Chocolate lovers in Split, rejoice!
The Split chocolate maker Nadalina is becoming even more recognizable in their chocolate production. After introducing the chocolate gramophone in 2013, which you can listen to but also eat, and an intro into the Guinness Book of Records for the largest chocolate bar in 2015 (measuring 102.45 square meters), Nadalina has just received one of their most prestigious awards yet, reports Dalmacija Danas on August 25, 2017.
Specifically, the handmade chocolates of pure cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic won the bronze medal for their 85% raw chocolate at The European Bar Semi Final 2017, which was judged in Amsterdam at the Hilton hotel from June 9 to 12, 2017.
The owner of Nadalina, Marinko Biškić, did not hide his excitement.
“This competition is the biggest and most important thing for chocolate makers, and only those who complete the process from the cocoa beans to the actual chocolate participate in the competition.”
Biškić exclaims that Nadalina is one of the only chocolate makers in Croatia who make the real thing.
“People are often not sufficiently informed, so they do not know that there are two ways to produce chocolate,” Biškić says.
"One way to do it is to buy Belgian chocolate with things like chocolates or pralines added in by the chocolate maker. It's a simple method. The second way to do it is to buy cocoa beans from various countries that produce them, such as Ecuador, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and so on, roast them, clean them, grind them, etc. It is a process that lasts from 48 to 72 hours depending on the type of bean, unlike the first way which only takes an hour. I'm the only one in Croatia doing it this way, everybody else is buying ground cocoa,” says Biškić proudly.
Hundreds of chocolate manufacturers from around the world participated in this prestigious competition, making it even harder for the Split chocolate maker to place third.
“It was not easy to get that award. Ten different criteria critiqued each product. I am proud because many large manufacturers participated in this competition.”
This award came at just the right time as Nadalina will soon celebrate ten years of chocolate production, greatly facilitating their entry into sales circles outside of Croatia.
“An interested company from Amsterdam has already contacted us. As soon as it gets a little colder, we will send them a test sample they can sell, and we'll see. It is even more important to me that we will soon be celebrating ten years of Nadalina Chocolate. This award was just another beautiful acknowledgement after several local awards in Croatia such as the Agro Ark and the award from the Society of Innovators,” says Biškić, who added that he now knows what he wants and hopes for an even more successful following year.
At Nadalina, the chocolates are always evolving - new recipes for new chocolates are made every month, and only the highest quality ingredients are used.
“True dark chocolate is 50% cocoa and has no fat, like palm fat and additives that change the characteristics of the chocolate. In chocolatier circles, around 60% is the rule for the chocolate to pass as a truly healthy chocolate. Dark chocolate is great for the heart, the bloodstream, and is best known as an antidepressant,” says Biškić.
Translated from Dalmacija Danas
