Concept Chocolate : The backstages of chocolate art
Belgium is famous for its chocolate, but few people know the secret to a glossy praline, the snap of a dark bar, or the comfort of a truffle lies in a process that happens thousands of kilometers away: fermentation. At Fermentastic, we know that these delights are merely the final chapter of a much longer story. The soul of chocolate isn't born in a factory; it is born in a wooden crate under the tropical sun. It starts with fermentation. We believe the best way to understand this is to go straight to the source.
It is why Concept Chocolate, located in the vibrant neighborhood of Schaerbeek, is a key partner on our tour. Led by Maxime Pliester, this venue is not just a shop. It is a sanctuary of craftsmanship where the biological roots of chocolate are celebrated. We chose this partner because they bridge the gap between the wild, fermented origins of the bean and the refined elegance of Belgian savoir-faire. Here is why this stop is a highlight of our gastronomic tour.
More than just chocolate: An immersive experience
Walking into Concept Chocolate feels less like entering a store and more like stepping onto a stage. Maxime has built what he calls a participatory atelier, a space designed to completely demystify the chocolatier's art.
It's designed to pull back the curtain on the chocolate-making world. Maxime invites visitors to step “backstage”, moving beyond the simple act of buying a box of pralines. You are immersed in the sounds of the tempering machines, the heavy aroma of roasting cocoa, and the precise movements of the artisans. It is an educational journey where you don’t just taste; you learn, you smell, and you see the transformation happen. You learn how a raw ingredient is transformed, asking questions and seeing the reality of production up close. It’s about reconnecting the consumer with the artisan.
An experience that changes the way you taste chocolate forever!
Why Concept Chocolate?
You might wonder: What is a chocolatier doing on a tour dedicated to fermentation? Without fermentation, cocoa beans are bitter, astringent, and utterly devoid of chocolate flavor.
Maxime and his team are among the few who place the "post-harvest" process at the center of their philosophy. They understand that the quality of their work in Schaerbeek depends entirely on the chemical magic that happens thousands of kilometers away. When farmers in Vietnam, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Columbia, Ivory Coast, Papua New Guinea, or Colombia place wet beans into fermentation boxes, yeasts and bacteria get to work. This heat and biological activity unlock the "flavor precursors." At Concept Chocolate, we explore how different fermentation techniques across these diverse origins create distinct flavor profiles.
A sustainable mindset: The cacao-trace difference.
For Maxime, great taste cannot exist without great ethics. This is why the atelier works exclusively with the Cacao-Trace program, processing 12 to 15 tonnes of sustainable chocolate annually.
The Cacao-Trace allows the local farmers to receive a “chocolate bonus”; a direct financial reward for the quality of their fermentation and drying work. With this program Concept Chocolate know exactly where the cacao beans come from. This mindset leads to exploring overlooked ingredients, such as the Cocoa pod Pulp (a fermentation byproduct), proving that sustainability and flavor innovation go hand in hand.
While fermentation happens at the origin, the sublimation happens in Schaerbeek. Concept Chocolate operates as a true artisan, working in small batches. Unlike industrial giants, this approach allows for total control over every recipe. From molding to filling, everything is done on-site to guarantee incredible freshness. This flexibility allows Maxime to highlight the specific floral or woody note of each terroir, offering a product that is technically perfect and emotionally resonant.
A Chocolaterie Focused on Quality
While the biological alchemy happens at the origin, the sublimation of those flavors happens right here in Brussels. Concept Chocolate stands out by operating as a true artisan producer working in small batches.
In an industry dominated by standardization, Maxime chooses flexibility. Working in small lots allows the atelier to have total control over every step: transformation, molding, filling, and packaging are all done in-house. This approach guarantees absolute freshness; you are tasting chocolate that hasn't been sitting in a warehouse for months. Moreover, it allows the team to adapt their recipes to the specific personality of the beans, highlighting a floral note here or a woody accent there. It is technical mastery serving nature's complexity.
