Norwegian chocolate

The love for Norwegian chocolate

In 1889, a small chocolate factory opened at Rodeløkka in Oslo. Freia, named after the wife of one of the owners, had a slow start, but after introducing Norwegians to milk chocolate in 1906, the chocolate adventure took off. Later, in 1926, images of Norwegian cows grazing in summer adorned the wrapping, and the chocolate was promoted as a way of making people drink more milk, or "eat more milk", as Freia said. 

Milk chocolate is still very popular in Norway, and there are now several factories using Norwegian milk to make the mild, velvety soft chocolate, with Freia and Nidar being the largest brands. But bolder flavours are also now entering the market.

Small, local factories making handmade chocolates, and pastry shops offering chocolate pralines, are taking Norwegian chocolate to a new level. Who doesn't want to taste sweets presented like beautiful works of art?

Let's go on a chocolate journey through Norway!

Chocolate in Northern Norway

"My training is purely from France, so the focus is very much on French technique. But I get a lot of inspiration from Norwegian culture, and I try to use as many local ingredients as possible in my products," says pastry chef Craig Alibone.

Craig has been taught by some of the world's greatest pastry chefs, including Bruno Montcoudiol, Sébastien Serveau, and Jean-Marc Guillot, at the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie in Yssingeaux, France.

After falling in love with a girl from Bodø, he moved up north with her. In 2020, the Englishman introduced the city in Northern Norway to his award-winning chocolate when he opened his pastry shop, Craig Alibone Pâtisserie & Champagneria.

"My girlfriend has family in Hamarøy, and they have a huge property with lots of berries and fruits. Every summer we're there foraging, and use what we find, like cloudberries and blueberries, in our pastries and chocolate," says Craig, adding that he's a big fan of using ingredients in season.

The people of Bodø have fallen in love with his salted caramel chocolate, his bestselling product. The small bite-sized chocolates are covered with a blue coating with white swirls, resembling Saltstraumen – the world's strongest tidal current, located outside the city. The chocolates also contain Arctic salt, which is produced from seawater sourced from Saltstraumen.

"I like to use flavours that are familiar to people, but that aren't necessarily familiar when combined with chocolate. The idea is to challenge how people perceive chocolate," says Craig.

Craig also offers some more unusual chocolate flavours. How about a chocolate bar that tastes like smoked oak? Although this flavoured dark chocolate might sound a bit odd, it did win the International AoC Bronze Award in 2019 and is definitely well worth a taste. Another flavour combination that might surprise you is chocolate with olive oil – a fantastic match.

"Olive oil just pairs wonderfully with chocolate, it gives it a nice mouthfeel," Craig says.

While in the north, why not continue your chocolate journey with a trip to Dønna island on the Helgeland coast, where Heidis Sjokoladedrøm ('Heidi's chocolate dream') is located.

It might be one of the smallest chocolate shops in the world, but it's worth a visit! Heidi makes her tasty chocolate by hand, and also offers freshly roasted coffee, locally produced rhubarb juice, and other local products. If you're interested in learning more about the craft of fine chocolate making and seeing the chocolate made before your eyes, book in advance.

Now, continue further south to the Trøndelag region. In the small village of Selbu, Jentene På Tunet makes extraordinary chocolates. Have a taste of their northern lights chocolate – a beautiful looking chocolate with flavours of blackcurrant, salted caramel, and mango.

Chocolate by the fjords

Another place you won't want to miss is Geiranger Sjokolade, a chocolate factory beautifully located in a boathouse by the UNESCO World Heritage listed Geirangerfjord.

Visitors can book a tour of the boathouse production facility and try their hand at the process, as well as sample some amazing chocolates.

Geiranger Sjokolade experiments with lots of exciting flavours, including the Norwegian favourite, sweet brown cheese, which gives the chocolate a distinctively caramel-like taste. They also have a special chocolate called Kraftkar, named after the blue cheese Kraftkar – an award-winning, Norwegian blue cheese that has won both World Champion Cheese and Champion of Champions (2016).

Among their products, you will also find chocolate with the taste of the popular Norwegian aquavit Gammel Opland, and, of course, chocolate with liquorice (Norwegians do love liquorice!).