21 M’sian brands at this cocoa exhibition that was “choc” full of interesting products

Hosted by Lembaga Koko Malaysia, the Malaysia Cocoa and Chocolate Day (MCCD) 2022 took place over the weekend of October 14 to 16 at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre.

With over 30 booths in total (some belonging to organisations such as the Ministry of Health), this event was a cocoa-filled one with samples available at almost every exhibitor. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the brands we saw there and what they were selling.

1. Chocolate Royale

Right off the bat towards the left side of the hall, a little café area can be found, operated by the brand Chocolate Royale.

Dubbed a place for all cocoa lovers, chocolate drinks and cocoa pulp juice can be found here alongside ice cream and waffles.

The brand seems to be a product of Lembaga Koko Malaysia itself, which is the Malaysian Cocoa Board.  

2. Fidani Chocolatier

Known for its handcrafted chocolates, Fidani Chocolatier is a subsidiary of DR Group Holdings, the company behind the Chocolate Museum in Kota Damansara, which is where Fidani’s factory is located as well.

Nor Shida Mohd Nordin, the manager of Fidani Chocolatier, shared with Free Malaysia Today that the brand’s name is a shortened version of “Afida is my honey”, with Afida being the only daughter of Dahlan Rasaid, the company’s founder.

Fidani offers a variety of different chocolate categories such as Praline & Gianduja, Crunches, Truffles, Cup & Solid, Cream, and Sugar-Free.

Other than that, Fidani also offers personalised chocolates to serve as wedding or corporate gifts.

3. Cophoria

For those who don’t like chocolates but still want to support our local cocoa industry, Cophoria might be a suitable brand for you.

Created by Proxima Technologies, Cophoria is a cosmetic brand with cocoa-based beauty products. According to its Shopee page, the products are made with natural and nourishing ingredients to promote healthy, hydrated-looking skin.

Its product range includes foundation, blusher, loose powder, compact powder, cream cushion, lip glazes, and even a cocoa sanitiser that has a very light chocolate fragrance.

4. Cocoa Paradise

Also by Proxima Technologies, Cocoa Paradise is a body care line with three products—shower creams, shower gels, and body scrubs.

As the name suggests, these items are cocoa-based and are said to have a chocolatey smell.

5. Beryl’s Chocolate

We can’t talk about chocolates in Malaysia without bringing up Beryl’s, of course.

Beryl’s Chocolate and Confectionery was founded in 1995 in Desa Serdang, Kuala Lumpur. It started out with consumer-packed chocolates sold at duty-free shops and supermarkets, but today, it’s regarded as a major regional chocolatier.

At the exhibition, staff at Beryl’s booth was giving out its new B Crunch Milk Chocolate with Malt Ball product. The smooth milky chocolate paired with a crunchy texture made it a delicious snack.

6. Benns Chocolate Factory

Forget about Charlie’s Chocolate Factory and the Oompa Loompas, Benns Chocolate Factory is a local brand that deals with cocoa farmers in Asia. The company behind Benns also produces Benns Ethicoa, which stands for ethical cocoa.

A bean-to-bar chocolate brand, Benns Ethicoa sources from various Asian estates including Sungai Ruan in Pahang, Panchor in Muar, Chemor in Perak, Anaimalai in India, Calinan in the Philippines, Vung Tua in Vietnam, and Khlung District in Thailand.

At the exhibition, though, the booth was selling products from Benns Chocolate, another retail brand under Benns Chocolate Factory.

7. Le Bourne

More of a B2B brand, Le Bourne targets food manufacturers searching for the right chocolate to suit their needs. Its product list includes couvertures (a different version of chocolate that has higher cocoa butter content), compound chocolates, pastes, and coatings.

At the event, samples of its chocolate hazelnut paste and sea salt caramel crisp chocolate paste were offered on little pieces of bread, proving its ability to cater to end consumers as well.  

8. Sayloma Chocolate

Despite not having much of a social media presence, Sayloma Chocolate seems to be establishing itself by promoting its chocolate as a keto food product.

At its booth, samples of roselle, matcha, and coffee chocolates were given out.

9. Chokoko

A brand by TS Falah Resources, Chokoko is a chocolate-covered nuts brand based in Pulau Pinang.

Flavours include almond with milk chocolate, almond with white chocolate, almond with dark chocolate, and hazelnut with milk chocolate.

TS Falah Resources itself has been manufacturing, supplying, and retailing fast-moving food products since 2019. While it’s primarily known for a variety of sauces from chilli sauce to soy sauce, it now also has chocolates in its portfolio.

10. Chocsvalley

Based in Seremban, Chocsvalley was founded in 2013 by one Siti Izah Kassim. Initially, Siti was doing retail through Chocsvalley, selling other brands of chocolates. But even then, she had started formulating her own artisan chocolates including a variety of pralines, truffles, and bars.

Soon, she noticed there was demand for her handmade chocolates, so eventually, Chocsvalley pivoted to feature those artisan chocolates exclusively.

Other than a wide selection of handmade chocolates, Chocsvalley also provides Make Your Own Chocolate classes, designed to educate children on the craft of chocolate-making.

11. Grandeur Chocolate

A brand by AOM Food Industries, Grandeur Chocolate was mainly promoting its 80% cocoa, no sugar added fine dark chocolate with prebiotics at the event, labelling it as a “100% friendly” product for keto diets.  

Another product it carries is Crunchy Pops, a cocoa cereal that comes in flavours such as Tiramisu, Hazelnut, Dark Mint, and Milk.

12. Malsa Chocolates

One of the brands under Azaib Holdings, Malsa Chocolates produces a variety of chocolate products, including a series of freeze-dried fruit chocolates such as freeze-dried mangosteen milk chocolate, freeze-dried banana milk chocolate, and even freeze-dried durian milk and dark chocolate.

Other fruits include pineapples, mangoes, strawberries, and jackfruits.

According to its LinkedIn page, Azaib Holdings was founded in 2010 by Aslinah Aslam, known among friends and relatives as a person who prepared the best food, candies, and sweets in town.

13. Ryverra

Ryverra is one of the brands under Ryverra Chocolate & Confectionery with products such as milk chocolate bars with fruit fillings, including a durian one.

Other than that, Ryverra also produces a plethora of instant chocolate drinks from malt chocolate to a collagen chocolate mix.

Another Ryverra brand, Estana, was founded to fulfil wide-market demands. As such, products include generic plain chocolate bars, tiramisu milk chocolates, and more.

14. Hoko

Hoko is a brand under MAJULAH Koko Tawau, which in turn is a subsidiary of Teck Guan Perdana Bhd. MAJULAH is known for processing cocoa beans from its own plantations, supposedly having marketed and sold its cocoa products to international buyers such as Nestlé and Novartis.

Hoko has a wide variety of chocolate-related products such as a chocolate spread, syrup, instant cocoa beverages, cereals, cocoa soups, shower gels, jelly powder, white coffee mix, and so much more. While there, I even picked up a unique cocoa noodle product.

15. D’Kawi Chocolate Hut

Based in Langkawi, D’Kawi Chocolate Hut sells its own variety of chocolate products while also providing OEM services.

According to a staff member at the event, it had closed down its factory for a while due to the pandemic but has recently restarted its efforts and is even welcoming tourists to visit its factory in Langkawi.

16. Lee’s Cocoa

A maker of artisan chocolates, Lee’s Cocoa is regarded as the only cocoa plantation or garden left in Tanjung Sepat.

According to its website, Lee’s Cocoa’s garden covers around five acres and the entire process from growing the cocoa trees to producing the chocolate is done in a “purely natural way”.

All the chocolate products sold by Lee’s Cocoa are made from cocoa beans from its own plantation. Products sold include a variety of chocolate bars at specific cocoa percentages, 3-in-1 chocolate drinks, spreads, and more.

At this booth, I ended up trying dark chocolate-covered coffee beans made in collaboration with Ophanim Coffee Roasters that I really enjoyed.

17. Shweets Chocolate & Confectioneries

Established in 2012, Shweets Chocolates and Confectioneries makes handmade chocolates and confectioneries to serve as door gifts, corporate gifts, and in hampers.

At its booth, a particularly interesting product was the marshmallow chocolates, which feature a crunchy outer coating and a soft fluffy inside. Other products sold by Shweets include chocolate lollipops (Lollichocs), chocolate fondues, and more.

18. Skinihub

Previously known as “Skinny”, Skinihub is a brand of “skinny”, sugar-free chocolates.

Other than chocolate bars, Skinihub also has its own range of spreads with interesting flavours such as chocolate almond butter, mocha almond butter, almond butter, as well as the good old peanut butter.

19. Symphony Confection

Another booth seemingly specialising in spreads, Symphony Confection is a rather new brand, having been established in 2020.

Flavours of spreads include hazelnut chocolate, dark chocolate, black sesame, nutty, and matcha.  

It also features its spreads in two types of packaging—glass jars for those who prefer a solid, premium feel, or a plastic pouch for those who enjoy convenience and novelty.

20. NIMS Adeliciousz

Those who have a sweet tooth will definitely love NIMS, a brand known for its cocojars, also known as Crispy Choco Tubs at NIMS.

For those who have never heard of the concept, cocojars are just jars filled with chocolate sauce and crunchy coco puffs or other kinds of cereals.

Options available at NIMS include Coco Ball, Coco Rice, Mini Coco Crunch, Coco Krisp, Mini Rainbow Crunch.

21. Koko Loko

Manufactured by JFA Agro Enterprise, Koko Loko is a ready-to-eat brand selling cocoa-based snacks sourced directly from small cocoa farmers in Sabah. Specifically, it purchases from Kampung Tambatuon, Kota Belud for a higher-than-market price.

According to a poster from its booth, the CEO of Koko Loko is 12-year-old Armand bin Idrizam. Apparently, he managed to raise RM26,655 in January 2021 via LaunchGood, a crowdfunding platform.

Products sold at Koko Loko include Granola Blast, Cocoa Rubble, Chocolate Trail Mix, Sweet & Salty Cocoa Nibs, Sweet Spice Cocoa Nibs, Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pot, Apricot Almond Chocolate Chaos Cluster, and Armand Cookies.

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While at the event, I spoke to some vendors who shared that they felt like the event was underpromoted. This was a sentiment that was reflected online, which was actually how I found out about the event.

As of 2021, Malaysia’s cocoa industry consists of 5,955 hectares and the production of 361 tonnes, making our country one of the largest cocoa bean processing and grinding centres in the world, according to the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities.  

As such, our cocoa industry should be just as celebrated and more recognition should be given to our local chocolatiers and craftsmen.

Events such as the recent MCCD are simply a start in the process of bringing greater awareness to the brands listed above and beyond.