Rooted Finds 003: Ber-cent%
Locally made Nama Chocolate,
A Matter of Taste
Meet Ber-Cent% Chocolate, the homegrown Malaysian chocolatier making the art of gifting a little more personal, one percentage at a time.
There is sort of intimacy in knowing how someone takes their coffee. Whether they prefer the corner slice of a cake, reach for the savoury before the sweet, or find dark chocolate just a little too bitter.
These are hardly the details we think to ask when getting to know someone. They are things we come to learn almost by accident, over shared meals, casual conversations and the ordinary business of time spent together.
Yet, when it comes to giving, these are often the details that matter most. After all, finding a beautiful gift is one thing. Finding something that feels unmistakably them is another.
And sometimes, that distinction comes down to something as simple as a percentage.
What's Your Percentage?
|
55%
|
72%
|
80%
| 55% | 72% | 80%
For Malaysian chocolatier Ber-Cent% Chocolate, these numbers distinguish its creations, each offering a different experience for different tastes. Some prefer a gentler sweetness, while others gravitate towards something decidedly darker. There are those who enjoy the pronounced bitterness of a higher cacao percentage, and others who would happily trade it for something sweeter.
We first encountered Ber-Cent% at UOB Heartbeat 2026, where we tried its 72% Bitter Sweet Dark Cube Chocolate. Unlike the familiar snap of a conventional chocolate bar, the delicate cube yielded gently to the bite. There was an immediate softness, followed by a pronounced cocoa flavour and restrained sweetness that allowed its darker notes to come through without overwhelming the palate.
It was an enjoyable introduction to the brand, but it also prompted a rather different thought.
“What percentage would our loved ones prefer?“
Because while 72% might be just right for one person, another might prefer 55%, or perhaps the intensity of 80%.
Tastes, after all, are deeply personal.
The Art of Paying Attention
There is a difference between knowing that somebody likes chocolate and knowing exactly which chocolate they would choose. Perhaps they avoid anything too sweet. Perhaps they have a particular fondness for matcha. Or perhaps they insist that chocolate should be as dark as possible, only to reach for something sweeter when nobody is looking.
These preferences are wonderfully individual, and often a little contradictory but, they are also what make the act of choosing a gift feel personal.
We tend to associate a good gift with something exceptional. An extravagant bouquet, a coveted accessory, an object carefully selected for a special occasion.
But aren’t some of the most memorable gifts considerably less elaborate?
A favourite pastry brought home without being asked.
A book by an author someone once mentioned.
A particular snack picked up on holiday because it reminded us of a friend.
Their value lies not so much in the object itself, but in the observation behind it. When buying something for ourselves, we instinctively reach for what appeals to us.
When buying for somebody else, we consider a different set of tastes altogether.
We might leave behind our favourite 72% for their preferred 55%.
Beneath that small decision is a rather lovely sentiment:
“I know what you like, and I remembered.”
It is a fitting sentiment for Ber-Cent%, which began in 2023 as a corporate gifting partner before expanding into handcrafted chocolates, bespoke creations and chocolate-making experiences.
Gifting was not merely an occasion for which its chocolates could be purchased. It was part of the business from the beginning.
The Little Things We Remember
In Malaysia, food has always found its way into our expressions of affection. We arrive at family gatherings with fruit, turn up at friends' homes carrying pastries, and return from holidays with enough snacks to share around the office. These may sound seemingly familiar:
"I got one for you also."
"You like this one, right?"
"Try this. I think you'll like it."
There is not often any large ceremony involved, yet something comforting about being on the receiving end.
Someone has paid attention.
Someone has remembered.
A box of Ber-Cent% chocolates can carry much the same sentiment. Perhaps it is for a friend who prefers bitter chocolate, a partner with a fondness for matcha, or someone whose favourite flavour we happen to remember. None of these gestures demands a special occasion. Often, the pleasure comes from knowing that somewhere in the middle of another person's day, you crossed their mind.
Over time, the smallest preferences become part of how we recognise one another. And perhaps that is what separates a gift that is simply appreciated from one that feels genuinely personal. The former is something we are pleased to receive. The latter makes us feel seen.
A Little History, Made in Malaysia
For a country better known for its rubber and palm oil, Malaysia has a surprisingly long history with cacao. The earliest recorded presence of cacao in Malaya dates back to 1778, when the crop was found growing in Melaka. Commercial cultivation developed much later, with cocoa becoming an important agricultural commodity during the 1970s and 1980s.
At its peak in the late 1980s, Malaysia had more than 400,000 hectares devoted to cocoa cultivation. It is a part of our agricultural heritage that rarely comes to mind when we unwrap a piece of chocolate.
Although cultivation later declined, Malaysia developed a substantial cocoa-processing industry, becoming known not only for growing cacao but also for transforming cocoa beans into ingredients used by chocolate manufacturers. Our relationship with chocolate, in other words, has never been limited to enjoying what arrives from overseas.
And today, a new generation of homegrown chocolate makers is giving us another reason to appreciate what is being created locally.
Ber-Cent% is one of them.
Its chocolates bring together Belgian-sourced ingredients, Japanese-inspired confectionery and Malaysian chocolate-making craftsmanship. While the brand does not claim to use Malaysian-grown cacao, its place in our chocolate story lies in creating and sharing its own interpretations of a familiar confection. Ber-Cent%'s signature creations belong to the Japanese tradition of nama chocolate, a confection distinguished by its delicate texture and fresh cream-based composition.
Although chocolate ganache has a much longer history, nama chocolate emerged as a distinct Japanese confection in 1988, when Sils Maria developed its recognisable soft chocolate squares. Unlike conventional chocolate bars, nama chocolate combines chocolate and cream to create a softer consistency. It is typically chilled, cut into individual pieces and often finished with a dusting of cocoa powder.
Ber-Cent%'s 72% Bitter Sweet Dark Cube Chocolate uses Belgian couverture dark chocolate and whipping cream, producing the delicate texture that first caught our attention at UOB Heartbeat.
Each box contains six pieces, small enough to share, although whether one actually does is perhaps another matter.
Beyond the chocolates themselves, Ber-Cent% has developed hands-on workshops where participants can experiment with fillings, decorations and chocolate creations of their own.
There is something rather charming about making chocolates for somebody else.
Perhaps the decoration is slightly uneven, or the finished piece looks nothing like what was originally imagined. But those imperfections become part of the experience.
A handmade gift carries traces of its maker, from their choices and imagination to the time spent creating it.
For a brand that began with gifting, it is a natural evolution: from offering customers something to give, to inviting them into the experience of making it. And sometimes, an afternoon spent making chocolate together becomes the most memorable gift of all.
Our Takeaway: A Gift is A Matter of Taste
But not exactly in the way you’re thinking of.
Malaysia's chocolate story has travelled a long way, from cacao cultivation in Melaka to the emergence of independent chocolatiers finding their own place in the market. Ber-Cent% represents a small but compelling part of that continuing story.
A homegrown chocolate brand founded on gifting, offering familiar confectionery through its own selection of flavours, percentages and experiences. Our introduction to Ber-Cent% at UOB Heartbeat began with a simple taste of its 72% dark chocolate.
But what stayed on our minds was not only its delicate texture or pleasantly bittersweet character, but the thought of who else might enjoy it.
55%. 72%. 80%.
Each percentage tells us something about what is inside the box. But choosing the right one for somebody else asks us to consider something beyond the chocolate itself.
It asks us to consider the people in our lives.
And that’s when we thought to ourselves…
perhaps the art of gifting has always been less about finding the perfect thing and more about finding the right thing for that person.
Because sometimes, the most thoughtful gifts are made a little closer to home, and arrive in your favourite percentage.
Check our Ber-Cent here:
Website: bercent.shop ; Instagram: @bercent_chocolate