Bonnat Chocolate, Bean-to-Bar single-origin chocolate from France
Bonnat is a French chocolatier from Voiron that has been producing single-origin chocolate since 1884, using a bean-to-bar process and absolutely no soy lecithin. Representing the fourth generation, Stéphane Bonnat travels the world in search of rare cocoa beans, crafting them into single-origin bars—many of which are vegan, kosher, and award-winning.
Bonnat Chocolate is single-origin chocolate from the Bonnat chocolaterie in Voiron, made with just a few ingredients and entirely without soy lecithin. Since 1884, the company has brought every step from raw cocoa to the finished bar under one roof. At nur Gutes, you will find their dark single-origin bars, milk and white chocolates, drinking chocolates, and fine varieties with fruit.
Bean-to-bar in Voiron since 1884
The Bonnat chocolaterie was founded in 1884 by Félix Bonnat in Voiron, in southeastern France, and is run today by the fourth generation, Stéphane Bonnat.
Bonnat was one of the first to consolidate every step of the process, from raw cocoa to the finished bar, within their own workshop, long before the term "bean-to-bar" became fashionable. The fermented beans are gently roasted and conched for about 20 hours until the dry mass is transformed into a fine, fluid chocolate.
Stéphane Bonnat travels the world for his beans, specifically to the narrow belt between 10 degrees North and 10 degrees South latitude where cacao grows. There, he seeks out rare, sometimes wild-growing varieties and purchases them directly from small plantations and farmers.
Voiron is located at the foot of the mountains in the Isère valley, not far from Grenoble, and that is where the manufactory remains to this day. While many large brands buy ready-made cocoa mass and simply melt it down, Bonnat starts at the very beginning, with the raw bean. This is more labor-intensive, but it gives the company control over every step, from the degree of roasting to the duration of conching.
You can taste this care in every bar: it doesn't taste like "chocolate" in a generic sense, but like its origin—often fruity, earthy, and floral all at once, depending on where the bean comes from.
Only cocoa, cocoa butter, and sugar, without soy lecithin
For their dark bars, Bonnat uses only three ingredients: cocoa, cocoa butter, and sugar, with no soy lecithin and no artificial flavors.
Many manufacturers use soy lecithin because it is cheaper than cocoa butter; Bonnat consciously avoids it. This gives their bars an especially fine melt and a pure, honest taste. Many of the dark Bonnat chocolates are therefore vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and free from traces of nuts.
Milk is added to the milk and white chocolates; these are consequently not vegan and not lactose-free. What remains is the company's guiding principle: a few good ingredients instead of a long list.
Cocoa butter is more expensive than soy lecithin, but it makes the chocolate smoother and purer in taste. This is precisely one reason for the famous melt of Bonnat bars, the clean "snap" when breaking them, and the slow, silky way they dissolve on the tongue. There is no need for outside aromas; the cocoa itself provides plenty.
Grand Cru and Terroir, just like wine
Bonnat was a pioneer of single-origin chocolate and was among the first to apply terms from the wine world to chocolate, such as Grand Cru or Origin.
Like a good wine, every bar displays its origin, its terroir, and even the peculiarities of the harvest year. In 1984, for the company's hundredth anniversary, Bonnat introduced its first Grand Crus, including Madagascar, Ceylan, Équateur, and Trinité, soon followed by Venezuelan bars such as Chuao.
Later, the Grands Crus d'Exception were added—rare bars from limited harvests such as Selva Maya, Maragnan, or Los Colorados. Bonnat processes each origin individually and as a single-origin product, without blending them with others, ensuring each bar tastes exactly of its origin.
For Stéphane Bonnat, this commitment to origin also includes a sense of responsibility: he has worked with local farmers to restore varieties that were once thought to be extinct, while others come from protected rainforest areas. As a result, many bars contain not just a pure taste, but a small story—of saved varieties, protected forests, and long-standing partnerships.
Award-winning
Bonnat chocolate has received multiple awards at the International Chocolate Awards.
In 2016, the Selva Maya won Gold at the world finals and was crowned the best dark single-origin bar in the competition. 2017 brought Bronze for the Morenita, and 2019 saw Silver for the El Castillero and the Cacao Real del Xoconuzco. All awards are documented on the International Chocolate Awards website.
Such awards confirm what you taste with the very first bite: the care of a house that has left nothing to chance for over 140 years.
At the International Chocolate Awards, international juries taste the bars blindly and evaluate aroma, texture, and balance. The fact that a small French manufactory holds its own against brands from all over the world says a lot about its quality. However, for Stéphane Bonnat, the taste itself is more important than any medal; he sees the awards as a pleasant side effect rather than the goal.
The range at nur Gutes
At nur Gutes, you will find the entire spectrum of Bonnat chocolate, from deep, dark varieties to creamy, light ones.
The dark single-origin bars include classics like the mild Ceylan and the pure Noir 100% with no added sugar. Those who prefer it creamy can opt for the classic Chocolat au Lait or the white Ivoire.
For cozy moments, there is the drinking chocolate to dissolve in warm milk, and for the curious, fine varieties with matcha, strawberry, or orange. There is something for every taste, from beginners to connoisseurs.
Bonnat conveniently organizes its range into families: the classic Grand Crus, the rarer Grands Crus d'Exception, the highly limited Collection Particulière, as well as milk and white chocolates. Most bars weigh 100 grams and feature the simple white paper with the little church of Voiron on the front—an image that many collectors have long recognized on the shelf.
A family business with staying power
For over 140 years, Bonnat has remained in family hands, and you can taste that consistency.
What Félix Bonnat began in 1884, Stéphane continues today with the same attitude: good beans, honest craftsmanship, no shortcuts. That such a small company is counted among the most respected chocolatiers in the world is owed precisely to this patience. Much of what is considered modern today—direct trade, single-origin sources, the absence of additives—Bonnat has been doing for generations.
Because Bonnat buys directly from the producers, both sides benefit: the farmers from a reliable buyer, the company from beans of the highest quality. This close relationship maintained over years is also what allows Bonnat access to such rare varieties in the first place.
Anyone who lets a piece of Bonnat chocolate slowly melt on their tongue will understand why the effort is worth it: a piece of cocoa that tells its own origin story. This is precisely why we stock the bars, drinking chocolates, and fine varieties from Bonnat at nur Gutes, so that you can taste your way through the world of cocoa. In the end, a good piece of chocolate doesn't need much: good cocoa, a little sugar, and time. That is exactly what is in every single bar from Voiron, and that is exactly what you can taste.
