23.04.2021

Hazelnuts from My Garden Inspired Me to Make Homemade Chocolate

Hazelnuts from My Garden Inspired Me to Make Homemade Chocolate

There’s nothing better than ending this week with another great travel story. This time, we’ll introduce you to Pece Klečkaroski, the man who never imagined that one day he would be making chocolate specialties.
For Kajak.mk, he says that he started working as a chef in a restaurant, where he got the idea to make hazelnut spread, which he would use to prepare various sweet delights. In his garden, there are a few modest hazelnut plantations, and towards the end of the year, a leftover quantity of hazelnuts remained, which served as the basis for his first experiments.
His grandmother and mother are excellent cooks, but Pece says that no one in his family was involved in chocolate production. As a younger man, he was inclined towards music and never imagined that he would become what he is today.
He has learned many things by conducting chocolate experiments. He researches the topic extensively, constantly learns, and practices new knowledge, with both successful and unsuccessful chocolate experiments. The internet has been his greatest help, where he managed to find specialized literature, engage in conversations with experienced people on various chocolate forums, and explore other related resources.
To date, he has created more than 80 recipes for nut butters and cream spreads based on nuts, seeds, and grains. A year ago, he began perfecting the recipe for what is known as craft chocolate, made directly from cocoa beans.
Pece says that there is no butter or cream spread that people don't love. Recently, every product line he makes is already sold out in advance. People reserve a jar of spread and wait in line for its production.
According to him, the overwhelming interest is due to the quality of the products and the flexibility to create products that align with the nutritional or health-related gastronomic needs of the customers.
Hazelnut spreads are the most popular, but spreads based on pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds are also in high demand. Pece most often collaborates with local farmers, agriculturalists, beekeepers, livestock breeders, and other small food producers (fruit jams, syrups, oils, etc.) in order to help improve the economy, both now and in the future, by supporting these small-scale producers who offer the highest quality products.

He also collaborates with foreign farmers (for cocoa, pistachios, and similar products) and aims to operate according to the principles of fair trade.
He envisions the future in expanding production capacity, but still within the framework of the craft spirit, with chocolate being included as an equal product on the menu.

He also hopes for growing collaboration with local raw material producers, who are an essential part of creating a sweet delight.

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