There are twelve chocolatiers in total, mostly French but also Japanese, who have received the highest recognition of 5 “bars”, as well as an award given during the recent Salon du Chocolat event in Paris. We are referring to the most recent edition of the “Guide des Croqueurs de Chocolat”, a review of the best professionals working with chocolate, organised and produced by a Club of chocolate lovers that knows how to establish greater and greater prestige with the launch of each new edition.

Those regaled in 2013 were Sadaharu Aoki, Gilles Cresno, Johann Dubois, Franck Fresson, Fabrice Gillotte, Jean-Paul Hévin, Pascal Lac, Arnaud Larher, Hubert Masse (Le Cacaotier), Nicolas Cloiseau (La Maison du Chocolat), Christophe Roussel and Hironobu Tsujiguchi (Le chocolat de H).

In this edition, the members committee of the Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat, responsible for the guide and for the selections, have included 151 different chocolatiers, classified from 5 to one “bar” as well as a review on each location. The list combines well-established great names alongside young professionals and newly discovered names, who the empassioned editors decided to promote. For the first time, the Guide of Croqueurs de Chocolat visited Japan to promote several chocolatiers, among them the special award-winning Hironobu Tsujiguchi.

Addresses of the 12 best Chocolate makers:

1. Johann Dubois, Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor) www.duboischocolatier.com
2. Hubert Masse (Le Cacaotier), Enghien-les-Bains (Val-d’Oise) www.lecacaotier.com
3. Arnaud Larher, Paris www.arnaud-larher.com
4. Christophe Roussel, La Baule (Loire-Atlantique) www.christophe-roussel.fr
5. Jean-Paul Hévin, Paris www.jeanpaulhevin.com
6. Gilles Cresno, Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine) www.gilles-cresno-chocolatier.com
7. Franck Fresson, Jarny (Meurthe-et-Moselle) www.fresson-chocolatier-patissier.fr
8. Sadaharu Aoki, Paris www.sadaharuaokiparis.com
9. La Maison du Chocolat / Nicolas Cloiseau Paris www.lamaisonduchocolat.fr
10. Fabrice Gillotte, Dijon (Côte-d’Or) www.fabrice-gillotte.fr
11. Pascal Lac, Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) www.patisseries-lac.com
12. Hironobu Tsujiguchi (Le chocolat de H), Tokyo (Japon) www.lcdh.jp