The Italian gianduiotto is here taken to its highest expression. Crafted with the finest ingredients and attention to detail, this square is the perfect indulgence for anyone who loves Marco's
chocolate hazelnut spread. Made with cacao beans from Venezuela, this Gianduja square has soft, round aromas of banana, dried fruit, and nuts. These notes are complemented by the sweetness of the
Alta Langa hazelnuts (30%) sourced from Terra delle Nocciole, the cooperative of farmers who grow our prized hazelnuts in Piemonte.
...read more
To perfect the Gianduja recipe, Marco chose single-origin Criollo chocolate, the most precious cacao variety grown in Venezuela. Working closely with sustainable South American cacao cooperatives, Marco is one of the world's few true bean-to-bar chocolatiers. He regularly visits his suppliers to taste the beans right at the source and work with the farmers to develop the best fermentation methods. But there is more. Marco's cacao butter comes from the same cacao farms he sources his beans from. This is almost unique in chocolate production: cacao butter is typically a mass-market commodity, and it's infrequent finding chocolatiers who opt for a process that starts from scratch.
In his chocolate lab in Brianza, Marco toasts both the cacao beans and the Alta Langa hazelnuts to perfection. The roasted hazelnuts are ground into a paste and finally added to the chocolate along with cacao butter and a touch of Italian raw sugar. Marco makes his bean-to-bar Gianduja Square in thin, individually-wrapped squares. The perfect size for experiencing the complete pleasure of his chocolate. Like a glass of exceptional wine, this chocolate is meant to be savored slowly, so you can truly appreciate the nuances of these carefully sourced cacao beans. Marco suggests breaking the chocolate bar and eating a small piece; it will warm up slowly in the mouth, and the cacao butter will melt and release all the aromas. Wait a few moments before devouring the entire chocolate! It'll be shocking to feel how persistent its flavor can be.
