A cacao odyssey: Vigdis Rosenkilde and the quest for the world’s best chocolate

Step into a world where the jungle hums with secrets, where each breeze carries the scent of cacao and whispers of ancient flavours waiting to be uncovered. Norwegian Vigdis Rosenkilde invites you on her pursuit of pure chocolate magic. Why not come along?

Imagine stepping into a world where chocolate isn’t just a treat but an adventure—where the delicate floral notes of cacao whisk you through dense Latin American jungles, and each bite unveils a story as vibrant as the rainforest itself. This is the magical world of Vigdis Rosenkilde, Norway’s very own take on Willy Wonka.

“It all started in 2010 when I stumbled over a completely enthralling article about chocolate and the cacao bean. I learned that cacao beans, like wine, could hold different flavours – floral, fruity, nutty, and more,” says Rosenkilde. “This came at a time where I wanted to create a workspace for myself where I could travel, learn, and explore, and I became increasingly engrossed with the idea that it might be possible to create chocolate that tasted like wildflowers without adding a single petal.”

After long and careful deliberation, Rosenkilde decided to risk everything. Driven by a burning curiosity, she sold her Oslo apartment and set off into the unknown, beginning her very own chocolate adventure. “I trekked across Latin America and visited more than 50 cacao plantations to taste and learn all about cacao by the locals,” she says.

Right: Each cacao fruit is opened to collect the beans, which are coated in a sweet pulp. This pulp is essential for the fermentation process, which develops the beans’ flavours.

While in the Americas, she made friends in the most unexpected places, including Wilton, a cacao professor who invited her to his experimental farm in the jungles of Peru. “Wilton had over 100 different cacao trees, each offering unique and captivating flavour notes. There was, however, one particular tree that made his eyes sparkle. Cracking a cacao fruit from the tree open, Wilton handed it to me and asked what I could smell, and it was like putting my head in a bouquet of roses.”

Despite being obsessed with cacao’s floral notes and her name meaning source of the rose, Rosenkilde had never even considered a rose-flavoured chocolate. Until now. “In that moment, everything made sense. I knew this Chuncho variety was exactly what I’d been searching for,” she says. The Chuncho bean offered a flavour as complex as the jungle itself. With Wilton’s help, Rosenkilde set off on a quest to find more of this magical bean, convinced that she had found a once-in-a-lifetime ingredient.

Vigdis Rosenkilde’s rose aroma chocolate won the World’s Best Dark Chocolate at the International Chocolate Awards in 2023, along with the highest score at the time. This year, she once again won the Best Dark Chocolate, and over the last three years, she has won eleven gold medals both for quality and direct trade.

Left: Tito and Vigdis checking the fermentation process. Right: These dried cacao beans will be roasted and crafted into chocolate.

Crafting ethical chocolate

Rosenskilde’s creations stand apart in the chocolate industry. Unlike conventional chocolate makers, she does not work through brokers or middlemen. Instead, she buys directly from farmers, tasting each batch herself, ensuring it lives up to her standard. “I spend a lot of my time in Peru at these farms, working, learning and sharing knowledge alongside the locals. I wanted to do things differently, to contribute to the local economy, to personally be part of the whole process to ensure attention to detail.” she says.

By producing the chocolate in Peru, Rosenkilde contributes to the local economy of the country where the cacao is grown. “Most of our chocolates are made from just two ingredients, cacao and sugar, allowing the natural, unique flavours of the beans to take centre stage. Each batch is like a vintage of wine, reflecting the year, the climate, and even the hands that harvested it.”

As her mission for an ethical and respectful chocolate production, Rosenkilde partners only with agro-ecological farms that preserve the biodiversity of the jungle, farms where cacao trees grow alongside lush, native flora, animals, and insects.

“Previously, the chocolate has only been available in Norway, but now I’m excited to share our products worldwide,” she adds. “This chocolate adventure has truly been a dream come true. When I imagine myself old and happy, it’s in the jungle I love so much, looking out on the rolling mountains while still tasting, creating and learning more about cacao and chocolate.”

Web: www.vigdisrosenkilde.com
Facebook: Vigdis Rosenkilde - Sjokoladeopplevelser
Instagram: @vigdisrosenkilde