Crafting Markets

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Nederland
Amsterdam
Crafting Markets

Sourcing high-quality cocoa for flavour oriented chocolate makers. Transparent Supply Chains. We’re based in Amsterdam. Get in touch.

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Crafting Markets is a leading high-quality cocoa importer and distributor in Europe and Asia. With a background in finance, stock exchange, coffee, and cocoa trading. Crafting Markets is now a little more than 3 years old. We bid good riddance to old-fashioned trade to make way for a new market. To craft a market where sustainable practices and fair payment within supply chains are a given. We loo

k to add value with what we know, which is cocoa. We’re flavour-obsessed and detail-oriented. Meticulous in our approach to understanding what our craft chocolate-making customers need. Tell us about your business and what you’re looking for. Let’s get the ideal cocoa beans for you!

30/04/2026

We’ll be at Showcolat, Bordeaux — May 1–3 come find us at the stand!

We’ll have chocolates from different origins to taste, and we’re always happy to talk through:
flavour development, sourcing challenges and opportunities, anything you want to know.

On May 1st, we’re also hosting a tasting: Asian cacao, crafted by our partner chocolate makers
🗓 14:30 – 15:30
📍 Forastero Room

We’ll taste chocolates made from cacao grown across Southeast Asia, and look at how: Origin, fermentation, makers choices.

Same cacao → different decisions → different outcomes.

If you’ve ever wanted a clearer link between process and flavour, this session will give you that.

Festivals like are wonderful opportunities to spot trends, taste side by side, exchange feedback, and the most special aspect: connect with fellow makers and peers from the craft world!

If you’re coming, make the most of it.
And come say hello!

Here's to a wonderful first edition of Showcolat!

28/04/2026

See you in this weekend!

We’re hosting a tasting. Craft chocolates made by of our partner chocolate makers, using cacao grown by our producing partners across:

Vietnam (OCA)

Thailand (Chanthaburi) .cacao

Indonesia — Bali, Sumba (Gaura Estate), West Papua (Ransiki), and East Java (Kendenglembu)

Each origin reflects a different context: organic agroforestry in Vietnam, emerging farmer networks in Thailand, and both historic and evolving production systems across Indonesia.

What you’ll get is a clear comparison of how origin and post-harvest shape flavour—through the work of makers who know how to bring out the best in each cacao.

Expect a broad spectrum: from citrus and caramel to honey, dried fruit, nuts, and light coffee notes.

No need for tasting experience.
We’ll guide you through how to approach each chocolate and what to look for.

📍 Showcolat 2026
🗓 Friday, 1st May
⏰ 14:30 – 15:30
📌 Room Forastero (or Trinitario if needed)
🎟 €20 / person
👥 Max. 20 participants

If you’re curious about Asian cocoa flavour potential—this session will give you a solid reference point.

23/04/2026

What we know about cocoa genetics — and how to use it 🧬

We now have a sequenced genome: ~28,000 genes, mapped across 10 chromosomes.
That matters because it changes how you interpret what’s in front of you.

Bitterness, aroma, fat composition are linked to specific gene families:
– Flavonoids → astringency, bitterness 🍫
– Terpenes → floral, fruity aromatics 🌸🍊
– Lipids → texture, melt, structure 🧈

Genetics doesn’t give you flavour. It gives you potential.
And that potential shifts depending on:
– climate 🌦️
– tree stress 🌿
– fermentation 🧪
– drying ☀️

Same genetic background → different outcome in chocolate.
If we understand how genetics behaves under these conditions, we can better predict:

– how you roast 🔥
– how you refine ⚙️
– what you end up tasting 👅

From identifying origin…to understanding behaviour.
That’s where genetics becomes practical.

Not every origin, cooperative, estate, or cocoa company has the means to study genetics. But wherever possible, supporting this research matters.

21/04/2026

Most discussions on cacao genetics assume we already know what drives quality at the DNA level. We don’t.

What we do know:
– The cacao genome contains ~28,000 genes 🧬
– Gene families linked to flavonoids influence bitterness and astringency 🍫
– Terpene-related genes contribute to aroma compounds (e.g. linalool) 🌸
– Lipid metabolism pathways affect cocoa butter composition 🧈
|That’s the baseline.

Where it breaks:
Genetic presence ≠ sensory outcome.
Gene expressions are conditional. It changes with:

– Temperature and rainfall patterns 🌦️
– Soil composition and nutrient availability 🌱
– Tree age and physiological stress 🌳
– Fermentation parameters (time, oxygen, microbial activity) 🧫
– Drying kinetics and consistency ☀️

Same genetics, different conditions → different chemistry → different flavour.
So “good genetics” is not a fixed category. It’s an unstable variable.
In practice, cacao quality is a system:

Genetics × environment × post-harvest × processing ⚙️
Genetics sets the range. It does not define the result.

For sourcing and production, the useful question is not: “What genetics is this?”

It’s: “How does this material behave under specific conditions—and how consistent is that behavior?”

16/04/2026

Good sourcing gives you something every craft chocolate maker wants: Certainty.

That’s why sourcing is not just about finding great beans.

It’s about planning supply in a way that matches how you actually make chocolate.

- Secure enough stock for your growth.

- Knowing it's safely and properly stored.

- You can get as much or as little as you need when you want it

- Flexibility without carrying unnecessary pressure.

When stock is managed well, sourcing stops feeling reactive.

And you get room to think ahead. 🍫

14/04/2026

Most people think sourcing cocoa comes down to one question: 👉 Should you go direct to origin, or work through intermediaries?

At least in Europe, reality is fairly consistent. Most craft chocolate makers work with specialized intermediaries.
Not because they don’t care about origin—quite the opposite—but because of everything that comes after choosing the beans.

In practice, today’s sourcing is closer to a hybrid model:
🔄 direct in relationship, supported in ex*****on
Craft makers can build real relationships with producers— 🌱 visiting origin 💬 exchanging feedback 🧪 understanding fermentation and flavour

But when it comes to everything else— 🚢 shipping 📦 import 🔬 testing 🏬 storage 📄 paperwork —they rely on partners.

Going fully direct sounds great on paper: more control, better margins, stronger relationships. But it also means: larger volumes 📊 cash tied up for months 💸 logistics, paperwork, compliance 📄 quality risk on arrival ⚠️ storage and stock management 📦

That’s a full job on its own. And most makers are already busy…well, running their own business. So how can transparent trade help?👉 real relationships with origin + reliable partners handling ex*****on.
If you’re figuring out your sourcing setup, perhaps the real question is:⏳ Where do you want to spend your time—and your risk? There’s no wrong answer. It’s more about your own setup and goals.

If you care about high-quality cacao, traceability, and real impact at origin, sourcing is about much more than buying beans.
Supporting producer groups that are: 🌱 improving quality 🏡 investing in their communities 📈 building long-term projects…requires commitment, cash flow, and consistency—not just a one-time purchase.

It often means: 📦 larger volume planning 💸 paying well before arrival 🚢 managing freight, customs, compliance 🔍 handling traceability, testing, certifications 🏬 organizing storage
So yes—fewer intermediaries, absolutely. Removing unnecessary resellers adds efficiency and keeps more value with producers instead of diluting it across the chain. Add too many layers, and it st

09/04/2026

Consistency in cacao isn’t about getting the exact same beans every time 🌱
It’s about reducing uncertainty in your process 🎯
That’s where data matters 📊
Fermentation tells you how developed the cacao is—and how to approach roasting 🔥

Drying tells you if your batch will behave evenly ☀️
Bean size tells you how heat will move—and how careful you need to be ⚖️

Flavour notes? A prediction starting point of the potential flavours you can bring out

🍫Data helps you make decisions and fewer unknowns means:
– less trial and error
– more consistent results
– more control over your chocolate

Knowing your cacao’s specs allows better planning, fewer surprises, and more control in flavour development.

26/03/2026

Cadmium in chocolate has been demonized.
Not because it’s new—but because it’s now measured.

Here’s the reality:
- Cadmium is naturally present in soil.
- Cacao absorbs it.
- Some origins have more than others.
That’s it.

From there, everything that matters happens upstream:
origin selection, lot testing, and how you formulate your chocolate.

Because cadmium doesn’t behave the way most people think:
it concentrates in cocoa solids, not cocoa butter.
So the higher the % cocoa, the less dilution you have.

On the health side, CONTEXT matters even more.

According to the European Food Safety Authority and the World Health Organization: cadmium is a long-term exposure issue, not an immediate risk.

And chocolate?
It represents a very small share of total intake compared to everyday foods, like vegetables and cereals...

So why the noise?
A few high results, amplified without context.

Cadmium is real.
But it’s not a reason to fear chocolate.

It’s a variable to understand—and manage.

That means: test every lot, know your origins, and work with data.

Everything else is speculation.

cacaosourcing

23/03/2026

Most cocoa still moves as a commodity. Anonymous. Interchangeable. Priced accordingly.

We built Crafting Markets to challenge that.🎋

Because cocoa is not just an ingredient — it’s flavour shaped by people, process, and place (and holy moly is climate a pressing matter each day).🍃

We work with:
– Long-term partnerships, one-off trades help no one
– Prices set with producers, not imposed
– Cocoa selected for flavour, tested, and understood

🫘This is what “transforming trade” looks like in practice.

Less distance between farmer and maker.
More value where it starts.
Better chocolate at the end.

Simple. But not easy.🌱

17/03/2026

If you want your hook bars to stand out, it’s not just about the inclusion 🍫

In the last post, we looked at pairing cacao with inclusions. Here’s the next step.

Food writer Niki Segnit explains that flavour combinations usually work in three ways:

**Similarity** — flavours that echo each other like
Chocolate + hazelnut
Chocolate + coffee
Chocolate + caramel

These combinations feel natural because they reinforce the roasted, nutty side of cacao.

**Contrast** — flavours that balance each other
Chocolate is rich and fatty, so brighter flavours can lift it

Chocolate + citrus
Chocolate + salt
Chocolate + sour fruits

This is often where things become more interesting.

And then there’s a third approach:

**Bridge flavours**

If two ingredients feel far apart, you can connect them with something in between.

Chocolate + lemon might feel too sharp
Add almond → suddenly it works

Because the almond links both sides of the flavour.

Now add this idea: apply that to cacao origins and their innate flavour profiles as another ingredient, not simply as chocolate.

A bright, citrusy cocoa will behave very differently from a deep, oaky one.

Which means the real question isn’t:

“Does this inclusion work with chocolate?”

It’s:

**Does it work with this cacao?**

That’s where better hook bars are built.

Adres

Radarweg 32a, Países Bajos
Amsterdam
1042AA

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Website

https://www.craftingmarkets.com/

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