Fazer’s Master Confectioner Eero Paulamäki shined in the World Chocolate Masters competition with a stunning praline
Fazer’s Master Confectioner Eero Paulamäki was one of the 18 finalists who took part in the World Chocolate Masters competition organised in Paris on 29–31 October 2022. Described as the toughest in the world, this professional chocolate competition reached a total of hundreds of thousands of viewers in the Salon Du Chocolat centre and via a live stream. The Finnish Paulamäki represented the Nordic and Baltic countries in the final. According to the jury, Paulamäki’s best work in the competition was his chocolate praline, decorated with a snowflake and created by combining 3D technology and traditional chocolate handling skills.
The theme of World Chocolate Masters 2022 was Tomorrow. The finalists shared their vision of what chocolate will taste, look, and feel like tomorrow. The competitors were judged in their technical chocolate handling skills, creativity, and their ability to mix and match current trends with traditional craftsmanship. In his theme Renewable Tomorrow, Eero Paulamäki was inspired by Nordic nature and local ingredients.
For the first two competition days, Eero Paulamäki worked with determination on his competition entries #SHARE, #WOW, #TASTE, and #BONBON. However, Paulamäki did not reach the so-called super final on 31 October for which the top ten finalists with the highest scores were selected.
“For me, being a World Chocolate Masters finalist is a dream come true. I want to thank my team, my fellow competitors, and my colleagues for all the support, help, and lessons learned. I will return home from Paris inspired and full of new ideas, which will surely be seen in the offering of Fazer Cafés in the coming years,” says Eero Paulamäki, the first ever Finnish World Chocolate Masters finalist, Nordic Chocolate Master, and Fazer’s Master Confectioner.
The Re-new praline charmed the jury and the audience
According to the jury, Paulamäki’s best work in the competition was the #BONBON entry: a praline decorated with a snowflake made with 3D technology. As the name, Re-new, suggests, the praline utilised a pre-used mould and familiar decoration in a fresh way, and it played with a world of flavours that consisted of yuzu gel, 65% chocolate flavoured with Sichuan pepper, and milk chocolate ganache.
A snowflake placed on each of the 29 pralines symbolised nature’s purity and ability to renew, and water, which was the overarching theme of Paulamäki’s competition entries. The snowflake reminds people of Finland, a country with the world’s cleanest water that, come winter, turns into snowflakes.
#WOW chocolate window display challenged finalists to think about the future
The most stunning competition entries included the #WOW assignment’s chocolate window displays that measured at almost 1.5 metres by 3 metres.
Eero Paulamäki’s chocolate window display featured natural elements: water, ice, moss, mushrooms, and a one-metre flower against a backdrop of Aurora Borealis. The entry depicted a post-pandemic, post-war world, and it was based on Paulamäki’s vision of renewable resources and a new world with all of its miracles rising from the ashes.
In his competition entries, Eero Paulamäki used several Finnish ingredients, such as Finnish rye and berries, for example, Arctic brambles, and side streams of Fazer’s production, such as xylitol made from oat hulls and oat protein.
The World Chocolate Masters 2022 winner was Lluc Crusellas from Spain, the runner-up was Antoine Carréric from France, and third top spot went to Nicolas Nikolakopoulus from Greece.
World Chocolate Masters 2022
World Chocolate Masters is the world’s leading chocolate industry competition. Of the 20 regional selection rounds organised around the world, 18 finalists were selected to face off in Paris on 29–31 October 2022. In the competition, the finalists were judged in their technical chocolate handling skills, creativity, and their ability to mix and match current trends with traditional craftsmanship. The theme of the competition was Tomorrow, and the finalist with the most points was awarded the title of World Chocolate Master.
The World Chocolate Masters competition was first organised in 2005, and this year the competition was organised for the eighth time. Fazer’s Master Confectioner Eero Paulamäki represented all of the Nordic and Baltic countries in the competition, and he is the first ever Finnish finalist in the competition’s history.
#worldchocolatemasters #WCM #TMRW_TASTES_TASTES_LOOKS_FEELS_LIKE #TMRW #töissäfazerilla #urafazerilla #visitfazer #suklaamestari #NorthernMagicMadeReal
Further information:
Taina Lampela-Helin, Communications Manager, Fazer Group, taina.lampela-helin@fazer.com, tel. +358 40 668 4600
The Fazer media phone line is open Mon– Fri from 8 am to 4 pm, media@fazer.com, tel. +358 40 668 2998
Photographs: https://www.fazergroup.com/media/ – Image & video bank – Public Image Bank – Media_Press – Finland – World Chocolate Masters 2022
Campaign website: https://www.fazer.fi/eero-paulamaki-kohti-suklaaunelmaa/. On the campaign site, you can find Eero Paulamäki’s introduction and other such information (available in Finnish only). For more information on Fazer, go to www.fazergroup.com (information in Finnish, Swedish and English).
Fazer Group
Fazer, The Food Experience Company, enables people to enjoy the best moments of their day. Our mission, Food with a purpose, builds on our strong 130-year heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. With our dedicated team of approximately 6,000 professionals, we focus on fast-moving consumer goods and our direct-to-consumer business in Northern Europe, and beyond with exports to some 40 different countries. Fazer’s operations comply with its Code of Conduct that is based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact. In 2021, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.1 billion euros.
Northern Magic. Made Real.
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