Vanderwee Chocolates was established in 1995 in Sydney by Belgians Hendrik and Hilde Vanderwee Rosseel who chose to specialise in high end artisan made chocolates that are handcrafted in Belgium. No mass production, no preservatives, no artificial colouring agents, no compromises!
Often chocolate is judged by its price tag Most people believe there is little difference between cheap chocolate and expensive chocolate.
While everyone has read about the health benefits of chocolate: It influences peoples mood, Cocoa's flavonoid content relieves inflammation. Cocoa's various vitamins and minerals provide essential nutrients that boost energy levels and aid in recovery from exercise. Dark chocolate and cocoa-based foods help stabilize blood sugar levels. Theobromine, found in abundance in cocoa, is associated with weight loss and increased energy.
Few people know is that cheap chocolate contain little or no Cocoa butter and most of the household chocolate brands you’ll find in your supermarket or department stores are no longer made with that vital ingredient. The demand for Cocoabutter by the cosmetic industry is so high that and consequently the price of is now beyond reach of low and medium end chocolate producers.
If cocoa butter is no longer used in your chocolate what is??? Mostly sugar, lard and vegetable fats and to make it taste like chocolate artificial flavours are used. The European Union was so concerned with this trend that since 2003 many popular brands were forced by law to remove the name chocolate from their wrappers to comply with European Law (directive 2000/36/EC) . This is due, mainly to excessive fat and sugar usage incorrectly being labeled as chocolate. Read the EU law here.. And this is why most household brands call had to rename they product to Dairy Milk, Gold, Excellence, because their product became confectionery not chocolate.
On a final note if you look for the percentage of cocoa in you bar just make sure that the percentage is expressed in cocoa SOLIDS, because this is the only standard the percentage of cocoa (by law) should be expressed. Lindt for example is notorious for not implementing this standard outside Europe.
Here at Vanderwee you discover real chocolate: high in cocoa solids, low on sugar, 95% fat free and stacked with all the goodness real chocolate is renowned for. (Always in accordance with the EU law)
To maintain the freshness and quality, Vanderwee imporst their chocolates direct by express air, from Belgium. This makes it Sydney’s unique place where health conscious chocolate lovers go for their chocolate fix.
Over the years, Vanderwee have developed a bond with their customers, going back from their early Glasshouse and Skygarden years. Their following have been spreading the word, since they started in 1995. Let’s blame it on the chocolate!