chocoMe MAGAZIN 12TH ISSUE SPRING 2016
HAZELNUT SQUARED NEW RAFFINÉE FLAVOUR MADE BY CHOCOME
CHOCOME AT SALON DU CHOCOLAT CHOCOME IN ITALY INTRODUCING RADOVÁN RADOSEVICS INTERVIEW WITH FERENC RÓBERT VÁGYI
HAZELNUT SQUARED NEW RAFFINÉE FLAVOUR MADE BY CHOCOME chocoMe’s dragee speciality the blonde chocolate Raffinée won a Gold Medal last time at the prestigious International Chocolate Awards and received the title of the world’s best white chocolate dragee made with nuts. After the event everyone was seriously excited what will be the chocolate manufactory’s next move.
“The creation of the new, eighth Raffinée flavour wasn’t challenging purely cause of that, we wanted to not just compliment the hazelnut from Piemonte, but to make it even more special, without losing it’s characteristic creamy flavour.” - said Gábor Mészáros, chocoMe’s founder and owner. We were experimenting for a long time but finally the new product took form as the exciting, sensual mix of ground Harrar coffee beans and hazelnut chocolate.
Valrhona’s unique hazelnut chocolate debuts with this chocoMe creation: it is the perfect harmony of hazelnut, creamy milk and chocolate of unequaled quality. We condense this chocolate mass and enrich it with the roasted, ground, exceptionally sweet and intense Harrar coffee delicacy to form the chocolate shell that encases the Piemonte hazelnut.
Piemonte hazelnut covered in ground Ethiopian Harrar coffee and hazelnut flavoured milk chocolate
Piemonte hazelnut covered in ground Ethiopian Harrar coffee and hazelnut flavoured milk chocolate. We tuned this milk chocolate creation to perfect harmony with finely ground Harrar arabica coffee from Ethiopia and silky smooth hazelnut cream. We cast the worldfamous hazelnuts from Piemonte into the embrace of this exciting chocolate mass.
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FROMCHOCOME EXHIBITION EXHIBITION – CHOCOME'S YEARS CAOTO70% CSOKOLÁDÉ BEMUTATÁSA AT THE DU CHOCOLATEGYEDÜLÁLLÓ SERIES - A SALON VOILÉ TERMÉKEINK ALAPANYAGA A francia Cacao Barry 70% kakaótartalmú étcsokoládéja lehengerlően kakaós karakterrel
The wolrd's biggest chocolate themed exhibition started in Paris 22 years ago.
rendelkezik. A csokoládé alapjául szolgáló, válogatott kakaóbabok az egyenlítő közelében
At first this great event was only held at the French capital , but as the years
elhelyezkedő ültetvényről származnak, ahol a különleges terroir és a kedvező időjárási
passed it appeared in other big cities in France as well: Toulouse, Lyon és Marseille.
körülményeknek köszönhetően egyedülállóan gazdag aromákat hordoznak. A csokoládéban így az erőteljes kakaósságot enyhén virágos és savanykás gyümölcsös jegyek teszik teljessé.
Not long after that the Salon du Chocolat arrived in New York, Tokyo, Moscow, Brussels, Zürich, London, Milan, Beirut, Lima – based on the unprecedented
A Cacao Barry több mint 170 éve a kíváló minőségű csokoládék megkérdőjelezhetetlen
domestic success the French organizers took the show to many of the greatest
szakértője – a francia gasztronómia szimbóluma -, neves francia séfek, szaktekintélyek, cities in the world. innovatív csokoládékészítők és mestercukrászok választása. Egyedi terroir és rendkívül kedvező időjárási viszonyok kakaóültetvényeiket, ahollocal a kakaó gyümölcsöket helyi The highlight of every eventjellemzik is the fashion show where chocolate makers farmerek közreműködésével termesztik, melynek a kézzel begyűjtött és and famous fashion designers present the köszönhetően fruits of their cooperation, válogatott kakaóbabjaik gazdag aromával rendelkeznek. garments decorated andpáratlanul made from chocolate. One can meet several famous
chocolate makers at the events every year, but chocoMe is still the only Hungarian brand present.
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LONDON – OCTOBER 16-18, 2015
Last year's event in London was particularly important for chocoMe as Salon du Chocolat hosted the world's most important chocolate competition, the International Chocolat Awards in October. We entered with several products and one of our Raffinée creations (Sicilian almond covered with Guérande salty blonde chocolate and crispy wafer) won Gold Medal in the Best White Chocolate Dragee with Nuts category. As if this wouldn't be enough two of our Raffinée products won a Silver and a Bronze Medal at the World Championship Finals.
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PARIS – OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 1, 2015
In the home town of Salon du Chocolat, chocoMe products are always a big success, this wasn't different last year. As the Raffinée brand grows, so does our sales figures. Along with the classic chocolate bars these nutty dragees are the most popular at the French event series.
BRUSSELS – FEBUARY 5-7, 2016 We started 2016 with two new products that were available for purchase right at the event. One was the candied bergamot peel covered in Venezuelan dark chocolate, the other the Piemonte hazelnut covered in ground Ethiopian Harrar coffee and hazelnut flavoured milk chocolate. Both of these new products proved to be very popular, especially the candied bergamot which surprised and delighted us.
MILAN – FEBUARY 13-15, 2016
The Salon du Chocolat in Milan was a little bit more special because other than the normal 3 day fair the organizers toped it off with a fourth, strictly professional day. This day was dedicated to business and providing confectionary professionals an opportunity to pursue new business. The fantastic regular fashion show was also a must-see at the events in Milan.
CHOCOME IN ITALY INTRODUCING OUR ITALIAN PARTNER, GIOVANNI BALLETTA Please introduce yourself, how did you start the cooperation with chocoMe? My collaboration with chocoMe started in a very simple way. One evening I wrote an email to the Hungarian headquarters and the next day I received a reply from Gabor Meszaros, the founder of chocoMe, who told me that he was very excited about the opportunity to bring chocoMe to Italy. When and where did you first met with the brand? The first time I saw a chocoMe product was at the home of a friend who bought a couple of bars on a trip to France. It was love at first sight and I knew it was a perfect product for the Italian market. What did you do before the cooperation with chocoMe? Previously I was a marketing consultant for big companies. Today providing advice is still an important part of my work but I spend 90% of my energy on helping chocoMe grow in Italy. What was your first impression about the products? As I said previously it was love at first sight. From the first moment I understood the potential, the quality and personality of the chocoMe chocolates. What was your experiences when you first introduced the chocoMe chocolates in your country? The chocoMe products had a great impact on the Italian market. I dare say that the arrival of chocoMe was almost shocking, because on the Italian market we never sold anything quite like it before. Initially the Italian consumers were rather surprised because they had never tasted a product so good and of such excellent quality as those created by chocoMe, but at the same time they were also curious. What were the feedbacks from the customers about the products? Their initial surprise have faded and now they are begining to fully appreciate the greatness of chocoMe’s chocolate. What are the specifities of the italian market? The Italian market is not an easy market. Consumers are always looking for the highest quality products but they do not have much confidence in new products poping up. We need to break through this initial mistrust and it is not always easy, but we are working with care and attention to "convince" the Italian consumers, and we achieved very good results so far.
What do you think, which are the most popular chocoMe creations in Italy? In Italy the most successful products are fruity, spicy and halzenut chocolate bars. The Raffinées are very popular in all variants as well as the Voilès. How many collegaue do you work with? I work with my friend Fabio (he is also my business partner), we also work with Laura (administration) and Roberta (customer order management). What are your plans for the future? Our future is also our immediate present. We are working on a series of important agreements with some partners very interested in chocoMe products. Do you usually go to events with the chocoMe products in Italy? We like to participate in some particular gastro events. It is the best way to meet new customers and it is a good way to introduce our products to a large number of consumers. Which is your favourite chocoMe creation? I must admit: my biggest love yet is Raffinée.
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INTRODUCING RADOVÁN RADOSEVICS OWNER OF THE RADOVIN WINE WORKSHOP Please tell us a couple of words about your company. It all started in 2001 as a one man company out of pure love. I knew what I wanted to do and how to do it. I wanted to introduce to the public the deserts and beverages that I considered to be the best available. We have 3 shops today, but the goal stayed the same. Finding the best of everything and sharing it with the savvy customers. With a bigger than small, but still managable beverage shop this is a big challenge, but it's also exciting and a noble endeavour. When and how did the cooperation started with chocoMe? We consider ourselves lucky as we started our partnership with chocoMe since it took off. If I remember correctly we sold our first chocolate bar in September 2010. How many people do you have in your team? Currently there are seven of us, like the samurai. I consider myself one of the team. Everyone is strong willed, with clear plans and amibitions for the future. There's always something happening in our shops. Do you recommend chocolate bars for the wines you sell? Well of course. We are thinking in pairs only. May it be chocolate and wine, drinks and events, food, wine or even perfume. We are always looking for harmony, perfecting our offers. Is it more common for people to come into the shop looking for wine and ending up with a chocolate bar or the other way around? The former is most common. And I'd like to point it out how easy it is to work with your products. They are going very well with the most diverse beverages. Which one is the best selling creation? Raffinées and Voilés sell high above anything else. Mainly because they compliment so many kinds of drinks, but also because the team is crazy for these products. Which one is your favourite chocoMe creation? I really like the blonde chocolate Raffinée-t and the ones with hazelnuts. Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you spend your free time? It sounds cliché, but my job is also my hobbie. I'm at tastings as much as I can, and explore and experiment with foods and drinks. Other than that I have a serious case of dog-fever. I sepend all my time with my two "sons".
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INTERVIEW WITH FERENC RÓBERT VÁGYI CHOCOME'S ACCOUNTANT Please introduce yourself in a few words, how did you end up working with chocoMe? My name is Ferenc Róbert Vágyi, and I'm an accountant by trade. I graduated in 1988 from the then Karl Marx University of Economics as a finance major. I was constantly improving myself first I worked as a tax advisor, then I got a degree as a foreign trade salesman. Following that I became a certified auditor and tax expert. I have a wife Vágyiné Csillá Gasztonyi Csilla, we are happily married for 27 years now, with two children: Gabriella (25), an architect and amateur painter, and Péter (23) who's a technical manager. I came in contact with chocoMe through another commission, where they told me they are looking for someone to take over the books and serve as a tax advisor, I was happy to oblige. Did you know the chocoMe products before? No, I did not, I only saw a couple of creations in passing at fairs. How did you end up as an accountant, what motivated you? It was predestined because of my studies, even back in high-school my literature teacher told I'm not going to be a poet or anything but my mastery of the language will come in handy. Despite that I started working at a bank and later at the local council, I was the financial manager of a small company for a bit. While doing these jobs I started acounting from home as a private entrepreneur in 1989, I hold that licence till this day. In 1994 I started my own accounting / tax advisor firm, Tax-center 1994. Kft. headed by my lovely wife who is also an accountant and tax-advisor. What are the challenges in your day to day job? Interpreting the law perfectly is the big challenge, it makes or breaks our ability to be able to give advice efficiently. Also it is our only means of competing with the other firms and the Domestic Tax Agency. Being a tax official representative brings a whole other bag of excitement. What are the upsides and downsides of your profession? The advisory part is the highlight of my job, finding the best legal solution to a tax problem is a win-win for everyone. Finding an option that is satisfactory for the Tax Agency as well is more than perfect. But my job is not mine alone anymore, it's a coordinated team effort, I get a lot of help from my collegues, our main selling points as a firm is "good reputation, proficiency, teamwork and communication". Without these we couldn't stay in business for the last 25-30 years. The downside also concerns the law, which changes a lot, sometimes several times a year, and the advisors and the Tax Agency tend to have different interpretations of said law. We have our hands full most of the time.
What was the greatest challenge concerning chocoMe? The EKÁER introduction was a major issue, a lot depended on the correct interpretation of the law and we had to build a foolproof system at the company, to be able to report quickly and efficiently. What do you do in your free time? When I'm not at the firm I am teaching financing, accounting and taxation, at the Economics Department of the West-Hungarian University in Sopron. During weekends I hold spiritual healing courses throughout the country. Angel Correspondence Course and Angel Healing. I'm also a member of the board at the Chamber of tax. Do you have a favourite chocoMe creation? Yes, I have many. I like dark chocolate, the more exotic the better. I have no special preferences when it comes to chocolate bars, I adore them all, but in the Raffinée line I prefer the one with wild pepper, and the candied ginger Voilé.
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INTRODUCING
FANNI ZSIGÓ A MEMBER OF THE CHOCOALTE MAKER TEAM How did you end up in the chocoMe team? I was job-hunting last spring and a collegue of my dad brought this opportunity to my attention. I sent my resume and they called me for an interview in a couple of days. I was very happy, the job interview and the trial day went very well, and Gábor Mészáros decided to hire me. I immediately quit my previous job, and joined the chocoMe team in 2015, July 21. Where did you work before? I was a confectionary administrator in a school training people for the various branches of the food industry in Budapest. I handled invetory, talked to suppliers, receive orders, and the paperwork that comes with it. What is your job a chocoMe? I am a chocolate maker, but I don't only make chocolate bars, I also make Raffinée. What are the upsides and downsides of your work? The upside is that I can learn something new every day, there is another side to it but I wouldn't call it downside. I have to consider a lot of details when I'm making the dragees. The air that compressor blows in the drum, the temperature of the manufactory, the temperature of the chocolate, and a lot of other things can all affect how fast a batch will be finished. Every batch is different, I have to pay attention to everything and that's a big responsibility, cause if I put something in the drum, I can't take it out, the chocoalte sets and that's that. So it is extremely important to keep in mind the order in which the ingredients go in. Which was the msot interesting creation you ever made? When I started everything was super inetersting. The chocolate bars, the Raffinée, the Volié. How they are made, what they are made of, but if I have to choose one I would say it's the blonde chocolate Raffniée. Every base ingredient is special at chocoMe, but the blonde chocolate takes the prize. As the salty and sweet creates a harmony with the almonds and then it's crowned with the milled wafer... How do you spend your free time, do you have any hobbies? Tell us about yourself. I graduated as a confectionary baker at the Pesti Barnabás Food Industry School, and I worked here for 2 years before chocoMe. I'm living in the countryside for 16 years now with my parents and my dog. I have a boyfriend who graduated from the same school with the same profession. He works as a confectionary baker. I like sports, hiking, canoeing, dancing. As soon as the weather let's me, I'm outside, running, canoeing, or just walking for miles and miles.
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chocoMe Kft. 1135 Budapest, Kisgรถmb utca 23. www.chocome.hu info@chocome.hu www.facebook.com/chocome.hu +361 789 5755