Vigdis Rosenkilde 40% Piura Milk Chocolate with Quinoa

Vigdis Rosenkilde is a certified cocoa and chocolate connoisseur who started out as a confectionery maker. She enjoyed traveling the countryside and beaches around Norway in search of good tastes. She made chocolate truffles with everything from spruce bud syrup to blue cheese and raspberries. In 2013, she won the Coop prize for Innovation. But, she had a burning desire to make her own chocolate and to learn about everything that affects the taste of the cocoa beans. In 2015, she visited cocoa plantations in Brazil for the first time. She lived on a charming little farm in magical surroundings right by a river. It was the Autumn season for cocoa and Vigdis was eager to take part in all the tasks; Harvesting, fermentation and drying of cocoa beans. The plantation was located by a sandy beach. There, the sounds from the jungle, the smells, the colors and the energy awakened her senses and she felt extremely happy and present. And she thought what it woule be like to experience more of this. So she went home to Oslo and sold her apartment to finance the development of her new business. Since the first trip in Brazil, she has spent over 1.5 years in Latin America and visited more than 50 cacao plantations. She has been to Peru, Brazil, Honduras, Ecuador and Nicaragua. In Peru she found the best cocoa, in her opinion, and the best partners. Now she spends about 3 months a year in Peru, where she is involved in all stages that affect the taste of her chocolate, from cocoa plantations to the chocolate factory. Rosenkilde buys all the cocoa directly from farmers, and the chocolate is made in Peru, to make a greater economic contribution to the country where the raw material originates.