Åre Chokladfabrik
When you think of chocolate, often the first country to come to mind is Switzerland. But Sweden? This Scandinavian nation is actually one of the top producers of quality chocolate, including all those Marabou bars you find in your local Ikea store. The Swedes consume on average 12.90 pounds of chocolate per year, with one of the best artisan suppliers found in the mountainous region of Jämtland Härjedalen--Åre Chokladfabrik. Founded in 1991 by three friends--Marina Hansson, Eva-Lena Grape, and Marie Söderhielm--along with grandpa's old jam pot, the trio started by picking blueberries for blueberry truffles, folding the companies signature cones, and making all the chocolates by hand. Today, the factory employs 20 workers churning out chocolate pralines in many different flavors--all still made by hand while taking advantage of local raw materials such as cloudberry, cranberry, blueberry, and even goat whey. The chocolate range includes around 30 different praline flavors (including seasonals) made up of a variety of creamy truffles, fudge, and nougat, each with their own distinct product cone. The chocolates are sold through approximately 1,800 dealers in fine stores throughout the Nordic region as well as an online shop--sorry North America, you will have to wait while the rest of Europe can enjoy home delivery when ordering online. For the rest of us, next time you visit Åre or even Sweden, be sure to pick up a few cones of this most delicious chocolate.
