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It was businessman Nicolas Thoenen’s love affair with chocolate that brought him to South Africa and has led him to be affectionately known as this country’s own Willy Wonka.

He is also determined that while consumers release endorphins and other mood-boosting chemicals while snacking on their favourite chocolate, they use technology as a chef partner in their kitchens, saving both time and money, thanks to his introduction of the latest smart household appliance.

Swiss born Thoenen came to this country in 2011 as the Founding CEO of Lindt & Sprüngli’s South African subsidiary, a first of its kind on the African continent. This included the legal and organisational hand-over from the previous distribution partner, recruitment of a skilled and motivated local sales, marketing and business operations team, as well as the establishment of a retail division through the opening of Lindt stores in several upscale shopping malls.

He went back to Switzerland in 2018 only to realise that his heart belonged in this country and he returned to found the Swiss Diversitas Group with its head office in Johannesburg.

Immediately the enterprising Thoenen started looking to import a Premium chocolate brand at a competitive price point and settled on Chocolates Valor, a family company founded in 1881 by Valeriano López Lloret, which has been leading the Spanish chocolate market for more than 140 years in several chocolate categories.

What excited Thoenen from the outset is that Chocolates Valor produces its chocolate from bean to bar, meaning it controls the entire process from sourcing the finest cocoa beans to fermenting, drying, roasting, grinding, refining, conching and tempering to the finished chocolate bar itself. Valor selects specific cocoa beans from Ecuador and Ghana and carefully crafts its recipes to ensure a high-quality, intensely flavoured superior product.

The chocolate market in South Africa, says Thoenen, is growing by up to 10% every year. There has also been a growing demand for the Valor 0% sugar chocolate bars made with the natural sweetener Stevia and Maltitol and which is ideal for anyone who cannot consume sugar or for those watching their weight. The Spanish company was one of the first Premium sugar free chocolate manufacturers in the world and ensure that there is no compromise in taste and aroma.

Another global chocolate trend, he says, is that traditional product development by manufacturers has been joined by trendsetters and influencers who bring new recipes that go viral. Large companies follow and develop the same, an example is the traditionalist Lindt producing and promoting Dubai chocolate.

Thoenen says that extreme weather and crop diseases have impacted the major cocoa producing regions of West Africa leading to a cocoa supply shortage resulting in soaring global chocolate prices.

“However, our lean structure has allowed us to maintain or keep price increases at a moderate level and we have seen no slow down on sales. In fact, we are expanding into new retailers and increasing the numeric store footprint within the current retailers who nationally include Clicks, Dischem, Wellness Warehouse and Faithful to Nature and regionally in selected Spar and Checkers outlets.”

The Valor Premium range, he adds, has grown this year to include 82% Cacao Supreme Dark and 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Mint. His favourite, he admits, is the Valor 52% Dark Truffle, which is a sugar-free recipe that comes with a truffle filling which is unique and exclusive for a chocolate in a 100g slab format.

Swiss Diversitas is also the South African agent for fun and young Italian chocolate brand Witor’s who are known for its wide range of indulgent pralines.

What Thoenen is currently most excited about is Swiss Diversitas having been awarded the official Southern African and SADC distribution of the TOKIT Omni Cook C2 – made by Shanghai based Chunmi Technology Co., Ltd – with other exciting appliances to be added to the portfolio in coming months.

The Tokit is an all-in-one smart kitchen appliance that combines 21 multiple functions into a single device. It can chop, mix, blend, sauté, steam, fry and more, effectively replacing many individual appliances. It is Wi-Fi enabled and connects to a cookery platform for guided cooking experiences and access to a vast recipe library that is continually updated.

“The TOKIT is perfect for those who are just starting out setting up their kitchen or for keen cooks who want to get rid of multiple appliances in favour of just one. With the TOKIT, you can also opt for manual cooking if you prefer,” adds Thoenen who reveals that as many professional chefs as home cooks buy the device.

“Making food yourself is usually cheaper and healthier than buying pre-packaged or ready-made options, but takes effort. The TOKIT makes this easier. The pre-programmed, free recipes from the CookNJoy platform mean that even a complete kitchen novice can follow the step-by-step instructions and produce things they may have never made before.

“Price is everything in the South African marketplace and consumers are highly price sensitive, so with our new brand, we believe we tick the box. The Tokit has a much more accessible price point than we have had in the past with similar appliances. Our price is 40% less for essentially a similar quality product with the same features. We are delighted with the reception so far and can’t wait to reveal what else we will be bringing to South Africans.”

Thoenen shares his favourite chocolate recipe:

CHOCOLATE FONDANT (Moelleux au Chocolat)

This delectable double chocolate recipe was developed by French chef Michael Bras, a great lover of chocolate, who on a family skiing trip and inspired by hot chocolate used the concept of a frozen hot chocolate centre in the middle of a chocolate sponge, the centre melts on baking and oozes perfectly when one spoons into the dessert. My kind (Nicolas) of a perfect ending to a good meal.

Makes 4-6 depending on the size of baking dish

Filling:
75ml cream
125g dark chocolate
10ml Cointreau, rum or brandy, optional
Sponge:
125g butter, softened
85g (140ml) caster sugar
2 extra large eggs
80g (150ml) cake wheat flour
50g (125ml) cocoa powder 

To serve:
Whipped cream

1. Make the filling by gently heating the cream in a pan until steaming but not boiling. Break the chocolate into pieces and whisk into hot cream until melted. Add the chosen alcohol if using. While still warm pour into a shallow plastic container with a lid and store in the fridge/freezer until solid, about 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 deg C. Beat together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating each one well before adding the next.
3. Sift together the flour and cocoa twice and fold into the egg mixture. Grease 4-6 ramekins or moulds well.
4. Fill two thirds of each prepared container with sponge mixture spreading it slightly up the sides.
5. Remove filling mixture from the fridge and cut into square blocks.  Place square of chocolate in centre of sponge mixture and cover with more chocolate sponge mixture.
6. Place containers on baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Cakes should feel springy to the touch when ready. Run a small knife around edges, unmould and serve immediately with dollop of cream.