The São Tomé chocolate that won the world's best chocolate award in Paris, the story of Claudio Corallo and where to taste and buy chocolate on the island.
What is the best chocolate in São Tomé? The two names you need to know are Diogo Vaz, whose chocolate was named the best chocolate in the world at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris in 2023, and Claudio Corallo, the Italian agronomist who spent decades perfecting a cocoa without the usual bitterness. Both make their chocolate on the island itself, from cocoa tree to bar, and both welcome visitors for tastings. In this guide we explain what sets each apart, where to taste São Tomé chocolate during your trip and what to bring home.
If you are looking for the history of cocoa and the great plantations, first read our article on São Tomé cocoa. Here we talk about what comes next: the chocolate.
Dried cocoa beans, ready to become chocolate. Photo: Príncipe Collection
Why São Tomé chocolate is so good
In the early 20th century São Tomé and Príncipe was the world's largest cocoa producer and earned the name chocolate island. Today it produces much less, but better: the cocoa grows in volcanic soil, in the shade of the forest, and much of it is organic. The big difference is what has changed in recent decades. The island used to export beans to be processed in Europe. Now chocolate is made on the island itself, with every step controlled, from harvest to fermentation, from roasting to bar. That is what you taste on a visit to Diogo Vaz or Claudio Corallo.
Diogo Vaz: the chocolate named the world's best in Paris
Roça Diogo Vaz
Roça Diogo Vaz lies on the north-west coast of São Tomé island, in the Lembá district, on the way to Santa Catarina. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1880 and, after years of neglect, went back to producing cocoa under the company Kennyson. Today it is an organic plantation growing mainly two varieties, Amelonado and Trinitario, and all the cocoa used in its bars comes from the plantation's own trees.
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Since 2018 the plantation has had its own chocolate factory. It is the model chocolatiers call tree to bar: nothing leaves the island before it has been turned into chocolate.
The world's best chocolate award
In 2023, Diogo Vaz chocolate won the award for the world's best chocolate at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris, one of the industry's biggest events, which that year brought together some 230 exhibitors from 38 countries. It was not the first award: in 2016 a 75% dark bar made with the plantation's cocoa had already won gold at the same show. For such a small country, it is proof that São Tomé cocoa is back at the top, now in the form of chocolate.
Claudio Corallo: the Italian who took the bitterness out of cocoa
Claudio Corallo was born in Florence in 1951 and trained as an agronomist. He worked with coffee in former Zaire and, in 1992, moved to São Tomé and Príncipe. On Príncipe Island he revived an abandoned cocoa plantation, Roça Terreiro Velho, and on São Tomé, near Monte Café, he grows coffee at Nova Moca.
What made him famous was an obsession: removing the bitterness that almost everyone takes for granted in cocoa. He set up a laboratory next to his house and spent years testing new ways of fermenting the beans until he arrived at his own process. The cocoa grows on Príncipe and is turned into chocolate in São Tomé city, where many travellers take the guided tasting. Those who have been say the explanation is long and passionate, with chocolates of various percentages to compare.
Diogo Vaz or Claudio Corallo: which to try?
The honest answer: both, because they are different styles.
| Diogo Vaz | Claudio Corallo | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the cocoa grows | On the plantation itself, on São Tomé's north-west coast | Roça Terreiro Velho, on Príncipe Island |
| Who makes it | The company Kennyson, on a plantation founded in 1880 | Claudio Corallo, an Italian agronomist on the island since 1992 |
| What sets it apart | Organic Amelonado and Trinitario cocoa and a factory on the plantation | His own fermentation, designed to remove cocoa's bitterness |
| Recognition | World's best chocolate at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris, 2023 | Considered by many experts one of the best in the world |
| Where to taste it | At the plantation, in the north of the island | In São Tomé city |
Where to taste chocolate in São Tomé
- Claudio Corallo, in São Tomé city: the easiest tasting to fit in, as it is in the capital. It goes well with a morning exploring the city and what to see on the island.
- Roça Diogo Vaz, in the north-west: the plantation organises tastings and factory visits. As it is on the same coast as the Cocoa Route, it fits easily into that day. Always check the times before you go.
- Cocoa Route cooperatives: in the Lembá district there are cooperatives where you can follow the whole artisanal process, from harvest to sun-drying, and buy cocoa and chocolate made on site.
- São Tomé Central Market: to buy cocoa powder, beans and bars directly from the producers.
A tip from someone who knows the island: taste the fresh cocoa fruit. The sweet, tangy white pulp around the beans is a surprise almost nobody associates with chocolate.
What to bring home and how to carry it
Chocolate bars, cocoa beans and cocoa powder are the most popular souvenirs. They are light and easy to give as gifts. The only thing to watch is the heat: chocolate melts easily in São Tomé, so keep it in the coolest place in your room and pack it well wrapped in your checked luggage. If you forget to buy some, Diogo Vaz also sells online in Portugal.
The old cocoa plantations tell the story behind São Tomé chocolate.
Tasting chocolate on a trip with us
Chocolate is part of the way we show the island:
- Cocoa Route excursion: a full day in the north, with Roça Agostinho Neto, a cocoa and chocolate tasting and a São Tomé lunch. It is the same coast as Roça Diogo Vaz.
- Coffee Route excursion: Roça Monte Café and the highlands where Claudio Corallo grows his coffee.
- São Tomé and Príncipe trip, 9 days with flights: includes the Cocoa Route and the island's main plantations.
See all our excursions in São Tomé and Príncipe and, to get to know the plantations one by one, our guide to the plantations (roças) of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Plan your trip with Vamos Fugir
Vamos Fugir is a travel agency licensed by Turismo de Portugal (RNAVT n.º 4155), with its own team in São Tomé. See all our trips and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Sources: STP-Press and Forbes África Lusófona (Paris award, 2023); Cocoa Runners and Réussir (Roça Diogo Vaz); Wikipedia and The Other Hundred (Claudio Corallo). Times and tastings may change: check before you go.
Frequently asked questions
The best known are Diogo Vaz, named the world's best chocolate at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris in 2023, and Claudio Corallo, made with cocoa from Príncipe Island. They are different styles and both are worth trying.
Yes. Roça Diogo Vaz, on the north-west coast of São Tomé island, organises tastings and factory visits. Check the times before you go.
In São Tomé city, where cocoa from Príncipe Island is turned into chocolate and where the guided tasting takes place.
Diogo Vaz sells online in Portugal, and São Tomé chocolate can be found in gourmet and organic shops. On the island you will find more variety and taste it freshly made.
One of the traditional cocoa varieties grown in São Tomé. Diogo Vaz uses it in its bars, alongside Trinitario.
