A cocoa pod that opens like a flower as hot chocolate melts, before revealing a small garden of white flowers. “Flor de Cacao” (“Cocoa Flower”), the spectacular creation of Jordi Roca, star pastry chef at the three-star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca (Girona), is the highlight of the presentation of “Unseen chocolate” »), The new project, costed in millions of euros, by the Swiss group Barry Callebaut, world leader in manufacturing and - via its subsidiary Mona Lisa - chocolate decoration.
It is at Mas Marroch (Girona), an area dedicated to the events of the Roca brothers, that twenty international journalists have been invited to discover, with great fanfare, the fruit of their new 3D chocolate printing studio. , based in Zundert, the Netherlands.
Unlike the already existing 3D chocolate printing, Barry Callebaut's “revolutionary” technology, which Mona Lisa has taken three years to develop, makes it possible to print on several machines - therefore quickly and in large quantities - thousands of pieces on measure with an innovative and complex design, but which nevertheless seem handmade, with high quality durable Belgian dark chocolate (56% cocoa). What allow chefs to save time (less than a minute to print a single piece)!
3D printing of pods for “Flor de Cacao”. MONA LISA 3D STUDIO
Mona Lisa designers, engineers and technicians put themselves at the service of European chefs, restaurants, cafes, hotels and other industrialists to model the pieces of their dream. These are then tested via prototypes before printing is launched on a large scale. The chefs can let their creativity speak, imagining all kinds of shapes (labyrinths, lace, bases, curves ...) and dimensions (up to 20 cm) to decorate their desserts, confectionery, hot drinks or pastries.
For a year, Jordi Roca served as a luxury beta tester by creating not only "Flor de Cacao" but also "You", the personalized impression of the customers' first names. “This new way of working with chocolate will surprise consumers: previously unthinkable shapes are now produced on a large scale and with impressive precision. I am usually inspired by things that I cannot achieve because they represent a creative challenge. Mona Lisa 3D Studio allows me to explore other spheres of my creativity. I can now imagine any design and it will become reality, ” commented the pastry chef.
“Emilie”, “You” project by Jordi Roca with Andreu Carulla, printed by Mona Lisa. MONA LISA 3D STUDIO
The first client of the Mona Lisa 3D Studio is Van der Valk, a hotel chain in the Netherlands. The Swiss group then aims to extend the technology to other chocolates (milk, white, ruby, dulce), and to open 3D printing studios, especially for the USA and Asia.
In line of sight of this tool, the need to seduce consumers eager for new products and "intense" experiences. According to a study for Barry Callebaut, 7 out of 10 consumers want to test new chocolate creations. And 6 out of 10 wish to share them on their social networks. A ritual that 3D printing should, according to Mona Lisa, facilitate ...