In the home of Vincent Cluizel, in Évreux (Eure), small ivory, blue or orange colored boxes are scattered inside which, muslin bags, similar to tea bags, contain pieces of cocoa shells. ready to infuse.
“We are not looking for a hot chocolate, but we are not looking for a classic infusion either,” explains Vincent Cluizel, one of the co-founders of the Fuzco brand.
With his partner Xavier Touche, he reinvents the chocolate drink without milk, but, he promises, “very delicious”.
Son, grandson and great-grandson of a chocolatier (it was even his grandfather, Michel Cluizel, who registered the term “cocoafévier” to distinguish cocoa bean processors from pastry chefs of all kinds), Vincent has moved towards another agri-food sector: beverages.
He gets his supplies… from the family factory
After a career with the lemonade maker Lorina, he became interested in ready-to-eat drinks and got closer to the family heritage by exploiting what was then a waste product from chocolate production: cocoa bean shells, although very fragrant.
“Cocoa is a super food, it contains three times more antioxidants than tea,” says Vincent Cluizel, “and thanks to the ethical approach of the family factory, I knew where to find a quality, organic supply, and in sufficient quantity. to market my products.
»
“Initially we sought to make a ready-made drink based on cocoa bean shells but this would have required selling a fresh product.
It was too restrictive, we looked for another solution,” says Vincent Cluizel.
Convinced of the merits of their project, the two entrepreneurs took inspiration from other uses of chocolate in infusion and were supported by the Actalia laboratory, based in Saint-Lô in La Manche, from product design to production. industrialization phase.
“It was even Actalia who recommended a company near Saint-Malo for the packaging of infusions in sachets,” adds Vincent Cluizel.
An alternative to coffee and tea
Plain or flavored with orange or coconut, Fuzco offers lots of aromas and deliciousness in the mouth.
The secret ?
A touch of cocoa nibs, the name given to the roasted and crushed cocoa bean before it becomes the chocolate we know, which breaks the acidity of the shell.
These infusions are intended to be an alternative to coffee or tea consumption for a wider audience than just those who are lactose intolerant.
“We imagined reaching a very feminine target, looking for an ethical, eco-designed and lightweight product.
But we have also had a lot of enthusiastic feedback from men who are trying to do without coffee and have not found what they are looking for with tea,” describes Vincent Cluizel.
After opening an e-commerce store on February 21, the two entrepreneurs are tackling in-store marketing with resellers.
They are counting on the strengths of their product to quickly reach the shelves of delicatessens in Évreux and the surrounding area.