Amsterdam has always been a city where cacao feels at home.

Step off the train at Centraal, and you can almost imagine the galleons that once crowded these waters, their bellies full of cocoa beans from Ghana, Venezuela, and beyond.

Those beans would fuel the Dutch mastery of cocoa pressing and drinking chocolate and set Amsterdam at the heart of the world’s chocolate story.

When I travelled to Amsterdam for Chocoa, the city’s famous cocoa and chocolate conference, I expected great lectures, tastings, and conversations.

What I didn’t expect was the invitation that landed in my inbox: a private tour of Daarnhouwer & Co, one of the most respected cocoa traders in Europe.

For someone like me  a chef, chocolatier, and lifelong student of cacao this was like being asked if I’d like to step backstage at the chocolate theatre. I didn’t hesitate.

A Ride Through Cocoa History

We met early at the Zaandam site, a short train ride from the city centre.

The smell hit me first: the rich, earthy perfume of cocoa beans in bulk. It’s a scent that’s hard to describe part forest floor, part warm bread, part dried fruit and it seemed to hang in the air like a promise.

Then came the moment I’ll never forget: we climbed into small golf buggies and set off through the facility.

The journey felt like retracing the life of a cocoa bean. We passed the unloading bays, where sacks from Ghana, Peru, and Madagascar are first received, then rolled past the fumigation chambers, where beans are carefully treated to preserve quality.

Soon, the golf buggy slowed as we entered the storage halls vast, cathedral-like spaces stacked high with cocoa. The smell grew stronger, more complex.

I caught notes of fermentation, deep roast, even something floral. Then we arrived at what I can only describe as a library of flavour: rows upon rows of single-origin and organic beans, each sack carefully tagged with its origin, cooperative, and harvest date. 

This is where the future of chocolate lives quietly, patiently waiting for the next maker to transform it into something extraordinary.

Learning from the Cocoa Masters

Inside Daarnhouwer’s tasting lab, the team welcomed us like fellow explorers. This was where the magic became science.

First came the cut test splitting beans to examine fermentation levels. Perfectly fermented beans show an even brown colour inside, a sign of careful work by the farmers who started this journey.

Then came the liquor tasting. For the uninitiated, this is pure, unsweetened cocoa mass, ground and liquefied.

I tasted side by side:

A lively Madagascar all red fruit and brightness.

A mellow Ghana classic cocoa depth and warmth.

A floral Ecuador slightly spicy, almost perfumed.

It struck me again that chocolate is terroir in its purest form. Like wine or coffee, each origin tells a story of soil, climate, and the hands that nurtured it.

Why Traceability Matters

We spoke at length about traceability not the most glamorous side of chocolate, but perhaps the most important.

How do we ensure farmers are paid fairly when global prices are volatile?

How do we reward good fermentation, careful drying, and quality that deserves a premium?

This is where my Whole Pod Philosophy™ resonates so strongly: when we use every part of the pod pulp, juice, husk, shell we create more value at origin and keep more money in farmers’ hands. Daarnhouwer’s work to connect makers with traceable, ethical beans is exactly what the future of cocoa trade should look like.

Not Just a Warehouse Tour

Standing in that Zaandam warehouse, I realised this wasnt a factory visit. It was a moment to stand at the crossroads of history and future.

Daarnhouwer is over 150 years old, yet still shapes the craft chocolate movement of today. Every bar we unwrap has passed through many hands: farmers, fermenters, graders, importers, makers and finally, ours.

For me, this experience deepened my respect for the bean and sharpened my palate. It reminded me that every melt-in-the-mouth bite starts with a farmer who chose to ferment well, dry carefully, and send their beans across the sea.

Join Me in Amsterdam

If reading this has stirred your chocolate curiosity, why not join me on an Amsterdam Urban Chocolate Safari®?

Together, we’ll explore the city’s chocolate history, meet today’s craft chocolate pioneers, and taste our way through Amsterdam using my Look, Touch, Listen, Smell, Taste method. You’ll leave with a palate sharpened by experience and a deeper connection to the story behind every bar.

Practical Details

Where: Zaandam, Netherlands (15–20 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal)
What: Fine-flavour cocoa beans, traceability, and a crash course in the global bean-to-bar movement
Website: daarnhouwer.com
Pro Tip: If you’re attending Chocoa, reach out early, and trust me, it’s worth it.

Final Thought

Amsterdam is more than canals, bicycles, and stroopwafels. It’s a living hub of cocoa knowledge, a place where the past and future of chocolate meet. My visit to Daarnhouwer left me inspired, educated, and reminded that chocolate is never “just” a sweet treat it’s a global collaboration, from tropical forest to tasting table.

Come join me on my next Urban Chocolate Safari® in Amsterdam and see for yourself why this city remains one of the world’s great cocoa capitals.