Imperial Directory of Chocolatiers

The Imperial Directory of Chocolatiers (Vistarian: Keizerlijke Leidraad van Chocolatiers) is a biannual report published by an appointed committee of reviewers headed by the Director-General, which give detailed reviews and ratings on chocolate produced around the world, awarding ratings of up to Six Kruinen ('Crowns') to a select few establishments and companies for 'a proficiency and excellence in the culinary arts of chocolate making'. Ratings by the KLC bear a notable amount of weight, especially to artisan businesses, where the gain of a single or two Kruinen can grant a considerable amount of prestige and success for a business, while the loss of a Kruin is perceived to be a sign of impeding decline, which often becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. The Directories have been produced biannually and uninterrupted for just over two centuries, first published on the 2nd November, 1819. Today, it is published in a physical copy, as well as digitally, in over 100 languages for free at the expense of the Vistari Monarch.

History

The Directory was first commissioned by Empeoror Willem III in 1818 who, reportedly, charged it to members of the Vistari Colonial Company due to his son's love of the confectionary, though there has been debate over the historical accuracy of the tale, with it considered to have been mythologized and exaggerated over the decades. The first directory only examined that of Vistaraland and Valerijk, with it being published in November of the next year as a 'public resource', despite being of questionable use to a majority of the public. It was published alongside the General Directory of Food & Drink (Vistarian: Algemene Leidraad van Eten en Drinken) in Vistaraland proper, which did not adopt the Kruinen system until 1845, leading to it, while being more practically useful in subject matter, less popular as a harder to access document. The KLC and ALED were continually published together by the Vistari Colonial Company throughout the 1800s, with both increasing in scope and availability throughout the 19th Century.

However, in 1902 a change came when the Imperial Directory Impartiality Act was passed, allowing the KLC to act as an independent organization backed by the Monarch but not controlled by them, assuring more trust in the impartiality of the KLC, further allowing it to reach foreign audiences while operating from private offices in Nieuw Haasbaai, Valerijk - referred to as the Wijnen Building in commemoration of Hilda Wijnen, who first brought drinking chocolate from the Icxiotal peoples of Northern Valerijk. Due to their prestige and history, the KLC have generally avoided much change in their system of review, however have made efforts to produce less unwieldy forms of their directions from the 1960s, including the Continental Directories, based on the Vistari 7 continent model of the world and reviewing chocolate from each of the 6 inhabited continents according to Vistari cartography, They also began publishing of the Imperial Guide to Chocolate, a version of the Directory with more summary-based, easy to follow reviews.

Changes to the system of recruiting of reviewers has not reported to have changed since the beginning of the KLC, however it is unknown if that is truly the case due to the KLC's commitment to anonymity and secrecy for its reviewers.

List of Chocolatiers by Average Kruin Rating (2001-Present)

Company		Average Rating	Highest Rating
Company Name	Nationality
Vorstelijk	Vistaraland	4.1	5 (2007, 2011, 2013)
Milseáin Trodaí	Meagharia	3.0	3 (2019)