In Conversation with Mörk Chocolate
After meeting in Sweden, Kiril and Josefin moved to Australia in 2009, and three years later, they started Mörk Chocolate. We sat down with Kiril to find out more about the world of chocolate and what it means to him and Josefin.
What was the inspiration behind starting Mörk Chocolate, leading you to venture into the world of chocolate making?
“My wife, Josefin, and I started Mörk in 2012, a local Melbourne-based business. I come from a coffee background, and my wife is a chocolate maker who learned her trade in Stockholm, Sweden. When we moved to Melbourne in 2009, we identified a gap in the market for specialty drinking chocolate. We collaborated to bring coffee and chocolate together, creating a drinking chocolate product known as Mörk Chocolate. The word ‘Mörk’ means ‘dark’ in Swedish, and that’s what we do – delicious dark drinking chocolate!”
Tell us about Mörk Chocolate’s commitment to sustainable sourcing and how you ensure ethical practices?
“We source our cacao from sustainable and ethically aligned producers and work together for transparency from origin to end consumer. We have worked hard to establish our relationships and feel proud and passionate about working with producers that not only withhold the highest standards of ethically produced cacao, but also work hard to preserve unique cacao trees that are at risk of deforestation. The environmental impact of cacao is devastating and small producers are the key to saving chocolate for our future.
Chocolate is an industry that covers both small batch producers and big multimillion dollar commodity companies. Certifications and internal labels are common in the commodity part of the industry, but these are often very expensive to the farmers to gain and uphold. The aim for the smaller batch industry is to create better transparency practices throughout the chain and improve quality of life and work for farmers. To the consumers it is hard to know the difference between one or the other as the large-scale companies market heavily, adding labels and certifications on products that sometimes mean very little.”
What is Easter like at Queen Victoria Market?
“This will be our second Easter at Queen Victoria Market, and we cannot wait! Easter and Christmas are our busiest times of the year, so we are excited for what is to come over the Easter period. We have a range of delicious products that showcase our creativity. The product we are most excited about is the Mörk x Buns, a product not to be missed!”
What do you love most about working with chocolate?
“Who doesn’t love chocolate? Chocolate is so much fun, not only as a finished product but also as a raw material. I am a chocolate maker myself, so when we import cacao, we thoroughly enjoy going through the whole process of making chocolate to develop those amazing flavours. It’s really rewarding and such a joy handing it over to our chocolate teams to create incredible products, especially around Easter.
It is always an enjoyable experience working with our creative team of chefs. We love being involved in the full process, from seeing what happens to the ingredients to the people and practices involved along the way.”
How does Mörk Chocolate infuse creativity into its Easter chocolate treats?
“We have a wonderful team, including our very talented chefs who create all kinds of delicious treats, so our Easter preparation started months earlier. We love experimenting with different natural ingredients and ensuring they are as pure as possible.
This year we especially love our Origami Bunny. It’s such a unique creation, made in white and milk chocolate, filled with our house-made marshmallows, crispy malt balls and chocolate covered raisins. Our Mörk x Buns have seen different shapes over the years, always with a chocolate twist. This year, our indulgent Easter bun wins hearts with a balance of warming spice, dark chocolate chunks, candied orange, sultanas, and cranberries, resting on crunchy spiced raw sugar. Lastly, it is finished with a cacao fruit glaze for an incredible perfume and richness. It’s a must-try this Easter.”
Are there any special Easter traditions you do with the Mörk Chocolate team and your family?
“It’s such a busy time during Easter, but we always try to get the team together to bond and have all kinds of workshops, like chocolate tastings and educational classes. There are always plenty of chocolate eggs going around and this year we have little cartons going out to the team in time for the holiday.
Easter is big in our family; our two kids love it and chocolate! Of course, they enjoy the Easter egg hunt, but every year we make special treats for all the children in the Mörk team, which always makes them excited.”
What Easter wishes or messages would you like to share with Mörk Chocolate customers?
“This Easter, we hope Melburnians come and support small businesses across the market, like us, by buying sustainable and ethically sourced chocolate made locally from bean to bar.”
What do you love most about being a trader at Queen Victoria Market?
“I was shopping at Queen Victoria Market well before we opened here. I love chatting with the traders and getting to know them and their businesses. It has always been a dream of ours to do something in the market space, so we are thankful to have been working at Queen Victoria Market for two years now.
We love the sense of community between the traders and the customers, being a part of this space and witnessing the halls fill up and the vibrant atmosphere of the market. We have found that some of our customers who have been to our North Melbourne store are also coming to the Queen Victoria Market store, so it’s a great feeling seeing familiar faces.”
Shop Mörk’s delicious chocolate at Queen Victoria Market on Tuesday and Thursday through to Sunday or follow @morkchocolate on Instagram for more information.
