Omnom Chocolate (Ep. 33)

“Chocolate should be fun. It should be a fun experience to eat it. We grow up eating it as candy, and what we produce is for adults, for the kid inside all of us.”Kjartan Gíslason is the founder of Omnom Chocolate in Reykjavik, Iceland. Omnom is known not only for their delicious and creative bean to bar chocolate, but for the colorful packaging and marketing that presents the spirit of Omnom to consumers. In today’s episode we’ll talk with Kjartan about that spirit behind Omnom, as well as their collaborations with Reykjavik craft breweries on both chocolates and beers, and the use of flavors distinct to Icelandic culture in their bars.Chocolate discussed in this episode from Omnom Chocolate includes Black n Burnt Barley, Lakkris & Sea Salt, and Dark Nibs & Raspberry.Breweries mentioned in this episode include Borg Brugghus and KEX Brewing.Much of the scripted introduction to this episode after the music break was taken from an article I wrote in 2019 for Pellicle Magazine in the UK about a trip I had once taken to Iceland. You can read it here.The music for this episode was sampled from instrumental versions of the song “200 Miles” and “Winter”  written and performed by indie folk musician Anna ps from her 2016 album Umbrella. You can find out more about Anna and get in touch about booking her for a show at her website.Kjartan Gíslason is the co-founder of Omnom Chocolate. As a chef, Gíslason has worked in Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Passionate about the culture behind food, his natural affinity for pastries and desserts led him to chocolate. He joined the bean-to-bar movement and began making chocolate from scratch, first producing single-origin bars and soon experimenting with flavors and textures achieved in small-scale batches. Soon after, Omnom was born. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.