Jordi Roca’s journey undertaken years ago in order to make his own chocolate has arrived at its destination. Casa Cacao opened its doors in the center of Girona (Plaça Catalunya) last Saturday, February 15. It has been a long, extensive and intense journey, which has involved physical trips to plantations of origin, lessons of all kinds related to the manipulation of this raw material, and the different stages of its manufacturing (fermentation, drying, conching…), a book that anticipated the opening of the chocolate shop and hotel and, of course, a repertoire of bars and chocolate products that are available to the public, prepared under the watchful eye of Jordi Roca and his manager responsible for these necessities, Damian Allsop.

Both Jordi Roca and Damian Allsop, former mentor of Jordi himself, have undergone an intense trial and error during previous months to find personal chocolates, born of unique origins that they themselves have gone to acquire and based on the fair trade with small farming communities in Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. They are the undisputed protagonists of the ground floor of Casa Cacao. They are manufactured conscientiously, with the creative and unique personality of their authors. In fact we already had the opportunity to try them a few months ago, in its final phase of development. “In addition to sweet or bitter, chocolate can be acid or fruity and have another thousand accents with which we will play,” says Jordi Roca in the opening statement. If the bean is a variety of white or dark cocoa, it also determines its flavor experience, not to mention how you can change the result from the same cocoa depending on the hours of conching and roasting, the temperature and the rest of variables involved in the elaboration process.

The chocolate bars are wrapped in vegetable paper from the recycling of the cocoa plant’s own fiber. They are the stars of the store along with other “chocolatessens” in which different collections of chocolates will not be missing. The open workshop in which chocolate is manufactured from the origin, bean to bar, is another of the great attractions of the space, and the one that will attract the eye from outside. The ground floor of Casa Cacao also has a chocolate shop where you can enjoy chocolate creations, hot and cold drinks, and an assortment of pastries with the Jordi Roca seal.

Another name linked to Casa Cacao is that of Anna Payet. Joan Roca’s wife is the director of the Casa Cacao hotel and is responsible for extending the hospitality spirit of El Celler de Can Roca to these units. On the four floors of the building, a total of 15 rooms are distributed that are not only designed for restaurant customers, although they do want to show the same spirit of “making the customer feel at home”.

The building also has a terrace designed for Hotel customers, where they can have breakfast and enjoy the views of the Barri Vell of Girona that can be seen from there. Casa Cacao is the result of the interior design project designed by Sandra Tarruella, executed by Arcadi Pla and with an architectural project done by the Callís Marès Studio.