Bean-to-bar: Asian chocolatiers are spicing up the global sweet market

Homegrown entrepreneurs battle the tropical climate while embracing tropical flavors for a bean-to-bar trend like no other

Soy sauce and noodle soups aren’t the most natural flavor pairings for chocolate, but a rising crop of artisanal chocolate makers are daring to try—and succeeding—in the unlikeliest of places.

In Ho Chi Minh City, artisans are creating world-class chocolate bars and adding a splash of spices for a “pho” confection. Chocolate-makers in the Philippines are mixing soy sauce with their sweets, while in Indonesia chocolatiers are producing cocoa with a “tobacco aftertaste.”

Nearly all these chocolatiers identify as bean-to-bar, or single-origin confectionery factories, sourcing locally from small cocoa farms and then roasting and fermenting the beans to perfection. While