Food

He watched the World Cup and thought: Wouldn’t that make tasty chocolate? So he made it

By Carlos Frías

Updated January 12, 2019 10:39 AM

Bonbons made by Cao Chocolates, which makes chocolate confections from roasting the beans to the final product in Miami, has made a limited-edition of World Cup chocolates. There are 12 flavors, representing 12 World Cup teams, and each bonbon has a flavor that evokes the country. Roberto Koltun rkoltun@miamiherald.com

It takes a special kind of World Cup soccer fan to find himself watching the beautiful game and say to himself, That’d make a tasty chocolate.

It makes it easier to conceive if you happen to own South Florida’s first bean-to-bar chocolate shop — and you happen to be a World Cup fanatic. That’s why Ricardo Trillos, a Venezuelan-born fútbol lover and founder of Miami’s Cao Chocolates, created a limited-run of World Cup-inspired bonbons.

“I’m a soccer freak, so this is the most significant time of year for me,” Trillos said. “After chocolate, soccer is my second passion.”

Cao Chocolates is renowned for its dedication to making fine chocolates. Unlike many other chocolatiers who buy ready-made chocolate from overseas to make their desserts here, Cao imports the beans. They roast them in Miami to create luscious milk and dark chocolate they then use in their confections.

They are even working with Patch of Heaven farm in the Redland to grow 200 of their own cacao trees in Homestead, which would make it the first commercial chocolate made from U.S. grown beans. Their first crop was nearing harvest last fall when the Hurricane Irma damaged their grove.

For the World Cup chocolates, Cao took inspiration from what makes each of 12 countries competing in the tournament stand out. The box of 12 costs $30 and is available in store on online.