In Tuscany, near Pisa, brother and sister Alessio and Cecilia Tessieri, lifelong chocolate lovers, decided to create their own premium chocolate company after working for their parents in the family confectionary company. They named it Amedei in honour of their grandmother, whose passion for chocolate rivalled their own. They believed that, as with great wines, great chocolate begins at its source, and, with the proper processing and preparation, can deliver an extraordinary, rich and sophisticated taste experience.

In the late 1980s, the young Tessieris set out into the world to learn, understand and taste great chocolates and to make contact with the industry and with cocoa producers. In parallel, they begin to experiment with making pralines in a small laboratory in La Rotta, near Pisa.

Cecilia conquered technique while Alessio travelled in the footsteps of ancient maritime traders of centuries past, seeking plantations capable of producing modest quantities of the most exceptional cocoa.

Cecilia pursued further studies in France to become one of the very few women maîtres chocolatier. She dreams journeys of flavour. Her challenge and goal is to dominate the various kinds of cocoa, respecting their temperament, balancing the aspects of their character, to create products that are both expressions of the essential qualities of the particular beans and are truly, lastingly enjoyable.

Alessio travels the world seeking out the ingredients which fulfill Cecilia's dreams. "To discover a plantation," he says, "where no Westerner has ever set foot before is a fabulous sensation, and you immediately think about how to transform them into a flavour, an emotion. Cocoa is like grapes, in the sense that, as a good wine is born from the vine, a good chocolate is born from the plantation."

The Tessieris have worked tirelessly to teach the plantations with which they partner about the importance of quality in every aspect of their work and their agronomy, and to help them achieve the full potential of their plantation, their beans, their communities and their lives.

(For more information on this, please read about our philosophy.)

To achieve perfection in every flavour journey is the driving incentive behind Cecilia and Alessio's passion for what they do.

The journey begins in the plantations, where beans dry in the sunshine and the women spread and turn them. Distant aromas, far off lands, verdant, sultry and alluring. But also lands of hard work, colours, song. From Venezuela, Madagascar, Ecuador, and other lands, to La Rotta in Tuscany and the Tessieri's laboratory for realizing chocolate dreams and fulfilling the promise of journeys begun long ago and far away.

The Tessieris extended their desire for products which stimulate the senses with their packaging, evoking the nuances of the products within. The "origami boxes" often used are intended to evoke childhood experiences, the playful moments accompanying desire for chocolate treats.

The journey of the Tessieris took an important turn with their encounter with the Chuao plantation in Venezuela. Says Alessio, "The greatest thrill was signing the world exclusive with the campesinos for the Chuao plantation. It is the cocoa paradise, legendary. There they produce beans that once upon a time were reserved for the Spanish Crown. We discovered a wonderful landscape, plantations, the beach, the tiny harbour and, above all, families that have lived there for centuries, preserving the environment and their customs."

Chuao has just over eighty families. It is reachable only by sea. For centuries they have produced a few tonnes of unbelievable cocoa every year, with little validation from the international market. Alessio fell in love with it, and with a small team of agricultural scientists he took action to help the campesinos by improving their wages, refining their techniques, and investing in their infrastructure and educational facilities.

Traditionally, Chuao was combined with other cru to intensify their aroma. For Cecilia, her new challenge was to tame a cocoa that had never before been worked in pure form. In this, the international market has recognised that she, building on the work of nature and of the campesinos, eminently succeeded.

Today, the work of the Tessieris continues, extending the journey to new and unexplored territories of distinctive ingredients and exciting new tastes, and new markets, like North America.

We welcome our new American friends to share in this journey, and to experience through Amedei's unique chocolate creations an exceptional tasting journey of their own.