The Vegan Society Aotearoa held the first-ever Vegan Chocolate Awards on 29th April at The Butcher’s Son in Auckland.
With over 100 different chocolate entries the illustrious judges had a tasty, yet difficult task ahead of them. Chocolate makers from all over the world entered the Awards with the hope of becoming a winner in one of 7 categories and Foundry, with their “Kilombero Valley Tanzania”, winner of the Bean to Bar category, was the overall Supreme winner in this inaugural year.
With a surging interest in plant-based foods, the time for Vegan Chocolate Awards has come to fruition. Plant milk chocolates are becoming ever more popular and the range and quality is increasing every year.
Not just bars either, the rise in bon bons, truffles, inclusions and flavoured chocolate suitable for vegans, those allergic to dairy and everyone else is being celebrated in these awards.
Judge Jasbir “Jazz” Kaur said “It was an amazing event and no one could ever think they were all vegan chocolate, many competitors had the desirable features of classic chocolate – for example that meltability, the quality of the chocolate coating your tongue and leaving you wanting more. While others had structural integrity, silky liquefying characteristics and were very innovative.”
This year’s judges were Executive Chef, Jasbir Jazz Kaur, Chocolatier and founder of The Chocolate Bar, Luke Owen-Smith, Pastry Chef and Cake Maker, Sara Kidd and Food and Beverage judge Aaron Pucci who volunteered their time to eat their way through over 100 types of chocolate non-stop for three and a half hours at the inaugural Vegan Chocolate Awards.
Plant-based foods are sustainable, healthy eating, good for you and good for the planet. The growing number of Vegan Food Awards show how tasty and true to form plant-based foods can be.
The full list of winners is below and more information can be found here.
Supreme Winner
Foundry; “Kilombero Valley Tanzania”
Judges were so impressed that just two ingredients could create such lingering flavours and incredible complexity of favour, depth and quality. Were surprised so much can be done with just two elements.
Dark Chocolate
Winner; Wellington Chocolate Factory, “Peru Dark”
Runner Up; Lucid Chocolatier, “Vrae Dark”
Milk Chocolate
Winner; Wellington Chocolate Factory, “Coconut Milk”
Runner Up; Veggo, “Whole Hazelnut”
Bean to Bar
Winner; Foundry, “Kilombero Valley Tanzania”
Runner Up; Lucid, “Earl Grey”
Bon Bons
Winner; Mind Your Temper, “Raspberry Cheesecake”
Runner Up; Schoc, “Passionfruit Coconut”
Caramel
Winner; Honest Chocolate, “Sea Salt Caramel”
Runner Up; Mind Your Temper, “Caramel Dragees”
Flavoured/ Inclusions
Winner; Flint, “Almond Butter”
2 Runners Up
Bennetto, “Raspberries in Dark Chocolate”
Wellington Chocolate Factory, “Anzac”
Drinking Chocolate
Winner; Bennetto, “Superfood Drinking Chocolate”
Runner Up; Wellington Chocolate Factory “Drinking Chocolate”
