Chocolate Sibö once again stood out at the International Chocolate Awards, the largest fine chocolate competition based in New York. The Costa Rican brand earned a bronze medal in the category of dark chocolate bars with more than 85% cocoa for its Super Oscuro 99% bar.
The award was given after a blind evaluation by a panel of 12 international judges, who highlighted notes of “vanilla, almond, cherry, and lemon,” as well as a texture with “pleasant and distinct flavors, with an interesting evolution and minimal bitterness.” The Sibö bar contains more cocoa than any other winning product in this edition.
“The competition gets fiercer every year. There were only 1.8 points separating Chocolate Sibö from the gold medal winner,” explained George Soriano, the company’s director of marketing and sales.
Among the Latin American winners this year were producers from Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua, leading countries in chocolate production. Sibö was the only Costa Rican winner in the finished chocolate products category.
“These awards are the equivalent of the Oscars or Grammys for the fine chocolate industry. We are honored by the recognition and happy to achieve our mission of putting Costa Rica among the best chocolates in the world. Now we’re off to the World Cup!” Soriano added.
The gold went to Argrnvove from Nicaragua and the silver to Cacao Hunters from Colombia.
The competition has been organized since 2012 by the Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting, which evaluates nearly 600 chocolate samples from different regions of the world using a mathematical scoring system inspired by the coffee industry. The jury is composed of experts in chocolate and cacao, chefs, and food technology specialists.
Chocolate Sibö was founded in December 2007 by historian Julio Fernández and journalist George Soriano. They left their professions to embark on a revolutionary project: to create chocolate made entirely in Costa Rica, from seed to bar, using only Costa Rican cocoa.
The brand is recognized in the fine chocolate industry as a pioneer in premium artisanal chocolate in Costa Rica. Chocolate Sibö manufactures chocolate at its two locations, one in Plaza Itskatzu, Escazú, and the other in San Isidro de Heredia.
This company works directly with three cacao farms in the areas of Talamanca, Huetar Norte, and Turrialba. It also exports its products to the United States and Japan and sells online through www.sibochocolate.com.
