The stress and tears required to grow rare citrus varieties from seed to sprout, from seedling to sapling, and into a mature tree, is a labour of love. Niels Rodin, a citrus grower in Borex, is only too familiar with the heartache involved.
Setting yourself apart from existing Swiss luxury chocolatiers isn’t for the faint-hearted either. As if it weren't difficult enough, Ahmed Atmani took on the challenge of creating the perfect union between Grand Cru cocoa sourced from four villages in the Sambirano region of Madagascar and surprising, out-of-the-ordinary ingredients.
Chocolate fans may already be familiar with ingredients such as hazelnuts from Piedmont, but other ingredients will prove a surprise. Ahmed marries flavours such as yuzu or espellete chilli with his high-quality, Swiss-sourced cocoa. And Sambirano cocoa directly funds agricultural, social and forest projects for local cocoa farmers: for each kilo of chocolate Ahmed purchases, 2 francs go straight to these grass-roots projects.
Niels (left) & Ahmed (right)
Our conversation kicks off with two friends: citrus grower Niels and chocolatier Ahmed. We’re at Sisao’s premises in Bursins, a village of 773 inhabitants in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. A cup of coffee whets our palate as we start discovering what led Rodin and Atmani to embark on their unusual path. In Ahmed’s case, it was precisely to do with the path you take — after cycling past the former (empty) Mövenpick offices in Bursins on many, many occasions, one day Ahmed decided to take the plunge and repurpose them.
From seed to sprout, from seedling to sapling
What’s in a name? Read Sisao backwards and you get oasis. Just as an oasis is a fertile spot in a desert where water is found, by founding Sisao, Ahmed aimed to set himself apart from the existing chocolate on offer. His products excel in three main ways: you won’t sacrifice your health (they’re completely sugar-free), nor the environment (they’re also dairy-free, which means less harmful emissions). Most importantly, you won’t be sacrificing an inch of taste — nor your vision, as you take in sumptuous velvety greens created by matcha and intense blues created by butterfly blue pea.
What do these two entrepreneurs have in common? They’re from the same generation and both had busy professional lives in different sectors (banking and retail) that they chose to leave behind. Because that’s precisely what these two are interested in. Niels and Ahmed are passionate about leaving a sustainable, positive legacy behind. They’re acutely aware that the current and upcoming generations are demanding change now.
Sisao's chocolate
Niels and Ahmed have both opted for a vocation instead of a job. Both entrepreneurs belong to the category of SMEs, and as we sit down for the second coffee in one of Niels’ greenhouses, he tells us he’s only just reclaiming his weekends after many years of hard graft.
Fortunately, Sisao’s production site and Niels’ orchards are small businesses so you can visit their premises on-site and find out about the whole process. It’s a multi-sensorial experience, awakening your sense of sight, touch, and taste. As we take a guided tour through Niels’ citrus orchards, he explains how permaculture is embedded in everything they do. From the outset, Niels has worked closely with biocontrol.ch to identify pests and find natural remedies such as companion planting, the careful use of friendly insects, and biostimulating, liquid fertilisers derived from the healthy fermentation of organic materials.
Niels’ connection with nature and respect for the natural world has led him to ensure all of his products are certified organic and certified DEMETER and SwissGAP. As a fan of permaculture, biodiversity and quite simply working in harmony with rather than against nature, this comes as no surprise.
Niels's citrus
From the very beginning Niels’ citruses and citrus-products were prized by top chefs and restaurant owners looking to surprise their customers, but now they are accessible to all and you can taste them for yourself. You can enjoy your blue flower gin or mandarine liquor while knowing you haven’t harmed the environment around you, rather on the contrary helped to positively safeguard biodiversity and a sustainable natural world.
This approach is also embraced at Sisao, where Ahmed strives to use all and everything. Cocoa beans’ exterior membrane, for example, typically an unused part of the bean, is incorporated into the packaging of the chocolate boxes. Sisao’s creator is energy-conscious and avoids using unnecessary resources wherever possible: in the chocolate laboratory large blinds protect the ingredients from the strong sun and deep inside the building there’s a cold storeroom which means Ahmed doesn’t need to consume electricity to run a fridge.
How did Niels’ project come about? What did Niels give up to turn his hand to the challenging world of citrus growing? Niels’ tangible dream started off on his balcony in Geneva with some lemons and limes, then he moved to a bigger flat so he could grow citruses in there. Finally, he convinced a local farmer to give in to his folly and lend him some land to start a proper orchard. With the help of friends, a never-ending sense of curiosity, and a lot of hard hours toiling away, his orchards were born.
On the journey back to Geneva, as the train winds through Versoix, I recall my recent (and accidental) visit to the annual chocolate festival held here, Festichoc. Soon after entering the premises, I spotted Ahmed, Sisao’s founder, with his characteristic big smile. When my mother and I finally made it to his stall, he whipped us off on a voyage of discovery and delight. After doing the rounds of all 34 chocolatiers, my mother finally chose a box of Sisao chocolates to give my father as a gift. I can’t help but pore over Niels Rodin’s products, recall discovering so many distinct citrus varieties for the very first time in the space of a few hours, and decide to offer my sister a Rose Vermouth when she’s next over.