Believing that it is never too late to do what one is really passionate about, Maya Maalouf Kanaan put aside her MBA and a forteen-year career in marketing both in the private and educational sectors, and delved into the world of chocolate. She acquired the know-how at the prestigious Ritz Escoffier and Valrhona schools in France and launched M de Noir in 2011. 
A year later, she discovered in Italy the secrets of Gelato making and in 2012, M de Noir “Les Glaces” was added to her product offering.
The chocolate that Maya confectioned was different from what was usually served to the Lebanese, and her creations caught the eye of the Salon du Chocolat in Paris where she was invited to expose in 2012. The following year, she went back but this time as an exhibitor next to the biggest names in the world of chocolate. For this occasion, Maya wanted to offer its beloved Lebanon in a piece of chocolate and thus, she launched the “Saveurs du Liban”, a collection of chocolates impregnated with typical Lebanese flavors. Among those flavors are the sesame and thyme “mankouche”, the local fresh mint, the pistachio and salt, the amareddine, and they had such a great success that they earned her the Paris Salon du Chocolat “Espoir Etranger” Award, a first in the Middle East.
