Harrer&Grapoila plant-based, ECO “chocolates” have arrived!

Grappoila products have a knack for making delicious additions to anything. And so it has been, in a collaboration with the Harrer Chocolat factory in Sopron, four dairy-free (and plant-based) bars have been created – continuing Grapoila’s commitment to sustainability.

Oily seeds, their oils and creams are often found in the ingredients of chocolates. Think of a praline, a bonbon filling or even the chocolate hazelnut cream of the Italians: it’s nothing new that seeds and chocolate make a good pair.

Grapoila has so far only dealt with seeds, but the year 2023 brought a turnaround, when we met Harrer Chocolat Manufacture and its owners, Beatrix Harrer-Abosi and Karl Harrer. Their experiences from decades in the world of bean-to-bar chocolates and our innovative approach opened new doors to the possibilities of combining seeds and chocolate and working together. Through our brainstorming and experiments we discovered, that Grapoila’s finely ground seed flours are perfect for making plant-based chocolates, specifically as a substitute for one of the main ingredients, milk powder.

A new generation of chocolates

Although we know from Arthur Gombóc (a well known character from a Hungarian cartoon of the 80’s who’s favorite food was chocolate), that there are many different types of chocolate (e.g. round, square, holey, long, short, flat, etc.), there are three basic types: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. While dark chocolate ideally contains only cocoa beans, cocoa butter and sugar, milk chocolate contains milk powder. The percentage on the packaging (e.g. 75%) reflects the cocoa mass content. In the case of white chocolate, this is not the case, as the recipe only contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder.

Innovative chocolatiers are increasingly experimenting with ways to substitute different ingredients, even to the extent of making diet or free-from chocolates. What’s more, without sweeteners or industrial additives, natural ingredients or by changing the proportions can be used to create exciting new recipes. This is where the bean-to-bar movement is playing a responsible role, with its dedicated supporters not using mass-produced Belgian chocolate pastilles, but buying cocoa beans from responsible sources and then monitoring the whole process. Roasting, shelling, crushing, canning, tempering, all done in an artisanal setting. This not only makes the production process environmentally friendly and sustainable, but also brings a whole new dimension to the taste of chocolate. The flavour of cocoa beans from different origins is noticeable, and exciting new varieties emerge, like incredibly creamy milk chocolates from only cocoa mass and milk powder, without sweetening.

When seed flour and cocoa butter meet

We could say briefly “This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”, but perhaps it’s clearer with a little explanation 🙂

Speciality chocolates are popular all over the world, and the variety of flavoured chocolates with oils and spices has endless possibilities. There are also many attempts to make chocolate part of a modern, healthy, plant-based diet. Of course, real dark chocolates are plant-based, as they do are free of milk powder, but only a few people eat 100% dark chocolate. However, vegan versions of milk and white chocolates are still in their infancy, and are mostly limited to manufacturers using oat or coconut milk powder instead of milk powder. This is where we felt there was a gap, and posed the question to the founders of Harrer Chocolat: what if we tried delicious seed flours, rich in vegetable protein and nutrients, healthy, naturally flavourful and delicious – how do they work in chocolate? They immediately started testing at a chocolate factory in Sopron, and the results surprised everyone: creamy, incredibly delicious chocolates that kept their flavour when poured out as bars.

Although we have made versions with cocoa paste, we decided to leave it out of the four launch products, as without it the flavour of the seed flours is more pronounced, which gives the new treats a special character. As well as being delicious and healthy, the new chocolates are also environmentally friendly, as they are the result of Grapoila’s award-winning zero waste production technology: valuable recycled by-products of cold-pressed oil production.

Guess what is: neither white, nor chocolate? It’s a bar!

Regulations prevent calling them vegan “white chocolates”, so here we introduce the plant-based, eco-friendly Harrer&Grapoila pumpkin, sunflower, apricot and poppy seed bars!

They all did very well in the test tastings (the first two even had a little caramelized seeds on top). With the fusion and the result, we think Artur Gombóc would be pleased and end his famous listing of the 80’s with “…seed-flour vegan chocolate”. We are certainly counting on the enthusiasm of eco-conscious, health-conscious and gourmet consumers.

The products are already available in the Grapoila webshop.