Accordingly, Fancy Foods is part of Nhat Huong's ecosystem, one of the leading enterprises in manufacturing and distributing raw materials for the bakery and beverage industry in Vietnam. With nearly 30 years of experience in the food industry, Nhat Huong has built a reputation for its famous products of high-quality baking cream and beverage cream.
After more than 20 years of supporting thousands of bakeries, the unit realized that the demand for supplying raw chocolate to the market is very large. Therefore, in January 2019, the company opened a factory to produce and distribute high-quality raw chocolate for the domestic market and export to dozens of countries, especially demanding markets such as the US, Canada, Japan, etc.
A representative of Nhat Huong said that to produce premium chocolate, raw cocoa is very important, in addition to strict processes and modern machinery. Cacao is mainly grown in areas surrounding the equator in humid climates. Africa is a long-standing cocoa growing and supplying region, mainly concentrated in Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria... In addition, Latin American countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia... are also traditional cocoa growing regions in the world.
But recently, some Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines... especially Vietnam are emerging as areas for growing high-quality cocoa. In addition to using good cocoa varieties, suitable and fertile climate and soil; along with cultivation and fermentation techniques are important factors in creating high-quality cocoa materials.
Currently, Vietnam has three main cocoa growing regions, namely the Mekong Delta (Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Hau Giang...), the Central Highlands (Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Gia Lai...) and the Southeast region (Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau...). These regions have favorable natural conditions for growing cocoa, with suitable altitudes and cool climates. Here, in addition to small-scale growing areas, a number of large farms and cocoa growing cooperatives have appeared. Although there are still many limitations in terms of scale and cultivation techniques, many households have begun to switch to growing cocoa as an option that brings high income.
Although cocoa production in Vietnam is not as high as in leading countries, this industry is developing and has the potential to develop in the future. Especially in the context of the world experiencing a chocolate raw material crisis, many manufacturers are in need of importing cocoa raw materials from Vietnam. Many large chocolate brands have opened factories in Vietnam, prioritizing the use of raw materials here to export internationally.
Although there are many obstacles in terms of scale, output, farming methods... Vietnam has the advantage of high quality cocoa due to suitable soil, climate and natural fermentation to create its own uniqueness. Many experts and organizations have ranked Vietnamese cocoa in the top 5% of cocoa beans with the best flavor globally.
According to Nhat Huong's representative, the current Vietnamese market mainly uses compound chocolate (using palm oil as fat) - accounting for over 90% of production, and only about 10% is cocoa chocolate (using cocoa butter as fat). This is a high-quality chocolate, good for health, has good melting and flavor, and is less boring than cheaper compound chocolate. Trong Duc is a rare unit that mainly focuses on providing high-quality cocoa chocolate, with most customers in the high-end segment such as restaurants, hotels or large bakeries.
Trong Duc also constantly researches and innovates to create finished chocolate lines, in order to increase the added value of the product. This enterprise successfully tested the method of grinding and freeze-drying chocolate in cold temperatures with fruits and other ingredients. Thanks to that, the unit produces a low-sugar product that melts quickly in the mouth, while retaining the sweetness and harmony of yogurt chocolate, lemon, rose, strawberry, durian, seaweed, hot pepper...
In Germany is preparing to launch a line of chocolate products covered with nuts and chocolate. This is a premium chocolate produced with grinding, mixing and freeze-drying technology at low temperatures. From there, the finished product retains the rich, fragrant, rich taste and nutrition of the nuts as well as the aroma and flavor of the high-quality ingredients according to European standards.