Fu Wan Chocolate Wants to “Heal the Soul”
By David Nilsen
Fu Wan Chocolate in Taiwan started its life as a resort back in 2009. Warren Hsu was the executive chef at the resort, and became interested in cacao when he discovered local betel nut farmers had turned to growing the fruit tree. In 2017, Warren decided to create a company that catered to the senses through chocolate and launched Fu Wan.
“Harnessing the power of the land, we use chocolate to heal the soul,” he says.
This theme is reflected in Fu Wan’s branding. The name itself means “a bay full of fortune and happiness” in Mandarin, and the hexagonal logo represents cacao-growing mountains under clouds as seen through a Taiwanese window. The yellow used on many of the bar packages stands for the color of ripening cacao fruit and the abundance that fruit represents.
Fu Wan sources its cacao from farmers in Pingtung, within 40 km of the factory. They currently work with 13 local farms, including in Dong-Gang Township where Fu Wan is located.
Fermenting with Beer Yeast
Fu Wan works with a range of interesting ingredients in its chocolate—including several different types of tea—but Warren’s biggest area of passion with chocolate-making is tied to process.
“My interest is especially on the fermentation side of things,” he explains.
This fascination has led to several interesting beer-related bars fermented with brewing yeasts.
Strawberry Beer Yeast 70% is fermented with ale yeast that has been harvested from a locally-brewed strawberry beer and still carries some character from that ingredient. Warren carefully monitors this pitched fermentation in a temperature- and moisture-controlled room—a sharp contrast to the open air fermentations of most cacao—and then ages the cacao for several weeks at low temperatures to allow the flavors developed during fermentation to fully infuse. The bar is left with notes of chamomile, orange zest, berries, and caramel, according to Warren.
70% Beer Yeast #1 “Armstrong” Ale Style Rough Ground Chocolate uses a similar process, but allows the ale yeast to work alongside wild yeast. Warren says this develops “Mediterranean fruit flavors” from the ale yeast. The bar is made with rough ground cacao to better simulate the effervesence of beer. He notes flavors of citrus, fig, almond, and—you guessed it—beer itself.
70% Beer Yeast #3 Philotes American Ale Style Rough Ground is named for the Greek goddess of friendship, and showcases “the harmonious combination of beer yeast and cocoa beans.” After undergoing the processes used in the first two bars, this one offers notes of blood orange, grape, pineapple, pear, and other fruits.
Future Experiments
Warren hopes next to ferment his cacao alongside aromatic ingredients like jasmine, gardenia, orange blossom, apple, and truffle to see how the presence of those botanicals influences both the fermentation and the aromas of the beans themselves. He also wants to experiment with aged cacao. He hopes to someday make chocolate from beans aged as much as 20 years, offering vintages similar to whiskey or wine.
Fu Wan produces its esoteric bars using what it calls “FIDARGS” processes. FIDARGS stands for Fermentation, Infusion, Drying, Aging, Roasting, Grinding, and Scenting (in which aromatic ingredients are placed with the beans after the other processes). Not every process will be used in every bar, but these process points are tools in the toolbox that Warren can use to experiment with new flavors.
The resort spa mindset of pampering and luxury still informs Fu Wan’s mission.
“We offer unexpected and delightful chocolate tasting experiences,” reflects Warren. “We bring people joyful moments in life.”