Philosophy

BBCW or The Art Of Blending Tradition And Excellenc

BBCW (Best Belgian Chocolate of the World) is a young non-profit-making association that intends to promote the know-how of Belgian Master Confectioners who perpetuate the excellence and science of refinement in respect of the purest handicraft tradition. To take Belgium's image to the highest level, BBCW has selected from among all the potential craftsmen chocolate makers some authentic ambassadors of handicraft Belgian chocolate.

A Unique Approach

Never before has an association tried to initiate an approach that combines 4 complementary challenges.

1° Back to basics :

Paying homage to the demanding work of the small producers and pickers.

The origins of chocolate are to be found in the pre-Columbian world, in 1502, when Christopher Columbus accomplished his fourth expedition. But it is essentially in Africa that the beans of cacao trees have historically been cultivated, even if, today, there is broader diversification, in Brazil and in Malaysia, following in particular the introduction of vegetable fat other than cocoa butter.

BBCW intends to pay homage to the work of all those who have devoted their efforts to cultivating, according to the rulebook, those trees that are so demanding and so delicate to maintain. This is why the original rules appear so important to us today. Paying homage to the demanding work of the cacao bean growers and pickers constitutes our first priority.

2° A chocolate of quality

Following the debate inspired by the European directive on the quality of chocolate products, chocolate lovers have understood that authentic chocolate and pralines have to observe certain golden rules in terms of quality.

3° A typically Belgian chocolate : guarantee of total quality

Five objective reasons justify the reputation of Belgian chocolate and pralines: the quality of the beans used in Belgium is excellent. Special care is lavished on the roasting and grinding in order to ensure an exceptional finish. The quality of the ingredients that make up the chocolate, such as the sugar, is of an extremely high quality. The minimum cacao level is in practice 43% or even higher, which confers an incomparable quality on Belgian chocolate products. Our great and small craftsmen have a love of their trade that results in truly particular originality and care.

4° Ensuring unity within diversity :

Ensuring a plural trademark

Chocolate country of predilection, Belgium's history includes many chocolate industrialists who have developed dynamic economic activities and product lines. Thanks to the enterprising spirit of those 20th-century pioneers, chocolate has become one of the emblematic products of Belgian gastronomy, and one that is developed in all of the country's three regions. BBCW's originality lies in its ability to bring craftsmen together determined to make an asset of Belgian's diversity of pralines, combining differences of taste and complementarity of flavours.

Chocolate is an extraordinary image vector and an icon of an ancestral know-how. Let us guarantee that, through BBCW, our craftsmen can develop their know-how both in Belgium and abroad.