Buddy up with Patrick Devuyst and you will never look at chocolate the same way again! His Chocolats Charactère is a little production facility in a residential house, bursting with creativity. You can even take home a chocolate gorilla, or anything else from his wide selection of cocoa gifts.
Highlights
- visit Rwanda’s only chocolate factory and taste its sweet fruits
- obtain a new understanding of chocolate, nutrition and socio-economic development, provided by a Belgian agricultural engineer
- optional: add USD 50 and hire the facility for up to half a day, making your own chocolate and even packaging!
Facts
duration: 1-2 hours
area: Musanze’s Yaounde quarters
start: daily, any time 9:30am-6pm
Price: USD 20 per person (USD 30 when one person only)
Includes an introduction to chocolate production and a plentiful tasting session.
Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary preferences can be catered to.
Itinerary
Agronomist by profession, Patrick will generously share both his vast knowledge and chocolate samples. His motivation is to open your eyes to quality chocolate and make you realise how every step in its production matters. He sources from DR Congo and Belgium, adding local natural ingredients to spice the product up — sometimes very literally, with chilli!
You will begin to understand what cocoa percentages mean (there is no direct connection to quality) and how they affect the taste. The impact and frequency of sugar additions might surprise you! And did you know that dark chocolate has some interesting health benefits?
Seeing an opening in the market, Patrick has also expanded into packaging for his and other people’s products — he is a resourceful person and likes to demonstrate to young Rwandans that you don’t need much to start a business.
Wish to become true choco-gourmets? Your host can detail the secrets of tasting and even sniffing chocolate, not to mention listening to it … Yes, the way chocolate sounds when it breaks is very telling!
Finally, whether you are on the lookout for extravagant chocolate gifts or elegant sweetness, Patrick’s shop won’t disappoint!
Please schedule a call or leave us a message to learn more about this itinerary, express your needs and share your wishes.
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featured photo: Miha Logar