EVENTS

Iceland
14 April 2008

What happens when you combine delicious Belgium chocolate from Belcolade with perhaps the most beautiful nature in the world, plus really good wine? A number of Icelandic customers experienced the reply to this question first hand at a special event organized by Puratos Nordic and their local distributor ISAM. As well as the 40 Icelandic customers, representatives form Sweden, Denmark and Lithuania also participated in the trip. And the purpose of the event?....to celebrate Belcolade’s 20 Years of Passion!

On arrival in Keflavik, everyone was taken directly to the Icelandic technical school to participate in a chocolate course held by Belcolade. 60 Icelandic customers participated, which was an excellent turn out considering that there are only 56 bakeries in Iceland.

The first part of the course was a theoretical description of how to produce chocolate, from the cocoa beans right up to tempering the chocolate. Most interesting however, was the practical demonstration from the Belgian chocolate specialist Stefan Moyaert, and chocolatier Jan Hansen from Puratos Nordic. 

The next day the group visited one of the famous outdoor swimming pools which are only heated by warm springs, something which can be enjoyed all over Iceland. In the afternoon everyone embarked on an excursion into the beautiful, Icelandic nature. All in all, very interesting experiences as some of the most beautiful places in Iceland were visited. Some delicious Belcolade chocolate was consumed, along with wine which had been specially chosen to compliment the flavours from the pralines. All the wines had been chosen by a wine specialist. At stop 'Number 2', the group went into a cave which was only lit by candles, where a local "cave dweller" sang some Icelandic tunes! 

Supper was held in some cottages close to a mountain called "UNICORN ".  The place had been chosen because of its beautiful views and the Unicorn's strong link to Puratos (part of the company's logo - a symbol of courage and ethics). The Belcolade celebrations continued until midnight and I am sure a lot of bakers were quite tired the next day but happy to have experienced such a great event.