It’s a Busy Fall on the Farm

it's a busy fall on the farm

Fall is finally here, and apples and pumpkins are everywhere!   We’re happy to report that our pumpkin patch is a tremendous success.  This is the first year we grew pumpkins, and we ended up with dozens of large, healthy ones.  You’ll notice that some of the pumpkins are slightly different colors, and that’s because…

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Direct Trade vs. Fair Trade

You’ve probably seen the term Fair Trade a lot on product packaging.  When you see that label you probably assume that people all along the supply chain, from farmers on up, are receiving a higher price for their product than they would otherwise.  But, that’s not always the case.  For example, with cacao it’s possible…

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The Power of Small Business

We’re a small business, and we actively search out and support other small businesses in our community.  We’d like to share why the concept of small business is so important to us. First, we should define what a small business is.  The US Small Business Association defines it as an independent business that has less…

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A Note on Difficult Times

The current pandemic is hitting everyone hard.  Especially hard hit are many small businesses, who rely on a steady stream of customers to keep the doors open.  We urge you to support your local small businesses in any way you safely can. Although we’ve closed our Boston Public Market shop we’re still making chocolate in…

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Single Origin Cocoa Butter Is Awesome

It’s true – single origin cocoa butter really IS awesome.  I know this because I taste it.  A lot. If you don’t agree with me about cocoa butter’s awesomeness you’ve probably never tasted the right kind.  And the reason you’ve probably never tasted the right kind is because it’s very, very, very hard to find….

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The Importance of Ethical Sourcing

The Washington Post recently published an excellent article, “Cocoa’s Child Laborers,” detailing the issues with child labor and unsafe working conditions in the global cacao supply chain. The article explains how, for nearly twenty years, the large industrial chocolate companies have missed goals to eradicate child labor from cacao production.  These goals were set collaboratively…

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Dominican Republic Sourcing Trip

We had a great visit to Zorzal Cacao in the Dominican Republic! We loved their beans since we first tasted them last year but up until now we haven’t had time for a visit.  We’re so happy we finally made it happen! Our timing was great as Zorzal recently completed construction of their new fermentation…

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The cost of quality

One of our goals when we started was to make great tasting, ethically sourced craft chocolate available to as many people as possible.  Most high quality single origin bars were priced in the low-to-mid teens, which was more than many people wanted to spend to try something new.  After all, what if they didn’t like…

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Cacao Sourcing in Costa Rica

We just got back from a very successful trip to an amazing farm in the Puntarenas region of Costa Rica.  Perched high atop a hill just outside the town of Cotu Brus, this 96 acre farm is planted with ten acres of classic Trinitario cacao. The main house at Coto Brus. The owner of Cotu…

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Celebrating 100 Locations!

It’s been just over year since we launched and we’re happy to announce a milestone we’re very proud of – our chocolate bars are now available in over 100 fine stores nationwide! We spend a long time carefully sourcing and making our chocolate and it’s gratifying to partner with so many retail stores that truly…

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Why is This Chocolate Bar $10?

Perhaps not surprisingly we get this question a lot. It’s an important question to address.  The answer goes to the heart of why we make, and love, single origin chocolate and helps explain why our bars retain the unique flavors of the cacao from which they’re made.  It’s a long answer, so grab a cup…

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