LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Meet MonChoco, a proudly Ivorian chocolate brand, reflecting the country’s exceptional terroir.
Côte d’Ivoire is renowned for the quality of its cocoa beans, but up until now, the world has not had the opportunity to widely celebrate those beans in the finest of chocolate forms. But that is rapidly changing as artisan chocolatier Dana Mroueh and her company, MonChoco, are producing a very special raw chocolate brand and range of products that is exciting taste buds in the country.
MonChoco is rapidly building its reputation as a passion driven Artisan Chocolatier in Côte d'Ivoire. The company’s products are made from organic cocoa beans, importantly sourced from Côte d’Ivoire. MonChoco makes its raw chocolate to preserve the taste and the natural nutrient of cocoa beans. The resulting chocolate is very pure, it is made only from organic cocoa and brown sugar. This delicious raw chocolate is prepared with care in the company’s workshop located in the heart of Abidjan.The MonChoco range of products is made from cocoa beans exclusively sourced from West Africa, reflecting the exceptional taste of this precious terroir. MonChoco is one of only a handful of chocolatiers in the world to manufacture its chocolate from A to Z, and is unique in West Africa for its raw confection. The absence of cooking of the cocoa beans retains at best its taste and nutritional properties. The fruity, woody taste and the benefits of this raw chocolate are the brand’s signature. MonChoco’s approach is responsible and sustainable, trying to reduce its impact on the environment. For example, by reducing energy consumption by crushing the cocoa beans with a power bike, using recycled paper, reusing the shelve of the cocoa. The company truly wants to enhance the Ivorian terroir, its culture and the forgotten farmers.
Founder Dana Mroueh was inspired by her grandfather who himself was an outstanding entrepreneur. However, she doesn’t come from an entrepreneurial background directly herself, having studied management and economy. She believes that consumers connect with and enjoy Mon Choco because it is different, it shakes up the taste of chocolate they are used to.
The MonChoco team is mainly composed of women, dynamic and délicate at the same time. The work they undertake is both long and meticulous, especially to sort the beans one by one, to hand mould, and to hand wrap.
In terms of future plans for the company, Dana says that the aspiration for MonChoco is to increase exportation. Now that the brand is getting more and more known in Côte d’Ivoire, Dana would like to expand to Africa and the rest of the world.
Speaking about what gives her the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur, Dana says:
“The best part of being an entrepreneur is to know our work is benefiting not only the person who is eating the chocolate but also every single person along the value chain, from the farmer to the chocolatier. Also, I get great satisfaction seeing the team strongly espouse courage and persistence. My advice to other women women looking to startup in business would be to keep in mind that perseverance and patience will be greatly needed.
To find out more about MonChoco and its range of exciting chocolate products, contact founder Dana Mroueh via email superchoco@monchoco.com
Visit the MonChoco website and social media pages for more information:
