Page 32 - Hafen Hamburg Magazin

■ PORT OF TASTE
Chocolate makes you happy!
For the Germans, chocolate is their favourite sweet- meat. Yet it’s a long way before they come to enjoy it, that leads through the Port of Hamburg. Ever since the 19th century, the port has been an essential han- dling centre for cocoa producers. Nowadays, over 200,000 tons of cocoa beans annually enter the coun- try via the Port of Hamburg.
Since 2011, visitors have been able to see at close quarters in the Chocoversum just how the sensitive raw material is finally transformed into chocolate treats. The Experience opened by premium chocolate manufacturer Hachez thrills visitors with a taste of the whole process from growing, to production, to bars of chocolate.
One top highlight of the chocotour is the firm’s own chocolate workshop enabling every visitor to make their own slab of chocolate to their own taste. “We make sense of the saying ‘Chocolate makes you hap- py’. It’s not a museum entrance ticket that the visitor buys from us, but a pass for 90 minutes of fun and fla- vour. We lay special emphasis on the experience,” comments CEO Stephanie Schaub. Apart from the normal programme, Chocoversum arranges events for individuals and company groups, courses in mak- ing crafted chocolates and tasting seminars.
The thrills of spices in Warehouse City
VISITORS TO CHOCOVERSUM CAN CREATE THEIR OWN PER- SONAL BARS OF CHOCOLATE
32 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | June 2020
Chocoversum by HACHEZ
Meßberg 1, 20095 Hamburg
Opening times:
Daily 10:00-18:00 https://chocoversum.de
It was no accident that Hamburg was once called ‘Moneybags City’. Trading in spices made many mer- chants extremely wealthy. In colonial days, Hamburg, in particular, profited greatly from trading in this luxury produce. Historic Speicherstadt (Warehouse City) was seen as one of the major trading centres for spices. It was there that merchants stored and processed their imported produce in warehouses that in those days were accessible only by boat along the canals.
Spicy’s Gewürzmuseum enables visitors to experience several aspects of this fascinating story. They can sense how in the great days of spice trading, a special
scent pervaded the atmosphere on and near Sand- torkai, where the museum opened in 1993. Owner Vi- ola Vierk sees the Speicherstadt as the optimal site for telling the story of spices. No wonder, for about 1000 exhibits dating from across the past five centuries are displayed on the original floors of the warehouse, mak- ing for a very special ambience.
Apart from showing a mass of antique equipment, the museum offers a unique programme of events for groups and individuals. An additional special feature is the online shop where you can purchase in-house spice specialities and other products.
©iStockphoto
©iStockphoto
©Chocoversum