Especially during the past two decades, consumers have developed their interests in gourmet foods, be it wines, cheeses or specialty coffee. A good example is the explosive growth of Starbuck´s and Peet´s Coffee in the US. More and more consumers are interested in food that tastes good. There is even a whole countermovement called “Slow Foods” that promotes the joys of making and consuming gourmet foods (with a social and ecologic conscience, check out: www.slowfood.com )

As part of this trend, consumers have developed their tastes for gourmet chocolates. Typically, these chocolates have a very high content of cocoa and the sourcing of beans that provide superior taste and aroma therefore becomes crucial for the chocolate makers.