Enjoy Dark Chocolate

I have loved the taste of dark chocolate all my life and developed an awareness of its health benefits many years ago. However it wasn't until 2015, after sharing a small range of dried fruits dipped in dark chocolate with my husband and close friends, and inspired by the movie Chocolat, that I took my first hesitant step to becoming an online chocolate retailer, and my Enjoy Dark Chocolate brand and reputation was born.

Since then, my artisan chocolatiers and I have worked tirelessly to create for you our individually crafted, exquisite chocolate delights containing only the freshest berries, fruits, nuts, and dairy products available, all enrobed in the world’s finest organic dark chocolate, delivering the ultimate guilt free chocolate experience. Not only are these little beauties decadent and irresistible, but they also contain real health benefits from their natural, organic, and high in antioxidant ingredients, none of which contain preservatives or artificial colours or flavours. And they're Kosher and Halal suitable.

So check out our range of Truffles and Bonbons, Luxury Pods, Chocolate dipped Premium Dried Fruits, and Unforgettable Gifting options, but be warned — resistance is futile.

Chocolate News and Reviews

Background

Whilst my interest in dark chocolate goes back many years, I never intended to create and sell my own range of chocolates. Even my purchase of the EnjoyDarkChocolate.com URL was part of a digital marketing course I was doing back in 2010, again no intention of selling chocolates.

Then in 2015 I made a small range of dried fruits dipped in dark chocolate for sharing with my husband and close friends.

Given their response to the obvious pride and care that had gone into the making of these treats, and with their encouragement and support, I took my first hesitant step to becoming an online chocolate retailer under my serendipitous Enjoy Dark Chocolate brand. I even got to create my first logo (above).

To say it has been a steep learning curve since is an understatement, however with the help of some incredibly talented, internationally renowned chocolatiers, and the unwavering support of my ever-growing customer base, I now offer more than 30 premium quality and very tasty hand dipped rum-soaked dried fruits, couture truffles and bonbons, and ganache filled bars.

The influence of Chocolat

Have you seen the movie Chocolat? I watched it on my arrival to Australia in 2005. At the center of CHOCOLAT is a woman charged with special powers: Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche), a mysterious outsider who arrives in the French village of Lansquenet to open a chocolaterie featuring luscious chocolates that can, in addition to tantalizing the tongue, cure lost hopes and awaken unexpected emotions.

By the time I watched it again in 2019 I already had my chocolate company. This time the movie had an even more profound effect on me. I felt that Chocolat was my story, as like Vianne I give people faith in themselves and in return, they give that gift back to me. And like Vianne I believe that people can change and be happy. Vianne sells small dreams and small comforts that add up to transformation in people's live. But without knowing it, they are able to transform hers just as much.

I have always loved chocolate but in CHOCOLAT, chocolate becomes more than just a sweet taste. It becomes a gesture towards others or towards yourself, a sort of compassion. It is a wonderful symbol for the exchange of gifts - of emotions, honesty, and caring — between people," says Binoche.

I have always believed in chocolote’s mystical powers and healing qualities, and with years, I’ve seen many of my customers also realise that, far from being simply a guilty pleasure, chocolate brings many physical , emotional, and social benefits to themselves and their loved ones.

A brief history of chocolate

Chocolate has been a factor in the battle between life's pleasures and those who would deny them. The real-life history of chocolate is filled with contradictory rumors and fairytales. There are those who have spoken of chocolate's mystical powers and healing qualities, and yet chocolate has also incited repression, moral judgements, and even political banishment. Screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs delved into this rich and pungent history in order to give the character of Vianne a legacy steeped in mystery — a legacy that goes all the way back to the Mayan Indians and a tree bearing a fruit known as "the food of the gods”. Below are some highlights from this intricate history:

Chocolate literally grows on trees, appearing in its raw state as pods on the 40-60 foot tall trees known botanically as "Theobroma cacao”, which means "food of the gods”. This wide-branching tropical evergreen has grown wild in Central America since prehistoric times. It also grows in South America, Africa and part of Asia.

The Mayan Indians of Mexico began using a form of chocolate as early as 600 a.d., at which point they worshiped the cocoa bean as an idol, a literal gift from the heavens. They even had a God, Ykchaua, who served as the patron of cocoa merchants.

Cocoa beans were thought to have fearsome magical powers by the Maya and were carefully used in rituals, religious ceremonies, and healings by priests. The Maya were also the first to invent a cocoa drink, a hot, mostly bitter beverage made up of ground cocoa pods and spices, which the Maya also used as a treatment for fever, coughs and even discomfort during pregnancy.

Later, the Aztec Indians improved upon the recipe, sweetening it with vanilla and honey. They called their drink "xocoatl" (pronounced similar to Chocolate), meaning "bitter water." In Aztec mythology, the god of agriculture, Questzalcoatl, travelled to earth carrying the cocoa tree from Paradise, because it would bring humans wisdom and power. Chocolate became so highly regarded by the Aztecs that it was used as a form of currency, along with gold dust. The Florentine Codex, one of the main historical sources describing Aztec life, calls chocolate "The drink of nobles”, and noted that it must be prepared with the meticulous care due to its powerful nature.

Although Columbus returned to Europe with the first cocoa beans, no one knew what to do with them and they were dismissed in favour of other trade goods. Europeans got their first real taste of chocolate when Emperor Moctezuma met the explorer Cortes and his army with a foaming hot-chocolate drink. In 1528 when Cortes returned to Spain from the New World, he brought with him the Aztec's chocolate drink making equipment and the trend began to catch on. But due to the drink's powerful reputation, the beans were sequestered away in monasteries and the formula for the drink kept secret, to be enjoyed only by the wealthiest of nobility.

In the early 1600s Italian traveler Antonio Carletti carried the beans tot the rest of Europe and for the first time, chocolate came to the common people. By the 1700s, so-called "Chocolate Houses" were all the rage, as popular as coffee houses. However, in England, Charles II tried to close them down, calling them "hotbeds of sedition”, and when chocolate first made its way to France, in the 18th century, it was decried by authorities as a "dangerous drug”.

The idea of mixing chocolate with milk did not come until the 18th century. Sir Hans Sloane, personal doctor to Queen Anne, invented the secret recipe and later sold it to the Cadbury brothers who made a fortune with new confections. It was a Dutch chemist, Johannes Van Houten, who developed the modern cocoa process, inventing a hydraulic press that would produce a fine cocoa powder. Thus began the era mass-produced chocolate.

It has been a privilege to have been there from conception and to see your business grow and flourish over the years. Your creative zest, sustainable vision and strive for product perfection / quality show the passion and timeless efforts you undertake in creating your beautiful and delicious confections! Thank you for being part of what was a wonderful masterclass but also for being part of the sustainable future of our Chocolate industry!

— Filip Tibos, Master Chocolatier from Belgium Read More

"Eating this chocolate was an exceptional pleasure. I treasured every bite of this handcrafted goodness."

— Samira Damirova (food & photography) Read More

"This is the most amazing chocolate. I won't be going back to normal shops to buy chocolate ever."

— Ingrid Lee (IngridLeeArt.com) Read More

"¡Los bombones son una delicia, I am customer of Khuraman's business since the very start of her business. Very unique product and the service is exceptional."

— Rosi Yañez Gonzalez Read More

"The best hand made organic dark chocolate, try it!"

— Elena Lev Read More

"Amazing quality! Very delicious healthy sweets. Perfect treat on any occasion! Thank you!"

— Olga Kovtun Read More

"The most delicious chocolate you will ever taste ! Outstanding quality."

— Andrea Lewis Read More

"Got a box as a gift, definitely the best chocolate I have had!! Super tasty!"

— Irina Amelina Read More

"After meeting Kay for the first time, I can tell how much passion, love and heart is given into each product."

— Erika Polianskyte Huynh Read More

“Khuraman creates the most delicious chocolate I’ve ever tasted.”

— Yakov Gershkovich (Aesthetic Sculpture Lifting School) Read More

"Beautifully presented and absolutely delicious chocolates! Thank you Kay!"

— Nelya Nel Role Read More