Samuel Maruta, who possessed an unquenchable adventurous spirit despite his background in finance, found himself rejuvenating in Saigon with his family. There, he crossed path with Vincent Mourou, who had just left behind his flourishing advertising career in San Francisco for a soul-searching odyssey in Vietnam. Their serendipitous encounter during a 2010 jungle camping trip ignited a shared desire to break away from the ordinary.
A Google search for "cacao plantation" led Sam and Vincent to a farm in Ba Ria Province, an addressless adventure that set the foundation for Marou Faiseurs de Chocolat. On the ferry ride back to Saigon, they made a solemn vow to bring life to this chocolate-making journey, starting with just a blender, an oven, and cake tins in Sam's kitchen.
Samuel and Vincent continue to rely on a tight network of small farmers from whom they buy the best beans, one bag at a time, for a premium price.
Marou Faiseurs de Chocolat stands as one of the pioneering "bean-to-bar" enterprises in Asia and one of the few worldwide crafting chocolate at its source. What began as the dream of two adventurous Frenchmen has evolved into a brand of pure dark chocolate, entirely crafted from the finest ingredients Vietnam has to offer.
