An Indiana Jones Act for the Amano Chocolate

Posted by admin in Food and Drinks on 02 22nd, 2009 | no responses

There’s a true-to-life Willy Wonka and his name is Art Pollard, a Utah-based proprietor whose Amano chocolate is very sought after and with a waiting list of those who long for this high quality product. Tradition is behind the success of this chocolate, which is made via a slow process and in small batches, just like the old days when production focuses on quality rather than quantity. This focused direction is reflected in the trademark Amano, which means “by hand” as well as “they love” in Italian, emphasizing the craftsmanship and dedication behind each bar of Amano. Amano has also a translation in Japanese which is “heavenly field,” underscoring further the richness and bounty associated with this unique confection.

Another wellspring from which the Amano chocolate draws its superiority is its ingredients. Its founder Pollard has earned the reputation of being the Indiana Jones of coca bean hunters, searching just for the right raw materials for his products. High-quality beans are sourced directly from the cocoa bean growers, resulting in chocolate products bearing the emblem of exotic localities. The cocoa farmers are also paid a premium price if their cocoa beans are of premium quality, with payments three or four times above those quoted prices at the London Cocoa Terminal Market. With this system, the farmers are encouraged to grow high-quality raw materials, with the added incentive that their locales are bannered with the Amano products.

One Amano product is called Ocumare Grand Cru Dark, which is made of 70% cocoa imported all the way from the remote Ocumare Valley in Venezuela. A well-balanced chocolate, this product has rich overtones and fruity ingredients hinting of plum and other red fruit. Another Amano pride is the Madagascar Premium Dark, which is also 70% cocoa, possessing robust fruity flavors with citrus and berry among the most dominant in the mix.

As a testament to its superb quality, Madagascar Premium Dark was awarded a bronze medal in the Academy of Chocolate Awards, Bean-to-Bar Dark Category in London, the first US manufacturer to have earned this citation and bringing to seven the total medals Amano products won in prestigious international quality competitions last year. Another potential medal winner in the Amano chocolate product list is the Cuyagua Premium Dar, so named after the isolated Cuyagua valley near Caracas, Venezuela, where its cocoa bean raw materials come from. This premium chocolate offers rich chocolate overtones and a complex flavor with notes of mint whetting the desires of chocolate aficionados.

The location of the Amano factory is also an important factor to the market success of its products. The dry and arid climate of Utah and the state’s elevation are favorable to the various stages of chocolate manufacture. The lower vapor pressure resulting from this climatic and geographical factors are favorable to the evaporation of volatile oils and other chemicals like ascetic acid used in chocolate manufacturing.

Shipping is also advantageous with Salt Lake City as the base of Amano chocolate operations. Shipments of raw materials arrive punctually with Utah’s reliable port system, while delivery of manufactured goods to markets is also convenient.