Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat, was founded in 2011 by Vincent Mourou and Samuel Maruta and is based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The company is the first artisan chocolate maker based in Vietnam, and works in close collaboration with farmers, cooperatives and cacao experts to make Vietnamese chocolate a widely recognized origin for gourmet chocolate. In this episode, Sam talks about experiencing “chocolate withdrawal syndrome” when traveling as a French youth to Japan, the kismet timing of meeting his co-founder on a jungle trek in Vietnam, and the frustrations of organic certification processes.

Please join us in tasting the Dak Lak 70% bar. Learn more at theslowmelt.com. For more information, head to their website: www.marouchocolate.com. You can also purchase an exclusive bar bundle, including all nine bars featured in the Makers Series, at Chocolopolis.com (in the U.S.; use code “slowmelt” for a 15% discount), and find most of the bars in a subscription box by BeanBarYou.com.au (in Australia).

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Soundtrack: "Soldier" by The Slackers. Hear more at theslackers.com.