SENSORY EXPERIENCE AWAITS AT MALAYSIA’S BENNS ETHICOA BEAN-TO-BAR CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Benns Ethicoa, a premier Malaysian chocolate manufacturer, continues to bring the experience of chocolate making closer to consumers when its factory and chocolate café are re-opened for tour activities recently. The factory was closed since the Movement Control Order started in the country in March of this year.

Located in Selangor, the Benns Ethicoa Chocolate Factory was launched in December of 2019 and caters for its artisanal bean-to-bar series with the theme “Towards a More Intimate Chocolate Experience” in a move to promote ethical and natural chocolate making.

Front entrance of Benns Ethicoa Chocolate Factory.

Chocolate making process.

Cacao Fruit.

Worker at the Pressing Station of the Chocolate Factory.

Wilfred Ng aspires to revitalize the cacao farming community in Asia.

“We source our cacao from Asia and we go direct to the farmers. It is a little-known fact to many people that most of the top-quality cacao can be found in Asia. More than just for branding, by growing the artisanal chocolate market and expanding more into downstream segments with different cacao products, we aspire to revitalize the cacao farming community in Asia,” said Wilfred Ng, Executive Director of Benns Ethicoa.

Benns Ethicoa’s business model is built with sustainability in mind, designed to help promote ethical cacao farming and enable owners of well-managed plantations to fetch higher prices that commensurate with better quality cacao beans.

“By reducing reliance on intermediaries and sourcing directly from farms, this allows Benns to build good partnership with farmers and a greater understanding of the raw ingredients, giving them more influence and the ability to improve the quality of its chocolate,” said Ng.

Currently, Benns Ethicoa’s cacao beans are sourced from carefully selected farms in Lampang in Thailand, Vung Tau in Vietnam, Calinan in the Philippines, Anaimalai in India, and Sungai Ruan in Pahang, Malaysia.

The Company is also continuing to explore cacao from different states in Malaysia, as well as regional countries including Myanmar, Taiwan and Cambodia.

As a reflection of the brand’s values of transparency and fairness, the new facility fully showcases the entire chocolate making process and has a dedicated capacity to produce up to 500kg of fine flavour single estate bean-to-bar chocolate per day.

The chocolate factory has a capacity to produce up to 500kg of single estate bean-to-bar chocolate per day.

Cafe at the chocolate factory with pastries produced with own chocolate ingredients.

Visitors can sign up for a factory tour to learn about the origins of chocolate, the farmers and the farms where the cacao beans originate and a unique experience of the entire chocolate making process from bean to bar.

Factory Visiting Details

Address
Lot no. 6, Jalan Cj 1/6c Kawasan Perindustrian Cheras Jaya, Batu 11, 43200 Cheras, Selangor

How to Book
Call +603–9082 0955, email factorytour@bennsethicoa.com or check availability via personal message on Facebook or Instagram.

Fee
Currently free of charge to support local residents (till further notice)

Tour Time
Weekdays
11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Weekend/PH
10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.