Source: The Saigon Times
Update: January 13, 2023
The above compliment is given by Gricha Safarian, CEO of Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI) when demonstrating his pride-worthy journey to create a sustainable cocoa supply chain in Vietnam with global standards.
Gricha Safarian, a Belgium chocolate enthusiast, has dedicated more than half of his life to the cocoa industry. In 1985, he founded the Grand-Place chocolate brand in his hometown. In the early 1990s, his spontaneous visit to Vietnam got him immediately to “fall in love” with the creative and hardworking people . As he saw Vietnam as a promising country for chocolate production, he moved here to make his vision come true.
In 2001, Safarian founded Grand-Place Vietnam (GPV) and opened its first Chocolate Factory in Binh Duong Province. GPV later turned into a joint venture between two Belgian companies joining forces in Vietnam, Puratos Group and Grand-Place Holding Belgium and was renamed Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI). Today, according to its own published data, Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI) holds a chocolate market share of around 65% in Vietnam. Also, it has become a prestigious ingredient provider for all bakeries in Vietnam. 60DAYS Chocolate is a passion by Safarian to fulfill his dream of developing unique-tasting and responsibly-sourced chocolate.
60DAYS Chocolate is the groundbreaking product of Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI) and the Puratos Group as it goes beyond industry standards. It aims to reinvent the chocolate process by combining fermentation in wooden acacia boxes with slow roast methods to create ‘tree to bar’ chocolate in 60 days. This process generates lower emissions, thanks to its close-to-source production and short transition time. From a taste and quality perspective, customers benefit from a fresher and more flavorsome product, with low sugar content.
Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI) recently achieved carbon neutral certification for 60DAYS Chocolate. This achievement is a demonstration of how Gricha has put his heart into Vietnam cocoa industry.
60DAYS Chocolate is the groundbreaking product of Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI) and the Puratos Group as it goes beyond industry standards. It aims to reinvent the chocolate process by combining fermentation in wooden acacia boxes with slow roast methods to create ‘tree to bar’ chocolate in 60 days. This process generates lower emissions, thanks to its close-to-source production and short transition time. From a taste and quality perspective, customers benefit from a fresher and more flavorsome product, with low sugar content.
Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI) recently achieved carbon neutral certification for 60DAYS Chocolate. This achievement is a demonstration of how Gricha has put his heart into Vietnam cocoa industry.
