Terroirs & Grands Crus
Each land has its own story, its own subtle composition of nature and culture. Life blooms there, generously nourished by the secret essence of minerals, by the sun, the winds, streams and rivers. Yet, what truly makes the Terroir is the union of natural elements and human expertise. This includes not only the choice of land, but also the weather cycles, and the skill required to encourage the plant to grow, protecting it and guiding it so that it may fully express its unique qualities.
The Grands Crus Historiques and the Grands Crus d’Exception, selected by Stéphane Bonnat, are bars from true terroirs, with unique and unparalleled characteristics, without any inclusion of other types of cocoa. These flagship products of Maison Bonnat are honoured with the highest international awards.
"When I travel to Ecuador, I know that I'm in an important terroir. Our farming partners are the Tsachilas, who call themselves "los colorados". Through our work with the Tsachilas, we share the "colours" of the ancestral science of taste and all the riches chocolate can express, the strength and personality of the pure origin of the Grand Crus."
Equateur
Colour of the sun, subtle and delicate perfume in which you guess an aftertaste of flowers and honey.
Côte d'Ivoire
Classical, light and perfumed
We have perfected the classical qualities of Ivory Coast cocoa: the world of colours and the perfumes of its land, the patient and attentive charm of its farmers, all under the brilliance of the African sky.
Madagascar
Fair, soft and fruity, very balanced.
Madagascar is like the winds and currents of the Indian Ocean: refined, mysterious, gentle and unpredictable. The great island gives the cocoa its character; its notes are soft, fruity, surprising and always fair.
Puerto Cabello
Very fine and tonic, it perfumes the palate for a long time.
The gateway to Venezuela for over four hundred years, Puerto Cabello is a major centre for cocoa trading with Europe. It was once full of challenges and encounters, the threshold to a new world. From this sense of adventure, effort and action, we have gained a philosophy, calmer values, and a spirit of solid cooperation with very experienced farmers.
Hacienda El Rosario
Wonderful cocoa, multiplicity of delicate perfumes, power and sensitivity. It will please the enlightened amateurs.
Our family has been present in Venezuela for centuries and we have developed a very strong affinity with the historical cocoa production sites. Our visits to these original lands are always a learning experience for us, as we continue to search for the perfect taste, for rediscovered essence, ever closer to the chocolatier's ideal.
Chuao
Indisputable number 1, powerful and hot.
For five thousand years, the soul of Chuao has shaped its landscapes and the cocoa grown here by generations of farmers remains the absolute benchmark for chocolate lovers. The original cocoa of the Grands Crus, it reaps the benefits of Venezuela's unique soil and climate. The farmers cultivate their magical forest, between the ocean and the mountains, with simplicity, pride, and skill. Chuao is the jewel of the Grands Crus Historiques created by Raymond Bonnat in 1983. Within it, we faithfully reproduce the cocoa's pure and powerful notes.
Trinité
A must, bright, passionate and sunny cocoa. Its perfume becomes more and more powerful in palate
Located near to Venezuela, the last pearl of the Antilles, Trinity Island, has entwined its history with the adventure of cocoa for close to five hundred years. With its dreamy landscapes and warm welcome, Trinity Island is filled with legends, both those of the Caribbean and those of its first inhabitants, who elected a beautiful ambassador, responsible for forging happy relationships with the continent and encouraging commerce. The Grand Cru Trinité is friendly and patient, while at the same time showcasing the vitality and light of its native land.
In Chiapas, land of the Grand Cru Real Del Xoconusco
Cacao Real Del Xoconuzco
Real Del Xoconuzco cocoa is the first cocoa known to have been harvested by man. In Mexico, it was given to Emperors of pre-Columbian civilisations, to bring them strength and courage. It was also the first cocoa to cross the ocean, much to the delight of European palates. Yet, the cocoa trees of Xoconuzco are difficult to grow and were gradually abandoned, despite their fantastic flavours. For the first time since 1850, we can now offer you the chance to experience the entrancing fragrance and exceptional flavours of this cocoa, whose history is so very linked to our own.
Porcelana
This extremely rare cocoa is grown at an ancestral plantation in Venezuela and has an annual harvest of less than 1000kg. The name of the cocoa originates from the porcelain white colour of its cocoa beans. This cocoa has a very balanced aroma and the complex flavours of the land of Lake Maracaibo, which will delight your palate. With its combination of strong fragrance and delicate flavours, this chocolate will captivate any lover of exception.
Apotequil
This type of Porcelana cocoa bean is harvested in Peru. It is very similar to the true Venezuelan Porcelana and no doubt arrived in this region as a result of trade between pre-Columbian civilisations. Chocolate made from these cocoa beans is not only truly rare but also has taste sensations as rare as they are complete. When you taste it, you will experience a very large palette of flavours and perfumes, from soft floral scents to powerful and earthy Peruvian notes.
Vale do Juliana
The Juliana plantation is located in the heart of the protected Pratigi zone in Brazil. For the last twenty years, the farmers have meticulously selected the best cocoa trees in order to recapture the quality which made Brazilian cocoa a benchmark taste in the 19th century. This chocolate has the fine fruity flavours of Brazilian land and the fiery character of the men who cultivate it.
M. Libânio
The cocoa trees of this plantation can be found nestled in the hollow of the Bahia coastal region. The cocoa beans harvested here are descendants of the first Brazilian Trinitario beans, which were passionately conserved by the association farmers. They are harvested with an intense respect for the environment and produce a smooth chocolate which, depending on the harvests, often has a light aroma of coffee and red fruits.
Madagascar 100% Criollo
This 75% cocoa chocolate is made exclusively from Criollo cocoa beans. This cocoa is so rare that Maison Bonnat harvests less than 1000kg of this type of cocoa bean, from a surface area of close to 6000 hectares of land. With its very original taste, this chocolate will be a unique experience for chocolate lovers seeking the rare and exceptional.
Chuao Village
These cocoa beans are harvested at the very edge of the Chuao village and are the fruit of a harmonious mix of cocoa trees which make Venezuela a flagship country for high quality cocoa growing. They produce a very even chocolate with a symphony of smell and taste which cannot fail to satisfy those who love delicate sensations.
Maragnan
Thought to be lost for close to 30 years, Maragnan cocoa was miraculously rediscovered in the centre of a small Brazilian fazenda in 2012. Only 27 cocoa trees were saved from the "Witches' broom", a disease which practically wiped out Brazilian cocoa in the 1980's. Stéphane Bonnat joined forces with the farmers of the Para region to bring this fine historical cocoa back to life. This legendary cocoa has an entrancing and powerful flavour, but also delicious floral, fruity, and fragrant notes.
Cuba
This cocoa seems to capture the sun and will enchant your senses with its rich flavours and fierce, yet dignified changes of rhythm. From the powerful aroma of high quality cocoa, to the softness of the Caribbean Sea and delicate flowers, Cuban cocoa has plenty delightful surprises in store for you.
Cacao Cusco
Cusco cocoa is without a doubt one of the oldest cocoas harvested by man. In the Amazonian region of Peru, close to the sacred valley of the Incas, the cocoa trees produce rich cocoa beans with a delicate aroma and subtle notes of cane sugar which end on a strong taste of cocoa.
Piura Blanco
Piura is a type of Criollo cocoa with white cocoa beans which comes straight from the Alto Piura valley in Peru. Harvested at high altitude from the mountain slopes by 12 organisations of small producers which form the Quémazon community, this cocoa makes very light chocolate with a slightly acidic flavour.
Haïti
This rich and fragrant cocoa has a very chocolatey flavour which glides into a light overtone of citrus. The cocoa is harvested by farmers with the help of the association Veterinarians without Borders and the pleasure of your taste buds can support large- scale economic and social programme with the Bonnat Chocolaterie.
Los Colorados «Equateur»
Created in 2015, this fruity, floral Grand Cru is smooth and full of sweetness. It is a rare forest cocoa harvested by the Tsachilas Indians, who call themselves Los Colorados (the coloured).
Kaori «Brésil»
Created in 2015, this magnificent chocolate is made from cocoa beans grown in fragrant and fertile lands. It has a soft and sunny fragrance, which is round in the mouth.
Discover and compare three very special cocoa origins with the Grands Crus Lait. Casse claire cocoa beans from Indonesia allow milk chocolate with a higher cocoa content than usual (65%) to be made. Asfarth, Java and Surabaya will allow you to travel to new plains of taste.
Asfarth
This casse claire cocoa harvested in Sumatra produces chocolate with a soft and floral fragrance.
Java
This powerful and aromatic casse claire cocoa from the island of Java produces chocolate with an entrancing fragrance.
Surabaya
This casse claire cocoa harvested in the Eastern side of the island of Java has soft and intense aromas, very rarely associated with a milk chocolate.
