“There is nothing better than a friend, unless you are a friend with chocolate
. ”
- Linda Grayson -
“There is nothing better than a friend, unless you are a friend with chocolate
. ”
- Linda Grayson -
Two centuries of know-how
We are a family owned and operated business.
The history of Roça Diogo Vaz begins in 1880, in the heart of the paradisiacal archipelago of SÃO TOMÉ E PRINCIPE. Located in the west of the African continent, close to the equator, and protected by a unique green setting, the Roça Diogo Vaz cacao forest covers more than 420 hectares. The richness of the volcanic soil and its climate make it a terroir that makes it possible to produce cocoa that is unique in the world. After the abolition of slavery, São Tomé and Príncipe became, in 1910, the largest world producer of cocoa, with 35,000 tons. Due to its historical development, this small African country is called Chocolate Island.
We are a family owned and operated business.
A new impetus for the Roça
We are a family owned and operated business.
After its remodeling in 2014, Roça Diogo Vaz received the certification of organic farming, respecting its heritage and ancestral know-how.
We are a family owned and operated business.
The Diogo Vaz plantation is one of the oldest on the island, and has investments in innovation in search of excellence.
Between the two cocoa harvest seasons, the local team takes care of the trees so that each harvest is sublime, with the harvest of an exceptional cocoa with unique aromas.
We are a family owned and operated business.
The excellence of our beans has already won the greatest chefs in the world.
Today, our efforts are rewarded by the loyalty of many French gastronomy professionals. Diogo Vaz stores offer a range of products created by big names in French pastry.
We are a family owned and operated business.
2016, the consecration for excellence
We are a family owned and operated business.
With the support of the best specialists in the sector, the brand is present in the largest chocolate fairs in the world. Olivier CASENAVE, French chocolate chef and technical director, won the prize for Best Tablet in the World 2016, as cocoa Diogo Vaz (Salon du Chocolat in Paris).
We are a family owned and operated business.
2018, recognition of know-how
We are a family owned and operated business.
Diogo Vaz chocolate joined the prestigious Culinary College of France in 2018, allowing our products to be referenced in restaurants and by the most prestigious pastry artisans in France.
We are a family owned and operated business.
From the cacao tree to the tablet, the true taste of chocolate.
“Cocoa production can be compared to that of vines, however, its fragility means that only natural processes should be used. Like a grand cru, this demanding and delicate culture offers aromas still unknown to the general public. ”William MARTIN, Executive Director
We are a family owned and operated business.
chocolate is produced from the best cocoa beans from Roça Diogo Vaz, on the island of São Tomé and Principe. The organic varieties of cocoa offer a rare quality, and allow you to taste the true taste of chocolate.
The process of making and selling Diogo Vaz chocolate is unique in the world:
1. Production and harvest
The Diogo Vaz plantation produces its own plants and the harvest of all its fruits. For 140 years, this ancestral process has preserved every fruit of this unique terroir.
2. Fermentation
The cocoa beans are extracted manually from the capsules and carefully wrapped in banana leaves. During this phase, the cocoa beans develop deep and subtle aromas.
We are a family owned and operated business.
3. Drying
The fermented cocoa beans are placed on long stands, to dry slowly thanks to the sun's rays and the calm of the São Tomé and Príncipe archipelago.
4. Roasting
Always on São Tomean soil, the cocoa beans are delicately roasted, to exalt their exceptional aromatic palette.
5. Grinding and mixing
The cocoa beans are then carefully separated and crushed to produce cocoa nuggets. Mixed precisely with cocoa butter and sugar, the combination of these three ingredients produces a rare chocolate.
6. Molding and Packaging
The chocolate is then molded, giving it its final appearance and authentic shine. Finally, the chocolate is packed manually by our employees.
We are a family owned and operated business.
Between ancestral know-how and innovation, Diogo Vaz guarantees production from the harvest to the final product and, today, offers the opportunity to taste a unique chocolate in the world.
On the island of São Tomé, an entire village is mobilizing to create exceptional chocolate.
Located in the west of the African continent, next to the equator, the island of São Tomé and Príncipe is an archipelago located in the center of the world. The richness of the volcanic soil and the local climate, make it a unique terroir that allows to produce one of the best cocoa in the world.
The natural conditions allow the capsules and their grains to acquire a harmonious maturity. São Tomé and Principe Island is a privileged place, where the soil, the sun and the vegetation occupy an important place, and result in a typical cocoa, in several aspects.
We are a family owned and operated business.
As for a great wine, the “terroir” is a key element in the design of chocolate. Without the rare and natural ecosystem of São Tomé, nothing would be possible, and it is revealed thanks to the ancestral know-how of the inhabitants of the village and the work of Diogo Vaz's team. It is necessary to select the varieties, work on the mixtures, adapt the techniques and define the growing conditions. This work is unique.
We are a family owned and operated business.
Based on two important beliefs, Diogo Vaz's team intends to promote organic production, while offering better living conditions to the local population.
We are a family owned and operated business.
In addition to creating economic activity and strengthening villagers' know-how, every year:
We are a family owned and operated business.
1 • We develop children's education: building or renovating schools (300 students), creating day care centers, financing schooling, internships, school transport, etc.
We are a family owned and operated business.
2 • We offer professional training and driving lessons (driving school).
We are a family owned and operated business.
3 • We take care of the medical monitoring of employees: a doctor available to employees in the event of illness or accident at work and the creation of an ambulance service.
We are a family owned and operated business.
4 • We strictly adhere to an environmental approach: food self-sufficiency, waste collection and recycling, donation of seeds to residents, shared gardens, etc.
We are a family owned and operated business.
5 • We renovate historic buildings and rebuild buildings within the village to improve living conditions: drinking water, sanitation, etc.
We are a family owned and operated business.
6 • We create social and economic aid for villagers: family allowances, retirement, women's integration program, microcredit.
We are a family owned and operated business.
We are a family owned and operated business.
We are a family owned and operated business.
We are a family owned and operated business.
To create Diogo Vaz chocolate, an entire village must be mobilized.
