--You're very particular about ingredients, and you even visit local farms to select them.

Recently, more and more chocolatiers are visiting cacao-producing areas. Personally, I travel in search of better cacao, but I also want to see the people and how they cultivate it. Meeting and talking with the farmworkers, who are dedicated to growing better, tastier cacao, even for just a few moments, is invaluable. Seeing the passion, effort, and lifestyle of the producers with my own eyes is an important factor in selecting cacao.

--Do you go every year?

Yes. I go every year, and I go to a variety of places, including Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Madagascar. Sometimes I even go to Vietnam, which isn't a cacao-producing region (laughs).

--Do you gather information about the quality of this year's harvest there?

Yes. Not only that, I'm also interested in sanitation. I visit farms with an interest in how they cultivate their produce, how they operate their machinery, and how they distribute it, as well as whether they make efforts to maintain hygiene, as these factors greatly affect quality.

--You've been in Japan for 11 years, so please tell me about any visions or things you'd like to do in Japan from now on.

There are many things, both short-term and long-term, but one of the things I've been working on and really want to accomplish is making couverture. I want to make couverture that really expresses my individuality and personal touch. I want to complete that world.

For example, my way of making bonbons is very unique, unlike any other chocolatier. I want to use my own unique methods to create a quality that no one else has ever achieved.

--What, for example, do you mean?

Ultimately, the question is what makes the difference in taste? First of all, there are so many different textures. The rich variety of flavors is what combines to create a very distinctive aroma. The other day, I compared my own chocolates with those made by other chocolatiers, and even I was amazed. The chocolates I make have a long, lingering flavor. I'm currently in charge of the chocolates served in JAL's first class, and at a meeting the other day, the other person was very surprised by the length of the aftertaste. It was a bonbon chocolate with spices and honey, and they praised it for having a unique aftertaste. To achieve that long aftertaste and strong flavor, we fine-tuned the texture very carefully. I think this allows us to maximize the potential of the aroma.

--Japan has the most stores in Asia, so I'd be grateful if you could say a message to your Japanese fans.

I work with passion, so I would be happy if my customers experience it with the same passion (laughs). I believe that passion is what makes life shine.

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