Meet Kuching’s hand-made chocolate entrepreneur and owner of LVN Chocolates, Livan Tajang. Five years ago, Livan was just another cocoa trader until she was introduced to the chocolate entrepreneurship programme by the Malaysian Cocoa Board.“I then decided to enrol 20 participants, including myself. Through the training, I have realised that there is an untapped market in Kuching, if not Sarawak,” she said.“I am going big. I want to bring my chocolates beyond Kuching and at the same time look for Sarawakian ingredients to infuse into my chocolates,” Livan enthused.Senior chocolatier for LVN Chocolates, Helong Ajang, dabbled in chocolates when she underwent a course in Hospitality in Australia for two years. She had managed to work with more chocolates through her employment with an established hotel in Kuching.“The programme organised by the Cocoa Board had really opened my eyes to the possibilities of chocolate-making. The theories of making these chocolates are simple, but it took a lot of practice before I could reach an acceptable quality and consistency,” she said.But training alone is not enough to placate her voracious desire to create specialty chocolates. Helong turned to magazines and food channels for techniques, recipes and inspirations. Within their six months of operation, LVN’s chocolate factory have been consistently producing 10 to 15 kg worth of made-to-order chocolates.“The best compliment which I had received was from a group of tourists at this year’s Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar. They told me that my chocolates were the best chocolates that they have ever tasted. Towards the end of our conversation, they told me that they were from Belgium.”The difference between their chocolates and the commercialised versions is that their chocolates are made daily and with pure chocolate, not compound chocolate.“Compound chocolate is chocolate mixed with vegetable oil and sugar. It is done to “stretch” the amount (of chocolates) used. At LVN, we use pure cocoa butter and pure chocolate. This very fact puts us in the same league with Belgian chocolatiers,” said Helong.The difference in ingredients also makes LVN chocolates smoother and fuller bodied.



Meet the chocolates-


  • Pralines-Pralines are solid chocolates. LVN sells them in an assortment of shapes and sizes - roses, squares, shells, coffee beans and animals. They can also be made in your favourite choice of chocolate - dark, milk or white chocolate.What better door gifts for a mermaid theme party than boxes of chocolate prawns, turtles, fish and shells? They can also be excellent confectionery centrepieces for functions held by the pool or on the beach.Marbled or flavoured, just talk to Helong about your preferences. According to her, one out of every three customers ask for pralines.For flavours, customers have only to ask. Strawberry, orange, peppermint, vodka and rum are among the choices available.


  • Fillings-These are chocolates customised with nuts and other ingredients. Almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts, sultanas and cornflakes are the six most common fillings requested by customers. Peanut butter? No problem. A customer had actually requested for it before.“We can also make them with ganache,” informed Helong.Ganache is a liquid chocolate and cream filling. Flavours for ganache include milk chocolate, dark chocolate, mint and strawberry creme.



  • Novelties-Novelty chocolates are there to make a statement. From the cupcake-sized, marshmallow, peanuts and cornflakes-filled “Rocky Road” to the compact “Chocolate Lollipops”, LVN accepts requests for all functions.Praline bars in an assortment of sizes are also sold. Flavoured or plain, it is entirely up to the customer’s imagination.“Chocolate Gift Box”, a gift box made entirely out of chocolate, is also made by LVN. Imagine hiding that car key for someone celebrating his or her 21st birthday in a box made from chocolate. Who would have guessed that a key lies inside? How about a ring in a beautiful, delectable chocolate casing?






However, most people didn't know is that chocolates are divided into 2 main category, which are-


  • Compound chocolate-Compound chocolate is a less expensive chocolate replacement made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fat, and sweeteners. Often used in lower-grade candybars, compound chocolate is designed to simulate enrobed chocolate on a product. It costs less than chocolate, as it uses less expensive hard vegetable fats and tropical fats such as coconut oil and palm kernel oil in place of the more expensive cocoa butter as its fat source.


  • Pure Chocolates-As for pure chocolates, it is made of cocoa butter as its fat source. obviously it is much more expensive compare to compound, but it is much more worth it in term of quality and taste..