What happens when you let the pure character of a specific origin guide your creativity? Belcolade Origins brings the authentic story of a terroir straight to your kitchen, sparking inspiration for unique and bold creations.
Mastering these intense flavour profiles is a creative journey we take together. By combining your craftsmanship with our product and technical expertise, we help you create distinctive chocolate experiences. . Ready to discover the chocolate magic of Origins Noir Cameroon?
Watch Belcolade Technical Advisor Matty Van Caeseele and Geert Decoster, Gault&Millau's Best Chocolatier in Flanders 2025, embark on a journey of taste and technique. Using the Belcolade sensory tool Les Arômes de Cyrano , they created an unexpected pairing that brings its distinctive character to life. The result? The ‘Cameroon Intense’: a refined chocolate snack bar with a rich ganache made from Belcolade Origins Noir Cameroon 80% Cacao-Trace, and caramelised popcorn – a nod to Cameroonian food traditions.
A cocoa bean is not just an ingredient, but a direct reflection of the region where it grows. With single-origin chocolate, this ensures a unique and distinct flavour profile. Preserving that pure taste in a finished chocolate product brings quite a few challenges in practice. Chocolatier Geert Decoster (Founder and Owner of Centho Chocolates) and Belcolade Technical Advisor Matty Van Caeseele dive into the rich, complex world of single-origin chocolate, where craftsmanship and pure terroir meet.
- Founded Centho Chocolates together with his wife Els in 2000
- Exclusively works with single-origin chocolate
- Named Best Chocolatier in Flanders 2025 by Gault&Millau
- Operates three boutiques in Belgium and one in TokyoGeert Decoster
- Belcolade Technical Advisor since 2012
- Started his career in artisan pastry and semi-industrial chocolate production
- Supports artisan chocolatiers with product applications, technical expertise, and recipe development
- Passionate about revisiting traditional recipes and giving them his own twistMatty Van Caeseele
What makes single-origin chocolate so special?
Geert Decoster: “My motto has always been: ‘I want to make chocolate with something, not make something with chocolate.’ We always start from the pure taste of the chocolate and then look for a matching ingredient. Single-origin chocolate aligns perfectly with this. Just like with wine: climate, soil and local tradition determine the unique, characteristic taste of the bean.”
Matty Van Caeseele: “A cocoa bean from Vietnam, for example, has a completely different chemical composition than a bean from Cameroon. The challenge lies in finding the right balance between the chocolate’s unique flavour profile on the one hand, and the product’s technical performance and shelf life on the other.”
How complex was that challenge with Belcolade Origins Noir Cameroon 80% Cacao-Trace, which has a cocoa content of 80 percent?
Matty Van Caeseele: “A higher cocoa content means a lower sugar content and therefore a shorter shelf life. Still, we succeeded in developing a product in which taste and quality are perfectly balanced. In the Belcolade Origins Noir Cameroon 80% Cacao-Trace, the powerful cocoa intensity is enriched with warm notes of coffee, walnut, and tobacco leaves. A bright acidity brings the profile beautifully into balance with subtle notes of dried fruit and soft spices. The finish is refined with hints of honey and earthy nuances.”
How do you look for flavours that pair well with single-origin chocolate?
Geert Decoster: “The flavour wheel of Les Arômes de Cyrano is a fantastic tool to objectively identify aromas and determine the right combinations. In addition, I let myself be inspired by popular ingredients from the bean's region of origin. In Cameroon, for example, corn is a staple ingredient that is deeply rooted in local food traditions and daily life. That is how we ended up with popcorn for this specific creation.”
How does Belcolade support its customers with this complex challenge?
Geert Decoster: “Technical Advisors like Matty have extensive technical expertise. If you experience difficulties with a recipe, they immediately help you find a solution. Since every single-origin chocolate requires its own unique approach and recipe, that support is incredibly valuable.”
Matty Van Caeseele: “The apparent complexity of single-origin chocolate can sometimes be a barrier for chocolatiers who want to work with it. By sharing our technical expertise and being accessible, we help them overcome that barrier.”
An intense 80% dark chocolate crafted to inspire bold creations. Powerful cocoa flavour meets warm notes of coffee, walnut, and tobacco leaves. A bright acidity brings the profile into perfect balance, finishing with subtle hints of dried fruit, honey, and earthy nuances.
Why it inspires chocolate magic:
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