really would be. After all that I’ve seen of the chocolate and cacao production in this country, imported chocolates are not the focus in Vietnam— though the country has more than its fair share. High-quality, home-grown chocolate (sôcôla in Vietnamese) is …

“Every farmer that we started with [in 2011], we are still working with.” -Vincent Mourou, Marou Chocolate Vincent Mourou is widely recognized as one of the first craft chocolate makers in Asia. He’s one of the co-founders of Marou Chocolate, a value-added chocolate factory established in 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The company …

The taste of fresh cacao is unforgettable. It punches you in the mouth with a deep, honey sweet flavor that resembles a mango more than a chocolate bar. The brightness quickly turns sour, however, with the bite of acid that reminds you how fruity chocolates get their edge. Cacao fruit’s flavor is fleeting, too, as the …

I’ll never forget my first taste of fresh cacao, sour and floral and so much sweeter than I had anticipated. I was so surprised at the bitterness that leaked out when I bit down, that I nearly spit it out. I’d been reviewing bean-to-bar chocolates alone for years, but had never consumed any form of raw …