Why 5.30am is the best time to eat chocolate
One of Australia’s top chocolatiers shares the best bucket list destinations for chocoholics — and how to tell good from bad chocolate just by looking at it.
Ben Kolly has what a lot of people would consider a dream job. He is the technical product manager at South Australian institution Haigh’s Chocolates, which means he creates new chocolates and taste tests existing ones to ensure quality. And he does this between 5.30 and 6am as “tastebuds are at their best” in the morning, before eating or drinking coffee. “I eat chocolate every day as part of my job and I love it,” he says.
Born in Switzerland in a region also known as the birthplace of milk chocolate, Kolly was never really going to do anything else. At 16, he started an apprenticeship as a pastry chef and chocolatier at a nearby village and has never looked back.
What is the difference between good and bad chocolate?
Good chocolate should have a nice aroma and the block should be shiny, with no white swirl marks on the surface.
When breaking a piece, a slight snap sound should be heard.The very best chocolate is made from high-quality ingredients.
Haigh’s source cocoa beans from around the world that have been grown with a lot of care in the right environment, and are then harvested, fermented, and dried. Our chocolate is made using these beans in a traditional manner in our factory in Adelaide.
How do you create a new chocolate?
Overseas trends in flavours and feedback from customers are taken into account, as well as understanding the nature of our seasons. For example, Mother’s Day has essence of florals and fruits while Christmas has a focus on festive flavours.
It is also a delicate balance to ensure flavours are present but not overpowered by the chocolate.After researching flavours, I create new concept chocolates that are then tested by our product team.
Once approved it can take up to 18 months for the final version to be ready for sale at Haigh’s. I find it very rewarding to see it on the shelves.
What is your favourite Haigh’s chocolate?
There are so many it’s difficult to choose, but the milk peppermint truffle bar and the milk
almond cluster are two of my favourites.
What is the best chocolate you have eaten?
Amedei Porcelana 70%, a dark chocolate made in a very small batch in Tuscany, and Felchlin Opus Lait Lait de Terroir 38%, milk couverture chocolate made in Schwyz, Switzerland. Haigh’s Milk Melbourne Dry Gin chocolate is also one of my all-time favourites.
Where do you get chocolate overseas?
Zotter in Austria, as the experience is amazing; Felchlin in Switzerland, where the chocolate is as breathtaking as the scenery; Patrick Roger in Paris and Benoit Nihant in Belgium. In Australia, Haigh’s, with no bias, and Bahen & Co from Margaret River.
How did you get into chocolate?
I was born in Gruyeres, Switzerland. Many Australians know this region for its incredible cheese. Gruyeres is located in the French part of Switzerland, which is very much known as the birthplace of milk chocolate that I grew up eating as a child. I was influenced by my mother, who is a very good cook all round. She still cooks every day at the age of 85. One of my fondest memories as a child was when the local baker would deliver bread rolls, often still a little bit warm, and we sandwiched some Cailler milk chocolate in them. Delicious.
Have you studied choocolate overseas?
I once did a sensory study on cocoa beans at Cirad Montpellier in France (pictured), one of the only places such a course is offered. I’ve also travelled to cocoa farms in Malekula in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. It was fascinating to further understand the intricacies of growing high-quality cocoa and the hard work of family farmers.
How does travel inspire you?
I love looking at how people eat and what they cook when I am travelling. There is always a great deal to learn from other cultures, which inspires me to create new and interesting chocolates with unique flavours.
Do you ever get sick of chocolate?
No, not at all because chocolate is such a complex flavour experience. I have a wooden cabinet at home where I keep my wine and chocolate and so it is never far from me.
What is your most memorable travel experience?
Street food in Brazil while backpacking through the amazing country in my early 20s. I would love to go back to the Middle East, which is a fascinating region, and the local food is sensational.
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