A new chocolate information page has been put online!
The Swiss Cocoa and Chocolate Economy Foundation has launched www.espritchocolat.ch
This new website spreads knowledge on chocolate, especially sustainable management, technology and economy.
Meet our Maître Chocolatier, Laurent Robatel on espritchocolat.ch
“Laurent Robatel has been a confectioner-chocolatier in charge of product development for 13 years at the Friborg chocolatier Villars. A diverse profession that is always full of challenges.
Passionate about innovation, the creation of new recipes and working with chocolate, Laurent Robatel creates models of the future delicacies of the Villars brand. After an apprenticeship as a confectioner, he specialized in desserts at the Hermitage in Clarens and in pastry with Jacques Hauser in Marly. Gold medalist twice in 1992 and 1993 in the Swiss pastry confectioner’s apprenticeship competition, he joined the Villars chocolate factory in 2005 as a confectioner-chocolate maker in charge of product development.
My role is to make models for ongoing projects in a dedicated workshop. It is important to master all the stages of the chocolate manufacturing process because I work with several departments, such as purchasing, quality, marketing and production, explains Laurent Robatel. I also regularly go to the laboratory to do analyzes and am responsible for the sensory panel ”. This chocolate enthusiast also passes on his passion by training new employees in chocolate culture.
His daily tasks are mainly tempering, molding, tastings and the development of innovations. “My hands and my imagination are my two main tools, along with the kitchen utensils and molds, essential for creating chocolate pieces,” explains Laurent Robatel. To carry out manual tempering, he uses a marble, an essential tool in the technique known as tablage. This allows the chocolate to be tempered in stages while respecting precise temperatures, a step necessary for the production of chocolate shells or for the molding of bars when making new tests. A profession that requires precision, organization, rigor, respect for deadlines and above all a lot of passion, inventiveness and creativity. “My main challenge is to transcribe an idea, a concept, a unique creation, as well as the pride of working with Swiss ingredients in a product of equivalent quality, but manufactured in large quantities. It is about continuing to inspire and surprise our consumers, loyal to our brand, and to seduce new ones. “
Find more information on chocolate at Chocolate Spirit .
