What if for the whole of your life, you had been told that chocolate tasted one way, but the truth was that it really did not. Would you be able to appreciate the REAL taste of chocolate when you met it or would you stick with the inferior variety you had been accustomed to?
I have struggled with this article for a long time. At times I thought, should I even bother? Do Ugandans really eat chocolate anyway? And the answer is yes, and again the answer is yes. My job, part of it, is to document.
One day I had a rare craving for chocolate. When i got to the supermarket, i picked up a few bars and made the mistake of reading the ingredient list as one sometimes does. The non-cocoa ingredients on all of them were so many that it rendered what was being sold not chocolate at all. In fact, The Guardian wrote a story about this very thing, saying ‘…McVitie’s Penguin and Club bars are no longer real chocolate, with their coatings downgraded to “chocolate flavour”. The biscuits can no longer be classified as chocolate because they now contain more palm and shea oils than cocoa.’
I contrasted this with Moonbean chocolate for instance, which in some cases, has bars with just about 3 ingredients and I wondered why we are so intent on importing the not real thing whilst leaving the real thing right here. Now I wonder no more. I found out.
- Cost
Real chocolate made at home is expensive for several reasons: Cocoa is expensive, small enterprises, which all chocolate makers i interacted with are, do not enjoy economies of scale or any policy advantages. This drives up the price of the final product. But work is being done here. You can get a bar at 6000shs and even 4000shs today.
2. Access
Very very few supermarkets carry Ugandan made chocolate. My small research in metropolitan Kampala showed that only Carrefour Acacia mall had a stall dedicated to Ugandan chocolate. (If you know another place that sells, I would love to include them here.)
3. Access
That is not a typo, access is such a problem that it bears mentioning twice. Of the 5 chocolate brands I feature here, only 1 had an automated WhatsApp response on their contact. From them, I got an actual response to my question ‘Where can I find your chocolate’ many hours later.
Another 1 started a conversation, got distracted and moved on.
Only 2 had WhatsApp business accounts. Only 1 responded in a timely way, another responded, started a conversation, got distracted mid way and never came back. 1 quite literally featured a family portrait for a profile picture! ‘Do I have the right number?’ You’d ask yourself. None had a catalogue on their WhatsApp for a potential customer to view their range of products. Yiii, these things are free.
I went to the premises of where 1 was made, but i can’t imagine any other customer actually going through that journey for a bar of chocolate. They insisted that their chocolate was at Carrefour, told me to look again, but as i had told them, it wasn’t.
This state of affairs greatly bars access. It puts imported chocolate-adjacent brands ahead with no effort at all. All they have to do is be in front of the customer.
Most of the websites for these businesses are limited and lacking. However, I found a number of made in Uganda, or containing Ugandan Cocoa, beautifully packaged chocolate bars…being sold outside countries. As they are not available to us, I will not be writing about them here today.
4. Storytelling
There is limited marketing and advertising from Ugandan chocolate brands. How can we buy our own when we don’t talk about our own? Which is where this story comes in!
Happy Valentine’s day!
- MOONBEAN CHOCOLATE
Moonbean has a range of Chocolate bars with additives like Cinnamon, Ginger and Lemongrass, but it is the Black Pearl, their 72% dark that i went for. I wanted a chocolate with that bitterness but also with the tinniest bit of sweetness. The gentleman at the store had suggested the 60% but it was still on the more sweet side for me. The great thing about buying from the factory is that you will get a chance to taste before you buy. I wanted something i would eat in bits not minutes and after a few nibbles i landed on this.
By being more chocolate than sugar, i found that i ate it, a piece or 2 at a time as a treat. It was in my fridge for over a week. Perhaps because of this i would say this is the best Dark chocolate of all the brands i tasted. The sugar balance was not too much, not too little, it was just right for me. Of course i am a lover of creative names so The Black Pearl satisfied on that front too.
You can buy from Yamasen in Muyenga, their offices/factory in Bugolobi Luthuli avenue or call them on 0701805182.
2. EQUATOR CHOCOLATE
With Equator i tried the 34% white bar, the most affordable Ugandan chocolate i could find at 3,900shs. First, I couldn’t tell if this was a deliberate shape or an accidental one.
I am not a fan of white chocolate no matter who makes it so I couldn’t make it beyond the tinniest tiny nibble. It was obviously very sweet with more than a hint of powdered milk. My sweet toothed companions likes it though and asked for seconds.
Online information states that Equator Chocolate opened in 2018, making them almost 10 years old. They operate a robust e-shop at www.chocolate.ug which has Ugandan chocolate bars for prices as friendly as 4000shs.
You can also find them at TMT, Millenium, Jazz, and Eco Mart supermarkets or call 0783-480124
3. LATITUDE CHOCOLATE
Oh so pretty! Latitude took great care in designing wrappers that give the joy of opening chocolate. Thank you for honouring the truth that chocolate is a treat and deserves to be consumed thusly, eyes and all. And then look at the inside! As a story teller i was riveted!
Their chocolate wrappers come in bright pinks, blues, oranges, pinks and yellows with whimsical art to match. The Jinja 64% is not the bar i would ordinarily go for but as with Moon bean, if you visit their outlet, you have a chance to have a taste before you buy. I’m glad i did because it made my eyes pop open like cartoons do when they taste a an exquisite dish. I asked, ‘Is that the ferment? Is there wine?’ And the lady told me, ‘The Jinja beans are different’. I concur and can not recommend this enough.
Additionally, it is fairly dark and sweet to the taste.
You can buy from Bukoto street 6 or Carrefour or call them on 0784478417. Shout out to Carrefour Acacia mall for being the only supermarket consistently selling Ugandan chocolate.
4. NILE CHOCOLATES
From the tone of Nile chocolate’s front facing persona, i got the sense that the chocolate was a second tier concern to their mission of empowerment, education etc. A missed opportunity if you ask me because their chocolate bars are not bad. I wonder what it would be like if their story leaned into the more fun parts and the beauty of making and most importantly, consuming chocolate.
I tried the 42% Dark milk chocolate and there was a smokey or woody taste. Sweet and light brown completed the profile for me.
You can buy from their factory in Kyambogo next to the Royal foam mattress factory or call them on 0701858707.
5. PENUEL CHOCOLATE
I really liked the experience of finding Penuel chocolate because i had not been looking for them. I had never heard of them and simply bumped into them on the supermarket shelf.
I thought Latitude was pretty till I opened the box of Penuel. The intricate patterns of almonds, almond and almond leaves on the chocolate surprised me in the nicest way. I wondered what their bar with coffee looked like on the inside.
With this bar I tasted more sugar than cocoa, than almonds. It coated my entire mouth all the way to the back for moments after I was done eating the chocolate. I also learned about something called Chocolate bloom which happens when the cocoa butter rises to the surface of the chocolate. It creates that powdery finish and makes the chocolate taste… Chocolate bloom can result from temperature changes during storage. However it is safe to eat although it changes the taste.
Penuel’s craftsmanship was so good that I am willing to give them another try, or try another percentage. I am confident it will get better.
And that’s a wrap!
Will you gift a loved one a Ugandan chocolate bar this month of love?
And if you know someone making wonderful chocolate in Uganda, drop me a message down there or here and i will be sure to add them to the list.
Happy Valentine’s day!