Oyster mushrooms, moringa and asparagus: award-winning Prague chocolate-makers on their craft and unconventional ingredients
Chocolate and asparagus may not seem like an obvious pairing. Yet one Czech chocolate maker has proved they belong together. The Prague-based company Steiner & Kovarik recently won gold at the International Chocolate Awards 2025 for its white chocolate with asparagus, while also taking silver for its classic Míša chocolate. I spoke with its founders Silvie Steinerová and Petr Kovařík about how this unconventional idea came to life, what the awards mean for them, and how a small Prague venture has grown into an internationally recognised brand.
I know your company was established already 20 years ago in 2005. What inspired this venture and what was your original vision?
Silvie: "I started the company with my friend, who is Irish, also named Peter. We were searching for a hole in the market, so it was not so poetical at the beginning, even though it might seem that way today.
"We found the opportunity in souvenirs with Prague pictures. At that time, in 2005, there was a bad habit of selling low-quality souvenirs from China. So we thought we would make really lovely souvenirs with Prague motifs and very good chocolate. That is how it actually started, and we ran the business this way for several years.
"In 2011, I met Petr, who is here with us now. We decided to combine our names, but we wanted to go international. That is why the brand became Steiner & Kovarik, something pronounceable for people all around the world.
“I finished my business role and handed it over to Petr, while I focused more on products, design, and development. That is how it started in brief.”
We’ll definitely talk more about your award-winning products, but first I wanted to ask about your recent decision to buy a piece of Amazonian jungle in Bolivia to grow your own cocoa. What led you to do that, and is the cocoa there different from other regions?
Silvie: "This part of Amazonia is unique because it has not been destroyed yet and remains in a very original state. There are very few places on Earth where you can still find natural wild cocoa, and we wanted exactly that.
“This is why we decided to go there, although it was also a lucky coincidence. We did not originally plan to buy a plantation or a piece of jungle in Bolivia. We simply thought that one day it would be wonderful to have our own cocoa plantation. We met the right people who helped us move forward with this vision, and that’s why it happened.
Petr: “It had actually been planned for a long time, but it is not easy to find a place where you can grow cocoa. Cocoa cultivation is very complicated. It is not just about buying land and starting. Because we were lucky and met the right people, we were able to make it work."
Can you walk us through the journey of your chocolate, from harvesting the cocoa pods all the way to the finished chocolate bar?
Silvie: "It is a very complex journey. Everything starts from seeds, because if you want certified plants and certainty of origin, this is the only way. We wanted wild cocoa, so we planted everything from seeds. It takes a long time, because from seed to a fertile plant it takes around three to five years. Only after that can you get your first harvest.
"We decided to plant the cocoa directly in the jungle, the original way cocoa grows, because cocoa comes from Amazonia. So when harvesting begins, we’ll have to go deep into the jungle.
“After harvesting, fermentation follows. For wild cocoa, it takes around four days, and the process must be closely monitored. Following that, the beans must dry in the sun for several days. In Bolivia this is difficult because of the humidity.
"Once this stage is complete, processing in the country of origin is finished, and the beans must be transported to the Czech Republic or elsewhere, which can be even more complicated than the previous steps. That’s because Bolivia is a very specific country, and few transport companies operate there.
"After three to five months, depending on the process, we begin making the chocolate itself. We inspect the beans, remove any defective ones, and then roast them. Roasting, together with fermentation, is crucial because it defines the final taste of the chocolate."
I imagine it’s similar to coffee making…
Silvie: "Exactly. Cocoa is roasted for a much shorter time and at lower temperatures, around 110 to 120 degrees Celsius, so the beneficial natural substances are preserved. The roasting lasts only a few minutes, usually ten to twelve, sometimes up to fifteen, depending on the size of the beans.
"After roasting, the beans go into a machine called a winnower. This separates the shells, which can be used for tea or fertilizer, from the nibs. Once you have the nibs, you are ready to make chocolate.
"Roasting, together with fermentation, is crucial because it defines the final taste of the chocolate."
“We decided to make the chocolate in the traditional way—using stone mills. You take the cacao nibs, put them into the stone mill, and then slowly add the other ingredients. If you have very high-quality chocolate, these ingredients should be only sugar or a healthier alternative, like panela or coconut sugar.
“If you’re making milk chocolate, you may also add dried milk. That’s basically it—unless you’re making a specially flavoured bar. This is actually a very good rule for recognizing truly high-quality chocolate. "
Let’s talk about the kinds of chocolates you produce. I know you make so-called biohacking chocolate. What does that mean? What kind of ingredients do you use?
Petr: "It is not necessary to add many ingredients, because the cocoa bean itself contains at least fifty percent cocoa butter if it is not separated. The melanger processes the cocoa slowly, which preserves the natural benefits.
"Chocolate itself is a functional longevity product. It contains magnesium, phenylethylamine, sometimes called the hormone of love, arginine, or natural Viagra, and many other natural chemical compounds.
"When you add other longevity ingredients, such as medicinal mushrooms or herbs like moringa or asparagus (We have just won a medal for our asparagus chocolate!), the cocoa butter helps improve their absorption.
"We like to use chocolate functionally. If we could, we would produce only this type of chocolate, but people love guilty pleasures, like pralines. Pralines are fun, but eating several of them a day is not beneficial.
"A single chocolate bar with lion’s mane mushroom, for example, supports cognitive function and overall health. We have maybe around 15 products like that—some with cordyceps, some with oyster mushroom, moringa, ginger, and so on."
Silvie: "But even more common ingredients, like blueberries, or acai, are also considered superfoods. We really like working with superfoods because there are really plenty of benefits in such chocolate if you don’t destroy it by processing."
You mentioned the award-winning asparagus chocolate. How long does it take to develop a product like that, and who decides on the ingredients?
Silvie: "Ideas usually come from us or from Peter’s travels. For example, we brought whole strawberries in chocolate and sakura almonds from Japan. The asparagus chocolate came from a well-known chef, Pavel Sapík, who has cooked for celebrities and even for the Pope.
"The right solution often comes intuitively. If we experiment too much, we are never fully satisfied."
"He has a famous dessert, tartelette with asparagus, strawberry, and estragon, and he asked if we could create a chocolate inspired by it. We developed it together with our technologist, Veronika, who is excellent at her work. It was challenging, but the result was very successful.
"We do not usually create endless samples. The right solution often comes intuitively. If we experiment too much, we are never fully satisfied. When the idea comes naturally and we act on it, the result is usually the best."
Which markets are you mainly exporting to these days?
Silvie: "At the moment, we focus mainly on the western part of the world, except for Japan, which we also work with extensively."
Petr: "We cooperate closely with Japan and Korea. We are also expanding in the United States. We plan to open a shop in Washington, DC. We have already found a building and believe the shop will open in mid or late 2026."
"We are also present in Germany. Overall, we have reduced the number of export countries because each one requires significant effort in logistics and regulation. After COVID, everything changed. Shipping became difficult and expensive, and many partnerships ended."
How important is winning international awards for you and your business?
Silvie: "It is not essential for business success, because many chocolates sell very well without awards. But for us personally, it matters a lot. Awards confirm that we are doing our work the best we can."
"When people tell us the chocolate is beautiful or delicious, that is the greatest motivation. Our mission is to make people happier."
Finally, after all these years, what keeps you going? What fuels your love for chocolate?
Silvie: "We genuinely love what we do, even though it may sound like a cliché. We love chocolate, and we love the work around it. There may be problems and failures along the way, but there are also successes.
"Chocolate represents joy for us. When people tell us the chocolate is beautiful or delicious, that is the greatest motivation. Our mission is to make people happier. We believe that happier people create a better world."
