About us…
Based in London, we hand craft a range of smooth, thin chocolate discs using heirloom Nicaraguan cocoa beans and flavoured with carefully selected natural ingredients.
We start by carefully sorting and roasting the beans to accentuate their flavour before refining the nibs with golden cane sugar and natural Nicaraguan cocoa butter. Our flavoured range has the addition of natural ingredients such as nuts, coffee, freeze dried fruit and spices refined into our chocolate leaving a smooth texture and a fresh, natural taste.
Each chocolate is hand tempered and moulded into chocolate discs, before packing 20 of each into pull out draw boxes, creating a unique experience.
How Contour Chocolate started…
With a background training as a professional chef and working as a chocolatier in London, founder James was Inspired by the bean to bar movement and decided to start his own chocolate business, focusing on flavour, texture and the eating experience.
Starting with years of cocoa bean research, sampling and roasting in search of a flavour profile that had a rich chocolate flavour that would pair well with other flavours, but still had enough character to be enjoyed on its own.
For his flavoured range he wanted to use ingredients in their pure form, meaning no essential oils or flavourings whilst maintaining the same melt in the mouth texture of chocolate, which meant refining all ingredients into the chocolate during production.
To bring it all together James opted for a format that was thin to help the chocolate melt easily, shareable and visually inviting. Deciding on chocolate discs debossed with contour lines and packaged in a pull out draw box revealing 20 discs, adding theatre and interaction before tasting begins.
About the beans:
We use fine flavour heirloom cocoa beans from Ingemann in Nicaragua, who work with more than 1000 producers to create sustainable cocoa; providing farmers with training and technical support along the way. Once harvested, Ingemann collects all the beans and carries out the fermentation and drying process in a centralised location to ensure a consistent, quality product each time. They have many bean varieties to offer, we use the Chuno variety which is grown in northern Jinotega, Nicaragua. It was the 12th variety to be designated heirloom and one of only 16 recognised as heirloom in the world. Ingemann has a selection of Chuno beans that have undergone different post harvest processes to create unique flavour profiles. We use their Esencia beans which have undergone a longer fermentation with less oxygen, which once roasted produce a chocolate with tasting notes of rich cocoa, nuts and dried fruits. This produces a delicious chocolate on its own but also great as a base for our flavoured range.
Chuno beans being checked during drying (images courtesy of Ingemann fine cocoa)
The Cocoa Plantation in Nicaragua (images courtesy of Ingemann fine cocoa)
Chuno beans spread out for drying (images courtesy of Ingemann fine cocoa)
Chuno cocoa pods being split open to harvest the beans (images courtesy of Ingemann fine cocoa)
Chuno Pods (images courtesy of Ingemann fine cocoa)
About our ingredients:
Coffee:
We currently use Costa Rican beans from the Tarrazu valley which we roast fresh for each batch of coffee chocolate.
Red peppercorns:
We use Red Kampot peppercorns from Cambodia. Red peppercorns (unlike pink peppercorns which are actually a berry) are peppercorns that have been left to fully ripen before harvesting. This results in their red colour along with a sweeter and more aromatic heat than black peppercorns.
Passion fruit:
Sourced from Thailand, sweet, ripe passion fruits are freeze-dried to remove all the moisture, making them compatible with chocolate. By using freeze-dried fruit instead of essential oils we retain the passion fruit’s fresh and fruity taste.
Desert salt:
Sourced from the Kalahari desert, saltwater from an ancient underground lake is laid out under the African sun. Containing essential minerals and trace elements, this salt has a unique flavour without the astringency associated with sea salt, making it perfect to pair with our chocolate.
Hazelnuts:
Grown in the hills of Langhe, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Nocciola Piemonte IGP hazelnuts are known for their exceptional, delicate flavour. Freshly roasted by us for each batch, we refine them with our chocolate to create slightly softer, smooth and nutty chocolate.
Peanuts:
Grown in South Africa, we use the Common Natal peanut, part of the Spanish variety, which has a sweeter and nuttier flavour. Freshly roasted by us for each batch, we refine them with our chocolate to create slightly softer, smooth and nutty chocolate.