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The Chocology and Tasting Academy brings together experts and enthusiasts who want to deepen their knowledge of chocolate tasting through certified training programs.

How did I create the Chocology Academy ?

Victoire Finaz

On the strength of my expertise in chocolate, I created the Chocology and Taste Academy to share with you my knowledge and experience of over 15 years as a chocologist. For the first time in France, chocolate lovers and professionals alike have access to a unique training course on cocoa and chocolate, to understand where it comes from, how it's made, how it's tasted, how to choose it, and so on. The course content is structured around 3 themes: harvesting, processing and tasting. It's important to understand where a product comes from to understand how it tastes! My aim is to change the way you look at this food of the Gods, to give you all the keys to choosing it, to reveal all the secrets to appreciating its quality, and to pass on to you all my expertise in sensory analysis and the art of tasting.
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As a Chocologist, I've created an indispensable sheet that accompanies all my chocolate tastings: my chocolate sensory analysis grid.

Are my courses made for you?

I've designed my training courses for enthusiasts, career changers and professionals in the cocoa and chocolate industry. No prerequisites are necessary. This training is accessible to all. It's aimed at anyone who needs to build up their chocolate expertise and acquire a tasting method.


  • You are a passionate and inquisitive chocolate lover, and you'd like to forge an expertise similar to that of oenology.

  • You are retraining for a career in the cocoa and chocolate industry, and need to acquire the basic knowledge you need to get to grips with this sector. 

  • You are an apprentice in a chocolate or patisserie, and would like to deepen your knowledge of cocoa and chocolate to reinforce your professional project by obtaining this certificate.

  • You are an craftsman chocolate marker, patissier or ice-cream maker, and you need tools to help you select your chocolate couvertures, improve your tasting skills and refine your knowledge of chocolate.

  • If you are a retailer, you'd like your sales staff to be professionally trained to talk about chocolate in a way that captivates your customers.

  • You work in the marketing and sales departments of a company selling chocolate couvertures or other chocolate products. You are a communicator and you want to learn more about this product and its aromatic complexities to sell it more effectively.

  • You are a company manager in the cocoa and chocolate sector and would like to train your employees as soon as they are hired, to facilitate their integration and develop their skills.

  • You work in the restaurant or hotel industry and would like to learn the basics of how to talk about chocolate during desserts and mignardises, so as to offer customers an unforgettable sensory experience.

  • You work in the food industry and want to develop your knowledge of cocoa and chocolate to understand the industry. You need to develop the art of tasting and sensory vocabulary to analyze your products, position yourself and stand out from the competition.

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About me


VICTOIRE FINAZ
CHOCOLOGIST

Victoire Finaz has made her passion for chocolate her reason for living. Born into a family of Lyon chocolatiers, her sensitivity to chocolate and chocolate tasting soon led to a vocation for a new profession: becoming a chocolate sommelier.

In 2006, Victoire wrote her thesis on chocolate expertise and created her career as a Chocologue®, developing chocology in the same way as oenology. Her travels to meet the industry's key players and top chefs have cultivated her expertise in cocoa and chocolate. 

After training in chocolate-making at the École Ferrandi and in sensory analysis at CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche agronomique pour le Développement), France's only Chocologue® developed a tasting method that she shares in this digital training course.

About my book 


Victoire Finaz is recognized among her peers. Her groundbreaking work on chocolate pedagogy and the tasting experience is unique.

Here is an extract from the preface from the book CHOCOLAT, L'art de la chocologie, written by Victoire Finaz in 2018. Pierre Hermé took part in the thesis on chocolate expertise directed by Victoire Finaz in 2006. He watched Victoire blossom in the world of chocolate, saw her create her profession as a chocologist. He testifies: 

“Victoire loves chocolate. She doesn't love it a little, or a lot. She loves it infinitely. Passionately. She loves it so much that she has built her life around it. Like a matter of course. How could she have done otherwise, she has nothing but cocoa in her mouth. Victoire has never ceased to follow in the footsteps of cocoa, to become a leading figure in the field. A recognized chocolate critic among her peers. A Chocologue®. The only one in the world, to my knowledge. Her culture in the field is unheard of. To achieve her goal, the young woman followed a more personal path, dictated by tasting analysis, technical knowledge and, of course, her own sensibility. She listened, studied, tasted. Patiently. Stubbornly. Exclusively."