Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker Series Releases New Ben Tre Single-Origin Bar From Vietnam

HERSHEY, Pa., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker releases Scharffen Berger® Ben Tre chocolate bar, the newest Chocolate Maker's Series single-origin bar with cacao beans exclusively-sourced from the southern Ben Tre province of Vietnam. The rare and limited edition bar is one of the first Vietnamese single-origin bars to be imported into America.

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Scharffen Berger Ben Tre bar is a 72% cacao dark chocolate bar that is spicy and slightly fruity with notes of banana, cinnamon and fig – a flavor reflective of the country's terroir and of Scharffen Berger's small-batch, artisanal chocolate making method that creates rich, quality chocolate with balance and pleasing complexity.

"What makes the Scharffen Berger Ben Tre bar incredibly special is the attention to quality and care given throughout the entire bean-to-bar process," said Ray Major, lead expert on cacao sourcing for Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker. "Plantations are small in Vietnam and the farmers are meticulous cultivators, treating their properties more like gardens rather than farms."

Cacao production is on the rise and showing sustainable strength in Asia with cocoa beans grown in Vietnam's southern Ben Tre province to rank amongst the highest in quality worldwide. Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, dedicated to finding the most unique and exceptional beans from around the world, was one of the first companies to explore and to import Vietnamese cacao into the U.S.

While Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker began chocolate making with the idea that a blend of beans gives a fuller, more intense experience, the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker's Series is the result of discovering phenomenal beans of a single variety with the complexity and flavor to justify a bar made from just one bean type.

Late editions of the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker's Series include the Aminia bar from Madagascar, Camahogne bar from Grenada and Asante bar from Ghana.

Beginning in September 2010, the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker's Series Ben Tre bar will be available almost exclusively online at www.scharffenberger.com, in addition to a select few retail locations nationwide.

Scharffen Berger products are sold at select retailers nationwide, at Scharffen Berger chocolate's own retail location in San Francisco and through its website www.scharffenberger.com.  For more information please visit www.scharffenberger.com.

About Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker was established in 1997 in San Francisco, California, and first earned national recognition for its artisan-quality chocolate in 1998.  Producing bean to bar premium chocolates, Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker is one of the world's finest chocolate makers.  All Scharffen Berger chocolate is composed of proprietary bean blends from up to nine different cacao-growing regions throughout the world.  Scharffen Berger chocolate has received recognition throughout the U.S. for its high quality chocolate. Scharffen Berger products are sold by retailers nationwide, at Scharffen Berger chocolate's own retail location in San Francisco and through its website www.scharffenberger.com.   Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker is part of the Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company.  For more information please visit www.scharffenberger.com.  

SOURCE Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker