Koyama won gold for its J.Chocomania 1964 chocolate assortment box; silver for its Chocolat Chaud and bronze for its Terrine de Chocolat Hekkonda.
Salon du Chocolat Paris
“I made this bonbon chocolate assortment in 2011, the same year I participated in Salon du Chocolat Paris. For this collection, I chose six ganache nature with characteristics of homemade pralines in almonds and hazelnuts,” he told ConfectioneryNews.
“The design is an imaginary New Continent. I have a lot of respect for the Maya civilisation and the Mayans, who were the first people to discover cacao. It is from this that I want to transmit a “new chocolate culture” from this tiny insular country, Japan and to use my enthusiasm into developing this continental-shaped box and map-like leaflet.”
Koyama won the Most Outstanding Foreign Chocolatier award at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris in 2011, and became the first non-French chocolatier to earn supreme honors from the C.C.C. (Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat), the authoritative French chocolate society that votes to determine the best 150 chocolatiers from both France and elsewhere.
He is highly acclaimed for exquisite creations fashioned with a grasp of the properties of cacao and couverture chocolate, including bonbons that incorporate Japanese ingredients such as sake lees, Daitokuji natto fermented soybeans, and shoyu soy sauce.
Koyama added he chose two colors for Chocolat Chaud, yellow and brown to represent an inspiring cacao farm and the earth. He said for the Terrine de Chocolat Hekkonda, ‘hekkonda’ means ‘get dented’ in Japanese and as the name suggests, the middle of the cake is dented.
Packaging needs to be fun & pop
“There are many people who have never tasted real chocolate made from selected cacao beans. For them, it is easier to buy the product if the package is fun and pop. This is an attractive package to spread the love for real chocolates,” he added.
The Academy of Chocolate was set up in 2005 to campaign for better chocolate and promote greater awareness of the difference between fine chocolate and mass produced chocolate confectionery.
Entries came in from the Americas, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, and the UK, from small artisans and major international producers, judged by a panel of over 40 chocolate experts, buyers, pastry chefs, food professionals and journalists.
The other packaging gold winners were Zurg and Fabric for its single bar Fabric csokolade; Dandelion Chocolate Tasting Set and DeRosier ‘A bundle of Origin’ multiple bars.
“The quality of the Bean to Bar category has improved significantly,” said Sara Jayne Stanes, chairwoman, Academy of Chocolate.
“More than ever before the individual filled chocolates are technically accomplished, creative and original. The fact that our awards attracted so many talented chocolatiers from across the globe shows the Academy of Chocolate is recognized as the leader in identifying, supporting and encouraging chocolate excellence.”
Click here for a list of all the winners.