Chocolatier, a word that is becoming popular in Japan along with pastry chef, is the French word for chocolate craftsman. A highly sensitive Japanese chocolatier who is now recognized around the world. Introducing the chocolatiers who nurture and evolve Japan's chocolate culture.

Delivering chocolate made from the finest Japanese ingredients, including matcha, persimmons, sake, and plum wine, to the world

Merry Chocolate is a Japanese chocolate maker that everyone knows. It is also the company that created the current excitement for Valentine's Day. The news that ``Merry Chocolate was awarded CCC's Gold Tablet'' in 2014 was surprising. CCC is an abbreviation for "Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat", an association of French chocolate lovers. It's pronounced "seh-seh-seh."

Winning this honor is due to the passion of Shigeyuki Oishi, a self-proclaimed "salaryman chocolatier," and his team. In October 2019, CCC awarded the company's overseas strategic brand "Tokyo Chocolate" with the "Best Chocolatier Award" at the chocolate festival "Salon du Chocolat" in Paris. However, this glory did not come overnight. It was in 10 that the Merry Chocolate team to which Oishi belonged began their challenge in Paris.

“As a pioneer among Japanese chocolatiers, our team has been active at Salon du Chocolat Paris for quite a long time as the only company in Japan. Our booth design and demonstrations have been well-received, and we are a very popular brand. However, there was some prejudice against Japanese chocolate, and I feel that there was something heretical about it, for better or for worse,'' Oishi recalls. When the company first exhibited in 2000, matcha chocolate was not well received, but as the years passed, people in France began to understand Japanese ingredients and the taste of Japanese chocolate.

``French customers have very delicate sensibilities, similar to those of Japanese people, but through our many years of experience at Salon du Chocolat, we are able to find the chocolate that we want them to taste and the chocolate that French customers want. I think the fact that it was a perfect fit led to the award.I used to choose ingredients that matched the tastes of French people in order to please them, but now I have Japanese customers. I feel that the people in France will find the food to be just as delicious if they find it really delicious."

Many Japanese chocolatiers were present at the 2019 CCC award ceremony. ``Japanese chocolate has a very natural taste, and the Japanese materials used are reminiscent of nature.I once again felt that there is great expectation for ``Japanese chocolate'' in the future of the chocolate world.'' Tokyo Chocolate's masterpiece ``MINAMO'' is a chocolate with a sparkling pate de fruit that perfectly expresses the ``water surface'' and allows you to enjoy the atmosphere and taste typical of the Japanese people. This season, in addition to sake and wine, plum wine has been introduced. The way they drink alcohol is subtle and very profound.

Now that Japanese chocolate has been recognized on the world stage, what is Oishi's next goal? ``I would like to study Japanese ingredients more.I would like to find a way to express the goodness of Japanese ingredients, including Japanese culture.I also want to dig deeper into things like matcha and yuzu. I'm always looking for new ingredients and combinations, and I want to discover new flavors.I want to keep taking on new challenges.''

(Titles omitted)

tokyo chocolate
(Merry Chocolate Campany)
https://www.tokyo-chocolate.jp/tokyo-chocolate/