Chocolate by H has launched its Katribu “bean-to-bar” range, with the Phnom Penh-based maker of premium Belgian-style chocolates not only showcasing Cambodian cacao, but also helping support the farmers who produce it.

Hannah Lyn, the founder of Chocolate by H, which has been creating bonbons, small chocolate confections, in Cambodia since 2012, said she created Katribu Chocolates to honour her adopted home – and the Kingdom’s chocolate “guardians”.

“The reason we named our bean-to-bar Katribu Chocolates is to celebrate chocolate in its wholeness and its guardians. ‘Ka’ means a member or a part of something bigger [in Philippine language Tagalog], while a ‘tribe’ is a group with common beliefs and culture.

“Cambodia is practically our home, having lived here since the early 90s. This is our expression of gratitude. We’re paying homage to the country that has helped mould us through our creations and this endeavour,” the Filipina explains.

The premium chocolate journey from the farm to the consumer begins in the Kingdom’s northwest.

“We get our wonderful cacao beans from Kamkav farm in Mondulkiri, and we help the farmers in several ways.

“We not only buy their beans at a fair price, but we also promote them whenever we can through social media, recommendations and word of mouth.

“As soon as the pandemic is over, we look forward to visiting the farm again and having conversations on how to make their produce even more attractive to other chocolate makers – on what chocolate makers look for in quality cacao beans,” Hannah said.

The Katribu range includes Dark Chocolate, Single Origin, Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate Truffle, and is available via the Chocolate by H Facebook page or the Grocerdel delivery app.

“Chocolate by H and Katribu Chocolates are all handcrafted, which means our chocolates are handmade, done in small batches and prioritise quality and flavours. We look for great, homegrown produce.

“We are very proud not only of Cambodia’s cacao, but also Cambodia’s cashews. So one of our very first products was the Dairy-Free Cashew Praline,” the Dangkor-based professional chocolatier said.

Hannah said that Cambodia is perfectly situated to produce the highest quality cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate.

“Being within the equatorial range – which is within 20 degrees north or south of the equator – Cambodia is the ideal place to plant cacao trees. Cambodia is between 10-13 degrees north of the equator. This makes the Kingdom perfect for cacao trees, with just the right amount of sunlight and rainfall.

“Being single origin means our cacao beans come from just one source – Mondulkiri’s Kamkav farm – and not a bunch of beans coming from different sources and all mixed up.

“So we concentrate on the unique or key flavours of the cacao beans of this particular place and think how to formulate recipes to best represent the flavours,” Hannah said.

Hannah studied in Belgium – considered the home of the world’s finest chocolates – at the Callebaut Chocolate Academy centre in Wieze, gaining her Master Chocolatier certificate in October 2015.

She then added to her expertise with Quality Assurance and Chocolate Maker qualifications from the Ecole Chocolat Professional School of Chocolate Arts in 2017.

“The Chocolate Maker certificate is a programme that covers making chocolate from the bean. A chocolatier makes bonbons using chocolate couverture [the premium high cocoa butter content variety used in gourmet chocolate], while a chocolate maker makes chocolate from the cacao beans,” Hannah explained.

She says inclusivity and sustainability are firmly entrenched in the ethos of Katribu Chocolates.

“With Katribu, we wanted a brand that was inclusive of everyone involved in the whole bean-to-bar process.

“We believe that by helping others, supporting farm families and communities, we rise as a society. We believe in doing things in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

“In chocolate making, there is a lot that contributes to its success – the farm, the farmers and the chocolate. And with Katribu, we are honouring that,” Hannah said.