The Paris-based chocolate festival, Salon du Chocolat 2016, will be held at the Shinjuku NS Building from January 27th to 31st. We'll introduce "Bean to Bar," a new trend in the chocolate world that has recently established itself and will be available at the festival.

This year's theme for Salon du Chocolat is "The Temptation of Cacao, the Adventure of Chocolate." At the venue, world-renowned chocolatiers will communicate the "charm of cacao" through their own creations. The latest industry trend is "Bean to Bar" chocolate.

Bean to Bar is a process in which the entire process, from selecting the cacao beans (beans) that make the chocolate to creating the chocolate bars, is carried out in a single chocolatery (workshop). This allows chocolatiers to personally manage each stage of production in detail, resulting in chocolates that reflect their individual attention to detail, such as the amount of effort and the blending of ingredients. The event will feature Bean to Bar from LAIA, a chocolate shop located in France's Basque region, a region steeped in traditional chocolate culture. Olivier Cazenave, the brand's creator, is a former roaster at the major chocolate manufacturer Lindt, and is well-versed in the roasting process, including the condition of the beans, roasting time, and temperature. He offers "Tablet Chocolat Brazil" (60g for 1,000 yen), made with 75% Brazilian cacao. He insists on using 75% because it's the golden ratio that ensures the most delicious taste in a tablet. Minimal -Bean to Bar Chocolate-, a bean to bar specialty shop based in Tomigaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, will be making its debut at Salon du Chocolat. The chocolate shop carefully selects high-quality cacao beans from around the world and meticulously pursues the beans' natural flavor and aroma. This time, they will be releasing "Minimal Flight 2016" (24 tablets for 5,500 yen), a tablet set made with cacao from countries directly under the equator, based on the theme of "A Journey Around the World's Cacao-Producing Regions."

CHOCOLATERIE A.MORIN, a chocolate shop in the Drôme region of southern France, will be making its first appearance at Salon du Chocolat. Frank Morin, the brand's fourth-generation founder, is known for his close ties with cacao producers, particularly in Peru. "Chanchamayo 63%" (1,700 yen for 100g) uses Peruvian cacao and offers a tart, sweet aroma reminiscent of citrus fruits.

AKESSON'S, based in London, has its own farm in Madagascar, where they handle everything from growing the cacao beans to producing the chocolate. Bertil Akesson, the owner of this chocolatery, believes in the concept of allowing customers to enjoy not only the chocolate but also the terroir (climate and soil) of the cacao-producing region, and so he will be introducing chocolates that combine pepper and coffee harvested in the same area as the cacao, such as "Madagascar 75% Trinitario & Vortivelliferi Pepper" (60g 1,250 yen) and "Madagascar Ambolika Piqui Plantation 75% Criollo" (60g 1,250 yen).