At Demarquette - Fine Chocolates we pride ourselves on offering you the highest quality chocolates. Award-winning British chocolatier Marc Demarquette hand-makes each one using traditional artisan techniques in his West London Chocolaterie. Truly Artisan Marc is passionate about using the very best ingredients sourced to the highest standards in order to make the finest chocolates. Every step of the chocolate making process is completed by hand as he ardently believes that no machine can replace the art of a master craftsman. His know-how and skill is a trade that has been passed down by generations of the best chocolatiers - an alchemy that must be understood & preserved. Only expertise gained over time, using skills handed down by true masters of the trade, can ensure that the quality is truly consistent. This personal approach ensures that we continuously produce an optimum chocolate for your maximum enjoyment. Finest Chocolate Central to our products is chocolate! And we are particularly strict when it comes to choosing the best quality. No surprise then that we are the only Chocolatier in London to be an accredited partner to Valrhona - a respected accolade that guarantees only the finest quality, ethically grown and harvested, traceable chocolate. Freshest Ingredients At Demarquette we take fine chocolate in its purest form and hand-blend it with just a few simple yet powerfully flavoured fresh ingredients to further enhance the chocolate and create its own unique personality. Only the freshest ingredients sourced from local suppliers where possible are used in our chocolates and prepared to strict specifications. We carefully select our ingredients from traceable and ethical sources. The provenance of our fresh cream is paramount and we personally know the farmers, whose dairy herds graze in Cornwall and Hampshire. Home grown fruit and berries are picked from Marc's family orchard in the French Alps and our own aromatic blend of honey is harvested from the sweet nectar of wild meadow flowers. British Made We are proud to entirely develop and produce all of our products in Britain at our chocolaterie in North Kensington and are committed to sourcing as many ingredients as possible from local producers. Purest Taste Fine infused chocolate requires a delicate balance between the flavour of the ingredient and the pure chocolate itself. Our approach is to never overpower the chocolate and to create recipes that ensure flavours develop over time on the palate. We also abstain from using artificial flavourings and preservatives to ensure the purest, freshest and original texture and taste. As an accredited member of the Guild of Fine Food, we take great care that our chocolates are full in flavour, beautiful in appearance, amazing in texture and pure in taste. Exclusive Partnerships Our emphasis on quality and traditional craftsmanship has led Chocolatier Marc Demarquette to work with a growing number of luxury partners. Marc has been exclusively commissioned by Fortnum & Mason to create their unique collection of freshly hand-made luxury bespoke chocolates. Using a variety of Fortnum & Mason’s exclusive ingredients, Marc has created the new collection of 16 exciting flavours, which was launched at the prestigious London store on 17th September 2007. The range includes Fortnum’s Honey and signature Royal Blend Tea as well as a selection of classic Demarquette favourites such as Seville Orange and Japanese Cherry Blossom. For their 50th anniversary, Demarquette are proud to be associated with the prestigious 'Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club' as one of just a few luxury businesses selected to support the celebrations. Click here to read a feature article in the 50th anniversary commemorative book. Tregothnan, one of Britain's finest private country estates, has invited award-winning British Chocolatier Marc Demarquette to create ‘The Tregothnan Collection’ of fine chocolates. Tregothnan has been home to the Boscawen family since 1335. The Estate, in Kent and Cornwall, is internationally known for its fine 'English Estate' products grown and produced with a sustained passion on Tregothnan land. This passion is the inspiration for the range of English Estate products and experiences, notably the UK's first tea plantation. The initial and signature flavour collection consists of three fine ganache chocolates infused with Estate Earl Grey Tea, the rare Kea Plum and Estate Heather Honey. Demarquette chocolate is created for one thing: pleasure! And it will bring a touch of it to any occasion. Spice up your after-dinner chocolates with your corporate logo, or really remind your wedding guests of the occasion with a unique flavour created just for you. Our delicious selection of hand-made chocolates, from classic favourites to exotic treats, are all made from only the finest ingredients money can buy.

Q&A's

Q: Is Demarquette part of a chain?
A: No. Demarquette - Fine Chocolates is a small family-run British company created in 2006 and owned by Marc Demarquette. There is one dedicated Demarquette Boutique on Fulham Road, Chelsea.

Q: Where can I buy Demarquette Chocolates?
A: There is one dedicated Demarquette Chocolate Shop in London on Fulham Road, Chelsea. Products are also available to purchase online at www.demarquette.co.uk. Marc has also created a unique collection of freshly hand-made luxury bespoke chocolates for Fortnum & Mason which are available at the presitgious London Stores fresh chocolate counters.

Q: Are Demarquette chocolates imported?
A: No. Chocolatier Marc Demarquette produces his chocolates in his West London Chocolaterie using traditional techniques and only the best ingredients.

Q: Are all of Demarquette products preservative-free?
A: Yes. The health benefits of preservative-free products are well documented and Marc sets out to offer the freshest chocolates with the purest taste.

Q: How should the fresh chocolates be packed when travelling abroad?
A: Remember that we do not use any preservatives on our fresh ganache chocolates. We will advise you of the 'Use by' date which we recommend to be 2 weeks from the date of purchase. When travelling it is also advisable to either vacuum-pack or clingfilm your box to protect the chocolates from condensation and taking on odours. High temperatures and humidity will effect the quality of the product.

Q: Does Demarquette grow its own cocoa? Does Demarquette make its own raw cocoa liquor?
A: No, at Demarquette we are focused on transforming fantastic products made by Valrhona into our own finished chocolates. We believe that we all have our own important role to play in the chocolate chain from bean to bar. As such we cannot be a jack of all trades. This is a major risk which our customers would suffer should anything go wrong, such as a poor crop. Valrhona have decades of know-how and have invested a great deal in plantations around the world to optimise crop quality. In addition Valrhona have an unrivalled know-how when it comes to transforming the best beans into highest quality wonderful chocolate. This is why Valrhona have been accoladed around the world with prizes of distinction.
In Marc’s own words:
An aircraft manufacturer is great at making fabulous planes, but not necessarily great at running a commercial fleet like an airline. In our chocolate context, Valrhona are the aircraft maker and demarquette is the airline.

Q: Why don’t we see Demarquette on supermarket shelves?
A: Being an artisan business, we focus on small quantities of qualitative products. By increasing production to supermarket quantities and expectations, one has to rely on serious manufacturing machinery. This takes all of the artisan craftsmanship out of the chocolate making. It is for this reason – quality - that Demarquette can only be found at very select partner boutique outlets.

Q: Why does Demarquette apply only artisan craftsmanship and not produce with new machinery?
A: It’s all about quality. Machines cannot replace the extraordinary natural senses Man has including smell, touch, sight and taste. The most critical times are when seasonal produce change. A punnet of raspberries will taste differently in the summer as it would the winter, more importantly the water and natural fructose content will also significantly vary, consequently at Demarquette we adapt our approach and recipes to accommodate seasonal fluctuations.
There are chocolatiers who now use large machinery such as a 'one-shot'. This will allow them to increase their productivity to cater for major expansion and growth. However the machine does not give peace of mind when it comes to working the product to maximise quality.