AUDREY ASHWORTH JOINS THE JURY OF “LES ÉCLATS DU CHOCOLAT” AT SALON DU CHOCOLAT
This year’s Les Éclats du Chocolat competition brought together a panel of professionals and connoisseurs to evaluate creations that redefine what exceptional chocolate can be. As a jury member, Audrey Ashworth, Director of the international food expo SIAL Paris, participated in tasting, evaluating and debating products that combine precision, flavour and storytelling.
The event took place at the Salon du Chocolat 2025, the world’s largest showcase dedicated to cocoa and chocolate food sector, uniting more than 500 exhibitors from producing countries and premium brands. The awards ceremony unfolded on 2 November on the Cacao Show stage, a space dedicated to live demonstrations, discussions and presentations of the sector’s most promising innovations.
For Audrey Ashworth, joining the jury meant recognising not just the technical achievement of a bar or confection, but the values behind it: sustainability, fairness, and creativity. Besides flavour and craftsmanship, the event celebrates the people, the terroirs and the stories that give each creation its distinctive identity.
Winners of Les Éclats du Chocolat 2025 Competition
The 2025 food innovation exhibition edition featured five prizes, each highlighting a distinct facet of contemporary chocolate excellence:
- Best Bean-to-Bar Tablet: Ayitika – Kanperen – Contamana Amelonado 80 %
From Haiti, Ayitika won top honours for a tablet that showcases rare varieties of cocoa, Contamana and Amelonado, cultivated in Camp-Perrin. Its aromatic depth, natural acidity and silky texture seduced the jury. The award also recognises the brand’s work in supporting local cooperatives and promoting Haitian cocoa on the global stage.
- Best Innovation: Mon Choco – Ma Tablette Crue 70 %
The Ivorian brand Mon Choco impressed with its “raw” chocolate bar, produced through minimal processing at low temperature to preserve antioxidants and authentic flavour. The result is an intense, pure cocoa experience that aligns with the growing consumer appetite for natural and health-conscious indulgence.
- Ethical and Responsible Engagement Prize: Racine Carrée – Chocolat Végétal – Alto Miro (Pérou)
Racine Carrée won for its plant-based formulation and transparent sourcing model. Using cocoa from Alto Miro in Peru, the company emphasises biodiversity preservation and fair pay for farmers. The product demonstrates how sustainability and pleasure can coexist without compromise.
- Jury’s Favourite (Coup de Cœur): 20° Nord 20° Sud – Anamalai (Tamil Nadu, India)
This chocolate from southern India won the jury over with its elegant notes of honey, spice and dried fruit. Made from single-origin beans in the Anamalai region, it reflects India’s growing prominence as a fine-flavour cocoa origin.
- Best Discovery: A-Typica – Chocolat Chaud Antillais and Liqueur de Cacao
This new category celebrates originality and surprise. The jury was won over by the Antillean 65% Hot Chocolate Powder, created by A-TYPICA, a young Martinican chocolate maker. Infused with cinnamon, nutmeg, tonka bean and vanilla, this hot chocolate reinterprets a traditional Caribbean recipe served during family celebrations.
A living portrait of the chocolate world
Each winner of Les Éclats du Chocolat represents a different approach to the same ambition: to elevate chocolate into an art form that honours both producers and consumers. For the jury, chaired by Salon du Chocolat organisers, the diversity of submissions highlights the dynamism of the global cocoa ecosystem.
Behind every award lies a commitment to traceability and transparency, values that resonate strongly in a market increasingly attentive to ethical sourcing. From bean-to-bar artisans to experimental creators, the competition celebrates the dual movement shaping the sector: a return to origins and a leap toward innovation.
For Audrey Ashworth, the strength of the competition lies in its diversity. “We taste the world through chocolate,” she says. “Each bar tells a story about geography, craftsmanship and imagination. It’s an honour to recognise the talent and integrity of these creators.”
An event that connects professionals and the public
Held at the Cacao Show stage, one of the most vibrant spaces of the Salon du Chocolat, the award ceremony drew professionals, journalists and chocolate lovers alike. Visitors were invited to discover the winning creations, meet their makers, and explore the stories behind each flavour profile.
Throughout the show, live demonstrations, masterclasses and tastings provide an immersive journey from bean to finished product. Exhibitors from producing countries including Peru, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Madagascar and Ecuador presented their finest harvests, while European chocolatiers unveiled limited editions inspired by terroir and sustainability.
The awards therefore act as both recognition and platform, offering winners visibility among distributors, buyers and media while reinforcing Paris’s status as a global hub for chocolate excellence.
A celebration rooted in ethics and artistry
In an era when consumers seek both pleasure and purpose, Les Éclats du Chocolat competition provides a mirror of modern consumption trends. The inclusion of prizes for ethical engagement and discovery illustrates the show’s commitment to a holistic vision of chocolate: one that honours taste, origin, environment and creativity in equal measure.
The 2025 winners demonstrated that innovation in chocolate does not only concern technique, but also meaning. Whether it is the raw intensity of Mon Choco, the vegetal formulation of Racine Carrée, or the poetic balance of 20° Nord 20° Sud, each creation offers a reflection of contemporary values: responsibility, authenticity and joy, standing as a reminder that food innovation today is as much about purpose as it is about flavour.