Pentictonâs newest chocolatiers are bringing a twist with their craft â their decadent French chocolates are vegan.
Celine Nativel and David Mullner opened Maison Mulnati French Vegan Chocolates, located at 756 Eckhardt Ave West, in mid-September. The pair sampled chocolates across Canada before settling in the Okanagan and agreed that they couldnât find what they were looking for.
âHere the chocolates are sweeter. In France, we are more focused on the bitterness of the cocoa,â said Nativel. âSo itâs very intense flavours. Weâve had people taste our chocolates who have visited France and they say âItâs just like being back in France.ââ
The couple and their two children lived on Reunion Island, a region of France that has a tropical climate, before moving to Canada. Nativel explained that humidity greatly affects the process of making chocolate, which is why they wanted to pursue their craft here.
âWe didnât have an air conditioner, and working with chocolate in 32 degrees Celsius with a lot of moisture around, it was not possible,â said Nativel. âAnd we still wanted to have our chocolate. So when we arrived here it was easier, even to experiment with it at home.â
Their family made the switch to a healthier lifestyle, which is why they chose to pursue vegan recipes for their chocolates. Although they use different ingredients than traditional chocolatiers, they believe the quality of their chocolates is not affected.
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âWhy vegan? Because a few years ago, we realized a lot of things and decided to change our diet,â said Nativel. âSo of course when we were looking, other chocolates contained milk and different kind of dairies like butter or eggs. So there was not a lot of possibilities for vegans to have good chocolate.â
âWe always try to reduce the sugar as much as we can to have first the flavour of the element. For example, we use organic fruits, and we want to find a good balance between all the ingredients,â said Nativel. âOr if we use jam or jelly weâll reduce the sugar. Usually, when you add a lot of sugar itâs about preservation.â
Although they have come across customers hesitant to try their chocolates, Mullner said once they try a sample, they always receive the same response. The two take great pride in their craft, even taking the time to soak the seeds and nuts they use in their chocolates overnight, then drying them at a low temperature so as to break down the enzyme in them that humans canât digest.
âThey know itâs a vegan product and theyâll go âIâm not veganâ but we say to just try it anyway and itâs always just âMmmmmmâ every time itâs the same thing,â Mullner said with a laugh. âI love hearing that.â
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âWe had a woman come in to ask questions and get information not to buy anything, then at the end, we gave her a sample and she ended up leaving with three boxes of chocolates,â said Nativel.
Nativel was previously a psychologist and Mullner was a physiotherapist before they took up the craft of chocolatiers. They agree they enjoy working together and Nativel appreciates the opportunity to be creative with her work.
âI have so many ideas, always âI have to do that, I have to try thatâ ⊠so itâs always creative,â said Nativel with a chuckle. âWe worked separately before, but Iâm not fed up with (Mullner), Iâll keep him.â
Since theyâve opened, Mullner and Nativel have developed nearly 30 unique recipes, saying that while they did attend some classes, they didnât receive much help as the instructors werenât familiar with vegan alternatives they could use in place of dairy ingredients.
Their kids are appreciative of the family business, especially as taste testers for new recipes. While they have some time before they need to decide if they want to follow in mom and dadâs footsteps, they get to see what goes on behind the scenes firsthand.
âThey are happy for sure, they always ask how they can help like âWhat can we do?â,â said Mullner.
âMy son was asked if heâd be a chocolatier and he said no, but then maybe,â laughed Nativel. âItâs not in his school program, but he can be whatever he wants to be. We did it because we wanted a change.â
To learn more about Maison Mulnati French Vegan Chocolates, visit their or . Those looking to place orders for the holidays are advised to do so before Dec. 15.
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
<>Jordyn Thomson | Reporter
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