Q: Is Demarquette part of a chain?
A: No. Demarquette - Fine Chocolates is a small family-run British company created in 2006 and owned by Marc Demarquette. There is one dedicated Demarquette Boutique on Fulham Road, Chelsea.
Q: Where can I buy Demarquette Chocolates?
A: There is one dedicated Demarquette Chocolate Shop in London on Fulham Road, Chelsea. Products are also available to purchase online. Marc has also created a unique collection of freshly hand-made luxury bespoke chocolates for Fortnum & Mason which are available at the presitgious London Stores fresh chocolate counters.
Q: Are Demarquette chocolates imported?
A: No. Chocolatier Marc Demarquette produces his chocolates in his West London Chocolaterie using traditional techniques and only the best ingredients.
Q: Are all of Demarquette products preservative-free?
A: Yes. The health benefits of preservative-free products are well documented and Marc sets out to offer the freshest chocolates with the purest taste.
Q: Do we send chocolates to addresses outside of the UK?
A: Not at present unfortunately. We have tested a number of international services with packages arriving late or not at all. Until we are 100% confident that international services from Royal Mail or other providers are efficient, we can only deliver to UK addresses. Many of our international customers however arrange their own courier pick up - in this case choose 'Store pick up' and advise which day your courier company will collect your order during shop opening times.
Q: How should the fresh chocolates be packed when travelling abroad?
A: Remember that we do not use any preservatives in our fresh ganache chocolates. We will advise you of the 'Use by' date which we recommend to be 2 weeks from the date of purchase. When travelling it is also advisable to either vacuum-pack or clingfilm your box to protect the chocolates from condensation and taking on odours. High temperatures and humidity will affect the quality of the product.
Q: Tips on storing the chocolates
A: Please take note of the recommended 'use by' date. Chocolate is best kept between 16-18° C, in dry conditions, out of direct sunlight, and away from any other foods or substances with strong odors that could be absorbed by the chocolate. If keeping the chocolate in the fridge, we highly recommend to clingfilm the box to protect them from condensation and odours. When chocolate is exposed to hot or cold temperatures the cocoa butter can separate from the cocoa solids causing a white film to appear on the chocolate. The chocolates are not suitable for freezing.
Q: Does Demarquette grow its own cocoa? Does Demarquette make its own raw cocoa liquor?
A: No, at Demarquette we are focused on transforming fantastic products made by Valrhona into our own finished chocolates. We believe that we all have our own important role to play in the chocolate chain from bean to bar. As such we cannot be a jack of all trades. This is a major risk which our customers would suffer should anything go wrong, such as a poor crop. Valrhona have decades of know-how and have invested a great deal in plantations around the world to optimise crop quality. In addition Valrhona have an unrivalled know-how when it comes to transforming the best beans into highest quality wonderful chocolate. This is why Valrhona have been accoladed around the world with prizes of distinction.
In Marc’s own words: An aircraft manufacturer is great at making fabulous planes, but not necessarily great at running a commercial fleet like an airline. In our chocolate context, Valrhona are the aircraft maker and demarquette is the airline.
Q: Why don’t we see Demarquette on supermarket shelves?
A: Being an artisan business, we focus on small quantities of qualitative products. By increasing production to supermarket quantities and expectations, one has to rely on serious manufacturing machinery. This takes all of the artisan craftsmanship out of the chocolate making. It is for this reason – quality - that Demarquette can only be found at very select partner boutique outlets.
Q: Why does Demarquette apply only artisan craftsmanship and not produce with new machinery?
A: It’s all about quality. Machines cannot replace the extraordinary natural senses Man has including smell, touch, sight and taste. The most critical times are when seasonal produce change. A punnet of raspberries will taste differently in the summer as it would the winter, more importantly the water and natural fructose content will also significantly vary, consequently at Demarquette we adapt our approach and recipes to accommodate seasonal fluctuations.
There are chocolatiers who now use large machinery such as a 'one-shot'. This will allow them to increase their productivity to cater for major expansion and growth. However the machine does not give peace of mind when it comes to working the product to maximise quality.
Q: What is the difference between "UK Next Day Signed For (weekday)" and "UK First Class Signed For"?
A: We fulfil orders using services offered by the Royal Mail. We strongly recommend using the 'UK Next Day Signed For' service as this guarantees a delivery the day after posting (Monday to Friday) and is insured for the value of the contents. Your order therefore is in the delivery chain for the shortest time possible and you are able to make claims in case of loss. We now also offer 'UK First Class Signed For' service which is a non-guaranteed service which requires a signature upon receipt. According to Royal Mail this service however can take a number of working days so we are unable to predict when orders will arrive.
