Igor Van Gerwen is on a lifelong quest to improve chocolate by discovering its oldest secrets, and here are some of the highlights… squashed into 3 minutes.
One chocolatier’s lifelong quest to discover chocolate’s oldest secrets (ABC Northern Tasmania: Sarah Abbott)
Latrobe based Anvers Confectionery, Tasmania’s oldest and premier artisan chocolaterie, started as a cottage industry business by Belgian born and trained chocolatier, Igor Van Gerwen, in 1989.
Have you heard Igor’s story?
Igor’s chocolate journey began in Belgium as a 12 year old earning pocket money in a patisserie on weekends before starting his education at the Institute for Food, Antwerp. This six-year full-time college course covered bread, pastries, ice-cream, gateaux, sugarwork, marzipan and…. chocolate.
Igor fell in love with Tasmania when he came here in 1986 and eventually set up a business named after his native city: Anvers. The Anvers range of chocolates these days is significant and many products are available.
What sets Anvers artisan chocolates apart is the highest quality ingredients including rich cream from Ashgrove Farm, ripe berries from Tasmanian Berries, award-winning whiskey from Hellyer Road and walnuts from Walnuts Australia. Igor travels the world to source flavoursome heirloom varieties of cacao. These varieties are ethically sourced through direct trade with the farmer co-operatives and are grown using sustainable methods.
The ultimate in heirloom cacao is the Fortunato No4. This cacao is not only the most sought after by some of the world’s most famous chocolatiers, but it is also proven to be the purest Peruvian Nacional variety (DNA tested by the USDA). The Fortunato No4 is identical to the original cacao as it would have been enjoyed by the Inca’s in the upper Amazon basin a 1000 years ago. Try the Fortunato No4 for yourself, impress someone with this special gift or create Igor’s Tasmanian dessert recipe below for the special occasion.
