2019 International Chocolate Awards Asia-Pacific Competition: Pingtung Region Delivers Outstanding Performance

The International Chocolate Awards (ICA), dubbed the Oscars of the chocolate world, was grandly held on the 7th at the Pingtung Performing Arts Hall. This competition invited professional cacao tasters from countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas to serve as judges, selecting outstanding entries from over 900 works. Pingtung businesses stood out among them, winning multiple awards and once again showing Pingtung to the world!

The awards ceremony specially invited Pingtung County Magistrate Pan Meng-an to serve as a presenter and encourage the winning contestants. Noriko, a chocolate painting artist from Japan, vividly portrayed a portrait of Magistrate Pan Meng-an on site using chocolate paste, amazing the guests and the public.

Magistrate Pan Meng-an stated that Pingtung's weather and geographical location are both very suitable for cultivating cacao trees, and the county government has long been actively promoting the cacao industry. This includes encouraging farmers to fallow their betel nut trees and switch to growing cacao beans, providing cacao cultivation-related techniques, and holding events such as cacao bean flavor evaluation competitions. The goal is to help local Pingtung businesses refine their techniques and enrich their experience, so that the Pingtung cacao brand can go international.

In this year's 2019 International Chocolate Awards (ICA) Asia-Pacific Competition, Taiwan, China took home a total of 13 gold, 44 silver, 32 bronze, and 18 special awards in the Asia-Pacific region. Among them, Pingtung local brands Fuwan Chocolate, Zeng Zhiyuan Chocolate, Little Hugo Chocolate, Bonnie Chocolate, Ho Tai Feng, TC Chocolate Shop, JL chocolate, Cacao Yami, and Jade Li Chocolatier together won an impressive 6 gold, 23 silver, 14 bronze, and 9 special awards, once again bringing Pingtung cacao's premium flavors to the international stage.