Meet the Chocolate Makers that Help Put Bean to Bar on the Map in Croatia

Editor’s note: Mary Luz Mejia, a Certified Level III chocolate taster and chocolate competition judge based in Canada visited Croatia and had the opportunity to learn about the chocolate from one of only 2 bean-bar-makers in the country.

Taman factory photo credit Mary Luz Meija

A little sign reading Malo & Slatko (small and sweet) on a nondescript building is the only clue that I’ve found the chocolate-producing facility of one of Croatia’s finest bean-to-bar makers, Taman Artisan Chocolates.

Helmed and founded by Stiv Kahlina, a former Croatian rapper, who after a successful music career turned to his other two passions: design and food after years of working in restaurants, found his way to becoming a master chocolatier and chocolate maker. He runs Taman with his marketing arm/partner in life Sanja Vladović, a level II International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting Certified Chocolate Taster, where the duo’s flavor perfectionism shines through in the very best sense.

I step inside the pristine facility and take a seat to talk chocolate with Vladović in their office space. Behind us, walled off by glass, is the small production space where Kahlina is working tirelessly to meet an order that’s heading out before one of the city’s famous summer heat waves washes over Zagreb.

Getting into Chocolate & Growing a Business

Sanja Vladović and Stiv Kahlina photo credit Taman Chocolate

Although Vladović was always a chocolate lover, it wasn’t until the couple went to the Salon du Chocolat in Paris that Kahlina got bit by the cacao bug. “He didn’t even want to go initially,” recalls Kahlina, adding that once Kahlina saw the textures and flavours that could be created with cacao, he was hooked.

There are currently two bean-to-bar makers in Croatia, the Taman in Zagreb and Nadalina Chocolate in coastal Split. Croatia, like most other countries, has big commercial brands that kids grow up eating and enjoying, but since Taman creates fine chocolate with a chef’s sensibility for flavor pairing and taste, the couple soon realized they had to “build our own consumer base” as Vladović puts it.

Taman truffles photo credit Taman Chocolate

This started with live tutored tastings, chocolate-making demonstrations, and educational sessions where they invited food journalists, food bloggers and other industry experts to try their chocolates and learn about the art of fine chocolate making. Eight years after starting this enterprise, the duo still regularly holds guided tastings and educational programs for both professionals and consumers.

“We offer hands-on workshops for those to want to learn how to work with chocolate and create their own chocolate products,” says Vladović, adding that it’s through their products that they aspire to tell “the story of craftsmanship in food production, the pursuit of excellence, the lost art of creating in a slow, sustainable way focused on quality, precision, and thought-out details.”

Taman pralines photo credit Taman Chocolate

Fine chocolate fans visiting Croatia won’t find Taman in their own retail space per se, the couple choosing instead to sell their bars in gourmet or specialty shops and straight to restaurants and hotels through a direct order model, focusing mostly on the domestic, Croatian market. Rest assured, however, that word is spreading about the duo’s flavour pairings and attention to detail, which is why they’ve won several awards for their creations.

Taman bars photo credit Taman Chocolate

Expansive Cacao Sourcing & Bars

Taman sources from various parts of the world including the Philippines, Indonesia, Madagascar, Ecuador, Peru and beyond. Kahlina also uses couverture to create his many splendid truffles. We sit to taste of some of their bars, including the award-winning 70% Dark Chocolate from Satipo Ene, Peru. The bar tastes of dried cherry, plums and has a delicate floral note of Andean rose. There’s an underlying buttery nut flavour and the finish is very clean. “Peru has great varieties of cacao to work with,” says Kahlina. I wholeheartedly agree, and it’s one of Taman’s preferred cacao growing countries.

But the couple’s standout favorite bar is their award-winning 74% Dark Chocolate made from a special selection of cacao beans from Mana, in Davao, Philippines. This is considered one of the best cacao-growing regions in the world, offering complex, well-balanced cacao. When someone says they don’t like dark chocolate, this beautiful bar offers a world full of flavour with minimal bitterness. We tasted dark rum, raisin, roasted almond, and pecans with a hint of red fruits in this bar. It’s a very smooth chocolate that’s as enchanting as it is delicious.

Sensory Educators

A sensory tasting of Taman Chocolate photo credit Mary Luz Meija

Given their mission to educate through sensory, guided tastings that expose future customers to recognize an exceptional product, it’s no wonder that the usual run of about 500 bars of each bean-to-bar batch sells out rather quickly. As the duo puts it, “We want to encourage people to think differently about chocolate, to ask questions, to try new flavors; to be brave and join us on the journey of discovering different tastes, aromas, and the stories of the chocolate, and to return delighted and enriched by that experience. We want to challenge them to be open to new understandings and new interpretations of something so familiar as chocolate.” A most delicious challenge.

They will ship overseas to North America if you’re choco-curious and want to try their premium bars and creations. Visit: Bean to Bar Chocolates - TAMAN Artisan & Craft Chocolates (tamanchocolates.com) and contact the team directly with your order.