Press releases

Chocolate bar signed by Belarus president nets Br20,000 at charity auction

MINSK, 14 June (BelTA) – A bar of President Exclusive chocolate signed by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has been sold for Br20,000 at a charity auction. The auction took place in the famous confectionery store Lakomka in Minsk on 13 June during the presentation of the new chocolate lineup President, BelTA has learned.

The businessman Alexander Moshensky bought the bar of chocolate which bears Alexander Lukashenko’s inscription “Peace to your home!”. The money will be transferred to the Gorodishche boarding school for children with disabilities in Baranovichi District, Brest Oblast.

The boarding school started building a detached home in 2018 using sponsor aid. In the detached home foster children are supposed to learn how to live on their own for the sake of their successful integration into the society.

Alexander Moshensky said he was glad that the money will be used to support the orphanage. He bid heavily on the bar of chocolate, raising the price by hundreds of times within minutes from the starting bid of Br2.75, which matches the retail price for this chocolate.

Prominent athletes, artists, businessmen, and media persons attended the presentation in the Lakomka confectionery store. All of them could sample the chocolate, which was made available in retail the other day.

The Belarusian confectionery producer Kommunarka has been making sugar-free chocolate of the President variety for more than a year now. Its special recipe and gustatory qualities have made the chocolate popular in Belarus and abroad. A mix of the best cocoa bean varieties from several countries is the key innovation of the new President Exclusive lineup. The company has already made about 60 tonnes of the new chocolate in 20-tonne batches with 72%, 78%, and 85% cocoa bean content.

The new chocolate lineup President also offers a different sugar substitute. The new product uses lactitol while the old one used maltitol and stevia extract. This natural product is much sweeter than sugar. However, it is barely absorbed by the intestinal tract and is low on calories (2.4 calories per gram). The chocolate also contains inulin (a natural prebiotic) and exceedingly aromatic Burgundian vanillin. Instead of soya lecithin the producer opted for sunflower lecithin.

Kommunarka Company believes the new chocolate will suit those, who try to stay in shape and live a healthy life. Yet the organoleptic qualities are on par with a similar product, which relies on common sugar.

Before mass production the President Exclusive chocolate was presented during the National Expo of Belarus in Tajikistan on 15 May. The presidents of Belarus and Tajikistan sampled it there. The new chocolate was also presented in Israel when Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Rusy visited the country. Plans have been made to sell the chocolate in the USA, Russia, and other markets. The value for money will be helpful: the Belarusian sugar-free chocolate is as good as Belgian chocolate but the price is several times lower.