I'm a Swiss citizen, born in Lachen, which means 'smile'in German, on the beautiful lake of Zurich in Switzerland. After 10 years of working as a chocolate maker for Lindt & Sprüngli, and another chocolate company named Läderach, and being involved in several private chocolate-projects, in Switzerland, I decide to create my own brand - The Chocolate Experience was born. Then I then decide to move to Gozo in order to open my shop. The desire to open my own shop went hand in hand with the idea to move to a different country.

My girlfriend and I decided to move to Gozo to realise my dream here on this beautiful island. We chose Gozo before Malta, cause the smaller sister island is much more relaxed and has a more enjoyable atmosphere then Malta. After a short while it was clear to me that the perfect area to open our artisan chocolate shop, would be in the heart of the old town of Victoria. The small charming capital with its gorgeous little streets and shops seemed to me to be the perfect place for our new venture.

How carefully are the ingredients researched and chosen and where do they come from?

Our single-origin chocolate originates mainly from African producing countries, like Madagascar, São Tomé and Tanzania, which is of the highest quality grade, but also characterised by the Fairtrade-label to meet our high ethical expectations. The ingredients we use to refine our chocolate bars are mostly organic and some can even be found on the Maltese Islands, such as olive oil, carob and the famous Gozitan sea salt.

Organic cacaobutter, cacaopowder, crushed cacaobeans, or cacaonibs, and organic maca powder are from Peru. Raw organic virgin coconut oil and organic dessicated coconut from Sri Lanka. Dried figs, roasted almonds and roasted hazelnuts are from Turkey. Plus organic local Gozitan salt and organic pink Himalayan salt, and pepper from Szechuan and Tasmania

Pesticide-free organic gojiberries come from Tibet, blueberrys from United States and organic chiaseeds from Bolivia

What are some of the more unusual ingredients you use and how do they work to enhance the final flavour?

Artisan chocolatiers are switching to fresh ingredients and single-origin chocolate, seeking out the perfect match of chocolate. A good example is the combination of different salt and pepper varieties, which go well together in chocolate-bars of high, 70% cacao content. Our bestseller and most famous chocolate bar is the 70% São Tomé with Gozitan sea salt and Tasmanian pepper. The sea salt enhances the fine taste of the single-origin cacao and brings out special nuances of the taste and sweetness, together with the Tasmanian pepper, which is actually a dried berry named Mountain Berry, which creates an extraordinary taste experience.

Another great mix I create is the Madagascar 67% with maca, a root from Peru with kind of an earthy flavour, and raw organic cacaonibs, which gives a slightly vinegaracidic and crunchy twist to the bittersweet chocolate.

Take us through the process of making chocolates and chocolate bars

I try to create chocolates to give a real 'chocolate experience' and not a 'sugar experience'.

Firstly I do not produce the chocolate from scratch, that's a very long, complicated, precise technological process which needs lots of special machinery and equipment. We use couverture for our chocolates, from Switzerland and Belgium, which

I refine into to bars, with special recipies or just plain for people who like the pure character of the cacao flavour.The crystallisation/tempering process is all done by hand. Chocolate makers temper chocolate to give it a glossy shiny finish and the distinctive 'snap' sound when it is broken. Tempering is an important, slow hand process that improves the appearance and texture of chocolate.

The chocolate is heated, cooled and reheated to precise temperatures to achieve the perfect crystal structure. When it is tempered, it must be transferred into moulds immediately, before it starts to cool and set. Presentation is the key.

These chocolate bars are handmade, piece by piece with lots of love. Some of them with ingredients inside, some of the bars with ingredients on top for a special taste and for the decorative effect.

Do you think people fully appreciate the fine ingredients and artistry needed to produce such pure chocolate?

With the short experience we had with our shop, we have received lots of positive and supporting feedback from locals and tourists. But also we have to say that the recognition of high quality chocolate bars still needs to develop on a collective level. We only do dark chocolate from 67-80% cocoa.

It is not obvious to everyone why our bars have a higher price than conventional chocolate, and for some people it might not even matter. Ordinary milk and white chocolate are still is very popular, which may arise from the high sugar content and the sweet tooth of the Maltese. Our chocolate still contains sugar, but much less than conventional chocolate and therefore one can say it's a healthy alternative to other chocolate. It is also suitable for vegans. Every country has its own taste. I would say Malta and Gozo are more on the sweet and unhealthy side of taste. I think it needs still a bit more time for everyone to really appreciate those products.

Dark chocolate with a high content of cacao is very beneficial for the regulation of blood sugar and metabolism and has antioxidant properties. Consumed in small amounts, dark chocolate can help to regulate the appetite and have an impact on the mood. The flavanols in dark chocolate can help form nitric oxide. This helps relax blood vessels leading to a lowering of blood pressure. If a diabetic decides to eat chocolate, they need to be careful to include it in their carbohydrate counts and not go overboard. Eaten excessively it can lead to increased blood glucose levels and weight gain.

I would say that dark chocolate has definitely many advantages when it comes to preventing obesity and diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, eating 20 grams of dark chocolate daily helps increase the sensitivity to insulin. This is important for blood glucose control. Increasing insulin sensitivity may help delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in people with pre-diabetes.

Carnival is coming and Easter is not too far away, so take advantage and make some healthy chocolate treats for both.