Castronovo Chocolate

Castronovo Chocolate is a micro-batch chocolate maker whose bars have won multiple awards in worldwide competitions organized in Europe and the United States by the International Chocolate Awards and the Academy of Chocolate. The New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells ranked a Castronovo chocolate bar third in a blind tasting of 14 American bean-to-bar chocolate bars.[1] Zagat lists Castronovo Chocolate as one of the top Bean-to-Bar chocolate makers in the United States.[2] The Slow Food of the Gold and Treasure Coast organization recognized to Castronovo with a 2013 Slow Food award for their commitment to quality.[3] Castronovo Chocolate also won the 2017 Good Food Awards in San Francisco.[4]

Castronovo is located in Stuart, Florida and imports sustainably harvested heirloom cacao beans from Central America and South America for the manufacturing of single-origin chocolate bars. The chocolate maker sells chocolate bars to specialty retail shops internationally.[5]

Recognition

Castronovo Chocolate is honored by the International Chocolate Awards and the Academy of Chocolate, both located in London.

International Chocolate Awards

The 2016 World Finals of the International Chocolate Awards awarded 25 medals in the micro-batch production categories. Castronovo won six of the twenty-five, more than any other micro-batch chocolate maker worldwide. The winnings include three gold awards. Two unique awards are the Gold Chocolate Maker and the Gold Directly Traded cacao awards for which there are no additional bronze, silver or gold winners

Year Competition Award Category Chocolate Bar
2016 World Finals Gold Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Chocolate Maker
2016 World Finals Gold Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Directly Traded
2016 World Finals Gold Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Sierra Nevada, 63%
2016 World Finals Silver Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Dominican Republic, 55%
2016 World Finals Silver Micro-batch Plain/Origin Dark Chocolate Bars Belize, 72%
2016 World Finals Bronze Micro-batch Plain/Origin Dark Chocolate Bars Amazonas, 72%
2015 World Finals Silver Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Dominican Republic, 55%
2015 World Finals Bronze Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Sierra Nevada, 63%
2014 World Finals Silver Bars Milk Plain/Origin Sierra Nevada, 63%
2016 Americas & Asia Pacific Silver Micro-batch Plain/Origin Dark Chocolate Bars Belize, 72%
2016 Americas & Asia Pacific Silver Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Dominican Republic, 55%
2016 Americas & Asia Pacific Bronze Micro-batch Plain/Origin Dark Chocolate Bars Amazonas, 72%
2016 Americas & Asia Pacific Bronze Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Sierra Nevada, 63%
2015 Americas Semi-Finals Gold Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Chocolate Maker
2015 Americas Semi-Finals Gold Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Sierra Nevada, 63%
2015 Americas Semi-Finals Silver Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Dominican Republic, 55%
2014 Americas Semi-Finals Bronze Bars Milk Plain/Origin Sierra Nevada, 63%


Academy of Chocolate

Academy of Chocolate Awards also held in London, recognized Castronovo Chocolate with the following awards. In 2016 Castronovo won six awards including the Gold, Silver and Bronze for Best Dark Chocolate Bean-to-Bar under 80%.

Year Award Category Chocolate Bar
2016 Gold Best Dark Chocolate Bean-to-Bar under 80% Maya Mountain Villages, Belize, 72%
2016 Gold Best Milk Chocolate Bean-to-Bar Over 45% Rare Cacao Collection - Sierra Nevada Colombia Dark Milk, 63%
2016 Silver Best Dark Chocolate Bean-to-Bar under 80% Rare Cacao Collection - Sierra Nevada Colombia, 72%
2016 Silver Best Milk Chocolate Bean-to-Bar Over 45% Dominican Republic Dark Milk, 55%
2016 Silver Best Flavoured White Chocolate Bar White Chocolate infused with Lemon Oil & Lemon Salt
2016 Bronze Micro-batch Plain/Origin Milk Chocolate Bars Rare Cacao Collection - Amazonas, 72%
2015 Silver Best Dark Chocolate Bean-to-Bar under 80% Chocolate Rare Cacao Collection – Sierra Nevada Colombia, 72%
2015 Bronze Best Dark Chocolate Bean-to-Bar under 80% Rare Cacao Collection – Sierra Nevada Colombia Dark Milk, 63%


Sustainability and Direct Trade

Castronovo Chocolate sources cacao beans from indigenous people who live off of the rain forest, and thereby provides income for a sustainably harvested product. Castronovo won the 2016 International Chocolate Award gold medal for Direct Trade. The 2017 Good Food award Castronovo won is based on the merits of sustainability and social responsibility as well as quality.[6]

Founding member Denise Castronovo has an academic background in Ecosystem Ecology, attending seminars organized by Eugene Odum, the University of Georgia scientist pioneering that field. Castronovo founded Mapping Sustainability, a Geographic Information Systems consulting firm servicing Ecology and Public Health causes. That firm's tree canopy work was recognized by Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement which focuses on environmental conservation.[7]

See also

References
  1. A Taste Test of Chocolate Bars Made from Scratch
  2. 8 Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Makers to Know
  3. Castronovo Chocolate wins international award
  4. Castronovo’s Chocolate Factory wins a different kind of award
  5. Profile: Castronovo Chocolate. February 2014 Florida Trend page 27.
  6. Castronovo’s Chocolate Factory wins a different kind of award
  7. 4 Brillian Chegs Who Are Changing the World with Food "4 Brilliant Chefs Who Are Changing the World with Food" Archived 2015-08-17 at the Wayback Machine
  1. Castronovo Chocolate Homepage.
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