The golden ticket

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Chocolate camels from Al Nassma.

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Laurent Allereau and his chocolate Eiffel Tower.

"Our tea lounge Seasons acts as the showcase for the range of chocolate pralines and the new chocolate show pieces I create."

The Harbour Hotel's Wallace agrees that although his primary role is as a pastry chef, he will always make time to be inspired by chocolate.

"I specialise in chocolates and I've got a great team very keen on chocolate - everyone gets involved, everyone sticks their hands in and get covered in chocolate," he says.

"It gives me a whole spectrum of space to work in - in Dubai even though it's so warm, if you've got a nice air conditioned kitchen there's no problem at all working with it.

"The main thing is having a de-humidifying cabinet if you're making a large amount of chocolate and keeping it at the right temperature.

"It's not good keeping chocolate in the fridge, unfortunately that's what I have to do, but I turn the temperature up a little bit," he continues.

"Chocolate sweats; you lose a lot of flavour and it takes a lot of the smell from other ingredients around it, so you have to be careful when you store chocolate - don't mix it with other ingredients," he advises.

Bespoke chocolates are set to become the next big thing in the region as they allow customers more freedom, according to Swiss International Chocolates' Hutmacher.

"Custom-made chocolates enable us to listen to the customers and tailor the products to their needs and tastes," he explains.

"In opposition to customary chocolates ours are not main stream; we are the bespoke approach to chocolate-making.

"We listening to our customers and tailor the product to them instead of putting them in front of a fait accompli of production-line chocolates.

"Another undeniable advantage for many customers is that they may put their own signature on the chocolates by printing their logo on top of the chocolates - this puts a totally different signature on a corporate or VIP gift.

"The hand-made, custom-made chocolates are made with much pride, detailed work and attention, in order to exactly satisfy the customer and to achieve something as close as possible to their wishes."

Important ingredient

Many chefs and suppliers claim chocolate is the one ingredient that can really put a smile on the faces of consumers.

Four Season's Allereau says: "Everybody knows the power of chocolate, it bring happiness and removes stress.

"I remember my grandfather taking care of his garden day after day to grow the most beautiful fruits in order for my grandmother to make the most delicious homemade jam as she loved preparing pastries and jams for her grandchildren.

"For chocolate it is the same; if there is a genuinely caring farmer who expertly and with passion takes care of the cacaotier tree and if those caboose fruit are harvested at maturity then sun-dried, the best cocoa paste would be manufactured and used by a pastry chef who also has passion for his work - this is where the best chocolate comes from."

Chocolate is also one ingredient that truly appeals to a universal audience, according to Allereau.

"There is an incredible diversity of cultures all of whom speak the universal language of chocolate and who present a growing and captive market for chocolatiers," he explains.

"The growing and diverse residents in the Middle East all celebrate many different occasions, from birthdays to religious festivities, and regardless of occasion or culture chocolate always features in some way or another."

Some experts believe that broad appeal and popularity could see the Middle East become a major player in the global manufacture and supply of quality cocoa produce.

Swiss International Chocolates' Hutmacher comments: "Thanks to our positioning in the UAE, we will be able to cater for the demand in surrounding countries, which is growing at an incredible rate. And this is where the future is taking place, despite the economic slow down. I am very confident that the turn-around will come about soon and that public confidence will see the region retake its centre-stage position.

"Thanks to the downturn, I believe the market is maturing and that the considerations to offer a gift such as chocolate will most certainly veer towards high quality locally-made chocolate," he added.

However Al Nassma's Van Almsick is sceptical of the idea that the region can ever take on the world's major chocolate markets.

"Currently I do not feel the Middle East can compete in terms of quantity and to be honest I doubt it will ever be able to," he says.

But Four Seasons' Allereau disagrees. "If any huge worldwide branded chocolate factory decided, for whatever reason, to move or extend factories from Europe, the Middle East would be a very strategic market into which to expand, with a solid financial base," he asserted.

Swiss International Chocolates' Hutmacher adds that the region might have an opportunity to become one of the large players in chocolate production too.

"So far the well-known companies, especially Swiss companies, have shunned the area due to local logistics such as transport, temperature, customs and reliability of laws, in favour of larger markets like China and India," he notes.

"But in due time I believe they will implement production units in this region as well."

Hutmacher also point out that although the region has plenty of established chocolate makers supplying the mass-production market, there are also high-quality producers.

"The majority of the local companies do produce mass-market products, but there are a few bold ones who are making the difference in daring to create a high quality of hand made chocolates similar to ours," he says.

"They have a different taste base, different chocolates and a totally different approach to clients, so they will stand out."

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