Amedei, A Family That Charts The World Of Chocolate

Behind every famous bar of Amedei is a family united by a shared passion for chocolate, by dedication to their work, and by a constant quest for perfection; these qualities can be tasted in every bite of their exquisite creations. The bold ambition of this close-knit family has been to make the best chocolate in the world, overseeing every stage from the bean to bar, and constantly swapping their roles; not only have they achieved their dream of dedicating themselves to chocolate, they have put together a working method, moulded a brand identity, and designed the packaging for their gourmet products.

The Adventure Of Chocolate

In 1990, the brother-and-sister team of Alessio and Cecilia Tessieri--with the support of their entire family, including their maternal grandmother, a delightful lady named Mrs. Amedei, for whom the company was named--decided to undertake an extraordinary adventure that would lead them to explore all the delicious secrets of chocolate. Their choice would grow into a successful, completely innovative business. Amedei is a unique company, the only Italian boutique chocolate maker that has complete control of the production chain, from the cacao beans to the finished product; this exceptional status has allowed it to win the award for best chocolate ³from bean to bar² for three years running. It is the only company that produces chocolate using cacao beans that have been sought out and brought in from the most prestigious plantations in the world--with some of which it has an exclusive contract-- and the first whose maître chocolatier is a woman.

After their studies, the Tessieri¹s set out on their journey with an initial exploration of the confectionary sector at several different companies, and a trip through the European capitals that revealed a culture of wine and food that was much more advanced than Italy¹s. These experiences strengthened their determination to realize an extremely ambitious project: making the best chocolate in the world. And so they founded a small workshop--in 45 square metres, with a single employee--to produce filled chocolates. But perfection was still far off: "The chocolate was purchased from suppliers, so we couldn¹t really put much of ourselves into the product," recall Alessio and Cecilia, who soon felt that the keys to their success lay in the quality of the beans and the capacity to process them in the best way possible. You can¹t make the Worlds best chocolate without the world¹s best beans. That¹s how they got the idea of exploring faraway countries to seek out truly unique cacao. So Alessio began his trek through the highlands of Madagascar, through isolated areas of Venezuela, Jamaica, and Ecuador, through the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Grenada, and any region that cultivates cacao varieties that have preserved their own distinctive aromatic character. Cecilia¹s journey involved becoming a maître chocolatier, after a long period of apprenticeship in France, Belgium, and Germany that helped her absorb the secrets of chocolate making, and was a journey of the palate. She has the marvellous task of bringing out the aromas of the original cacao and creating a magical new taste by harmonizing and balancing the various ingredients.

And so, seven years after the initial decision to embark on their chocolate adventure, the brother and sister launched the first Amedei chocolate bars in 1998. These creations were so unique and sophisticated that Alessio and Cecilia Tessieri earned the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, an honour they received on 2 June 2007 and which officially placed them among the finest ambassadors of Italian-made products to the world. Nor has international acclaim been lacking: in 2005 and 2006, London¹s Academy of Chocolate singled out Chuao for its Golden Bean Award, while Porcelana and Toscano Black 70% also won awards in the dark category and a silver went to Amedei 9, a blend made with cacao from 9 different plantations. In 2008, the ³Oscar² for best chocolate was carried off by Toscano Black 63%, crowned the very best chocolate ³from bean to bar². The Academy of Chocolate gave gold awards to Toscano Black 63%, Porcelana, Chuao, and Amedei¹s Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts, while Toscano Black 66%, Toscano Black 70%, "9", and Toscano Brown got silvers. Even 2009 was a year full of awards and recognitions. The "Golden Bean 2009" has been attributed to the "9", the Golden Award went to Porcelana and Toscano Black 70%, a Silver Award was won by Toscano Black 63%, while the Toscano Black 66% won a Bronze Award. Great appreciation for the new line "Amedei For You", launched in September 2008, which was given three Bronze Awards: two for the milk chocolate drops (in the categories Best Milk Chocolate Bar and Best Flavoured Milk Chocolate Bar) and one for the hot chocolate (category Best Drinking Chocolate). Finally, we reiterate the gold awards, two, for the delicious milk chocolate with hazelnuts (categories Best Flavoured Milk Chocolate Bar and Best Flavoured Milk Chocolate Bar) and a bronze for the dark chocolate with almonds (category Best Flavoured Dark Chocolate bar).

Company Profile

Today, Amedei is a company with turnover of over four million euro, a quarter of which is earned abroad, in countries that include Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States. At "La Rotta", a 2500-square-meter factory building in the province of Pisa that once produced cast iron, and still has all the charm of an old-fashioned workshop, the company employs about 20 people. Here the chocolate is prepared step by step according to a careful procedure, taking the necessary time for the venerable, meticulous methods involved in every stage. The end result: truly exceptional, lovingly packaged creations; chocolate jewels that have not only won over the most demanding palates around the world, but reach a wider public of aficionados and gourmands who are intrigued by this one-of-a-kind chocolate.

For years now, many gourmet shops, wine dealers, and great chefs have chosen Amedei. They include Chef Fulvio Pierangelini, Nadia Santini from Il Pescatore in Canneto sull¹Oglio, Angelo Troiani from Convivio in Rome, Fabrizio Sepe from the Roman restaurant Le Tre Zucche, L¹Osteria di Passignano in Tavarnelle Val Pesa, the restaurants at the Bulgari Hotel, Hotel Danieli in Venice, the Forte Village Resort in Sardinia, the Excelsior Hotel in Naples, the Grand Hotel in Rimini, Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Hotel Villa Feltrinelli in Gargnano, and Hotel Ritz in Forte dei Marmi. At the splendid five-star Relais Santa Croce in Florence, the international clientele gets a cheerful welcome from the bars and boxes of Amedei filled chocolates, napolitains and crus in every room, as well as at the bar of this luxurious establishment. Some of New York¹s most famous restaurants--Bernadin, Cafe Gray, and Craft---the French Laundry in California, the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, and Heston Blumenthal¹s restaurant the Fat Duck offer their select, demanding clientele recipes based on Amedei chocolate. Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the French Republic, and the actor and director George Clooney also recently named Amedei chocolate as being among their favourite Italian products.