As high-sugar foods get bad press, a local SME strikes a blow by creating an all-plant-based, sugar-free, organic chocolate, a world first.
“The number one enemy right now is sugar,” says Jean-René Lemire, co-founder of Theobroma Chocolat.
The entrepreneur and his partner Josée Vignault sensed the right thing three years ago when the federal government introduced nutritional labeling on food packaging.
Even if their old collections offered less sugar, the reflection begins. They discover the explosion of type 2 diabetes cases in Canada and the craze for sugar-free diets like the keto diet. But the idea also germinated in the family circle.
“When we first started, we consumed snacks every day. My children have often exceeded the recommended sugar levels after their snack,” explains the entrepreneur, who is also a father. The World Health Organization recommends 25 grams of sugar per day. With a few pieces of normal chocolate we already reach the recommended limit.
” Make the difference “
The entrepreneurial couple say they are “driven by ideas that can make a difference.”
Their chocolates were already fair trade, organic and contained as few ingredients as possible. But they want to push the mission further.
“If we make better products, the healthcare system will do much better and our children will be much healthier,” comments Mr. Lemire.
Chocolate manufacturers therefore decided in 2020 to develop an alternative unsweetened product that fits their values.
Two years of research
“It was a headache, it lasted more than two years. Our research and development team is not letting up,” the head of the medium-sized company is proud of having reached this point.
There are other so-called sugar-free products, but Mr. Lemire believes Theobroma Chocolat’s innovation is vastly superior. Sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are synthetic products that have been linked to health problems and “destroy the taste of food.”
As for the new natural alternative stevia, “it doesn’t come close to the cassava fiber” that the company is using in its new formulation. The cassava ingredient is rich in natural fiber and would give the chocolate a unique flavor and creamy side. And it contains zero sugar.
The company’s other coup is a recipe that contains only three organic, purely plant-based ingredients: cocoa paste, cocoa butter and cassava fiber.
“The other players often have 7, 8, 9 ingredients,” compares Jean-René Lemire. But at Theobroma they want to highlight the quality and taste of pure and natural ingredients.
Theobrom chocolate
- Foundation: 2008
- Based in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, near Quebec
- Distributes its products throughout North America
- Number of employees: 40