Chocolate is a sweet made from cacao beans that has been loved all over the world. It can be enjoyed as a snack, as a reward for yourself after a hard work, or as a gift for a loved one. It colors a variety of scenes, from our daily lives to special occasions.

In France and other parts of Europe, elegant and artistic chocolate is called "chocolat," and its rich fragrance, beautiful appearance and jewel-like sparkle are so soothing to look at.

Chocolatier Massard, a chocolate specialty store from Sapporo, was founded in 1988 (Showa 63) by its founder, who was fascinated by European chocolate and had a strong desire to "share his impressions." We visited the main store, which also has a salon (eat-in space), and asked him about its appeal.

Making the best chocolate using ingredients from Hokkaido

The company's founder, Masaru Furuya, was born and raised as the youngest son of Furuya Seika, a Sapporo-based confectionery manufacturer that was once popular among Hokkaido residents for its "Furuya Winter Caramel."

Mr. Furuya had a weakness for sweets such as chocolate and caramel, and believed that "sweets make people happy." After entering the workforce and gaining employment at a foreign company, he once worked at "Furuya Confectionery," but his desire to "do something on his own" grew stronger.

Of all the things I was into, the one I became most passionate about was chocolate, which I encountered while traveling in Europe and was deeply moved by its deliciousness, something I had never experienced before.

Sapporo has a climate similar to that of Europe, and fresh dairy products are readily available, so the company decided to "make the best chocolate using ingredients from Hokkaido." From the time of its founding, when the word "chocolatier" was unfamiliar in Japan, to the present day, the "circle of excitement" has been steadily expanding.

We want to deliver excitement through chocolate

"One of our goals is to 'provide inspiration to the world through chocolate.' With that motto in mind, our confectioners make the sweets, our sales staff work in the stores, we package the products, and we promote them."

These are the words of Managing Director Chikako Furuya and Sales Promotion Department Chief Yuki Sato, who work hard every day to promote the brand's appeal. When asked how they align the awareness of staff in each department, Sato replied, "We recite the message together at our morning meeting every day."

In order to convey their feelings to the customers who are the customers of the products, they do not just set goals, but also confirm them and engrave them in each other's hearts. It is heartwarming to know that they are making such steady efforts.

What the staff working in each department have in common is that they all share a love of sweets, and many of them work with confidence in Chocolatier Massart's products.

"We often talk about our products in the office. The production staff often ask us to try them, and since the store staff see the products up close every day, they often notice any changes and let us know if something seems off."

The reason they are able to openly share their opinions is because they are driven by a desire to "deliver better products." Their strict and uncompromising attitude, in a good way, shows their strong will to sincerely engage with their customers.

A special chocolate only available at Masal

Chocolatier Massard values its interactions with customers, but it also makes no compromises when it comes to ingredients or manufacturing processes. Since its founding, the company has continued to use only carefully selected ingredients, including fresh dairy products from Hokkaido, for its most important chocolate, and each and every piece is carefully made by hand by its artisans.

In addition, wanting to create something unique, he spent about three years developing two original chocolates. With the cooperation of Valrhona, a high-end French chocolate brand, he created these special chocolates using only cacao from farms that grow high-quality cacao around the world.

Currently, this original chocolate is used in many products, but the "Chocolate Brownie," with its irresistible crispy and crunchy texture, is said to be the brand's signature product.

Furuya explained how the product was created, saying, "When we were making brownies to sell in the store, we had a lot of scraps left over. We thought it would be a waste to throw them away, so we decided to bake them instead. We coated them in chocolate and found them to be delicious, and that's how it began."

The bite-sized convenience and adorable design resembling a cacao pod (the oval-shaped cacao fruit) have made them popular. The texture and beautiful design that can only be achieved by baking twice are sure to make you fall in love with them.

Relaxing time at the salon

Chocolatier Massar has several stores in Sapporo. One of the unique features of the main store is the salon, where you can relax and unwind while enjoying cakes, parfaits, and drinks.

The salon-exclusive parfait, "Aller de I'avant - Further Ahead," was created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the salon's founding. The couple are proud of the dish, saying, "If you're spending time at the salon, this is the first thing you should try."

The parfait, which does not use any fruit and is filled from top to bottom with chocolate ingredients, has the appeal of being able to enjoy the changing taste and texture of each layer. It is rich yet has a strong taste of cacao, yet is not cloying and can be eaten in one go.

You can enjoy the pairing of coffee roasted by Marumi Coffee Shop, a specialty coffee shop in Sapporo, and tea while savoring the unique flavors of a chocolatier, and you will be able to appreciate the meticulous and careful work of the artisans.

"When I first purchased it as a customer, I was excited to see that even sweets could be so stylish. Even now that I've joined the company, I'm happy that I can still recommend the products with confidence."

"You can feel the passion of all the staff in each and every product. That passion makes the customers who come to buy them happy, and in turn makes the makers happy too. I really like that about it."

Sato and Furuya each shared what they are proud of about the brand. Thinking of the customer and fulfilling their respective roles leads to moving experiences. From production to sales and then to the customer. "Chocolatier Massal" will continue to pass on the baton of emotions and happiness woven by warm feelings.

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ショコラティエ マサール（本店）
住所：北海道札幌市中央区南11条西18丁目1−30
電話番号：011-551-7001／0120-039-245
アクセス：札幌市電「西線11条駅」より徒歩10分／地下鉄東西線「西18丁目駅」より徒歩20分程度
HP：https://www.masale.jp/
SNS：https://www.instagram.com/chocolatiermasale/
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