Our Story

Inside every unique bar of Marou chocolate there is an interesting story. Not only is Marou the first single origin Vietnamese chocolate with award winning taste and packaging – but it has come on its own fascinating journey.

The Chocolate Boys – Samuel and Vincent

Marou is the brain child of two Frenchmen living in Vietnam. Samuel Maruta was once in international finance and Vincent Mourou an advertising executive. They took some time away from their daily lives and went jungle trekking. It was during this trek that they met – and discovered a shared interest in chocolate and also in wanting to do something different with their lives. They literally started with a strong instinct that they could create quality Vietnamese chocolate – so equipped with outline instructions from the internet they began the journey of Marou. One thing that they were certain of from the start was that the quality of the cocoa bean was a key element in determining the quality of the end chocolate produced. After discussions with farmers and experimenting at roasting, winnowing and grinding the beans – they had made their first batch.

Vietnam is not a country that you would normally associate with artisan chocolate – until now. Marou is the first artisan chocolate maker using Vietnamese cocoa beans that is actually crafting the chocolate and its exquisite packaging. With the help from local farmers, Samuel and Vincent learnt that the provenance of the beans influenced the taste of the chocolate produced. They did not need fancy additions – the raw flavour of the cocoa bean was enough to create a selection of chocolate with its own unique characteristics. And now this sublime taste of Vietnam is available to you in the UK. Jonathan Tailyour had been living and working in Vietnam for the past 20 years and during this time became great friends with Samuel and Vincent. Jonathan is passionate about Marou and has returned to the UK to share Marou – through his business Middletown Hill.