The Power of Small Business
May is National Small Business Appreciation Month, and that struck a chord with us. Our chocolate making company is a small business, and we actively search out and support other small businesses in our community. But, I’m not sure we’ve ever explained why the concept of small business is so important to us. First, let’s…
ContinueDonations needed for Ecuador COVID Relief
One of our favorite bean origins is Costa Esmeraldas, in Ecuador. Freddy Salazar and his family have a beautiful farm and fermentation facility in Same, where they provide stable employment and economic benefits for the town. But, Ecuador has been extremely hard hit by COVID-19 so Freddy and his family have set up a foundation…
ContinueDouble Chocolate Mint Brownie Bites!
Happy Spring! We are outside prepping the gardens for our Spring plantings, and it feels so good to dig in the dirt and imagine all of the vegetables and herbs we’ll have soon have. A family favorite to grow is fresh mint- luckily for us it is such a hearty plant we are never in…
ContinueOur YouTube Channel is now Live!
We’ve been doing live videos to show various aspects of our chocolate making process, and people who’ve missed them have asked us to post them online. So, our YouTube channel was born! We’ve posted all of our Instagram Live videos and will continue to add more as we make them. Find out how we make…
ContinueStay Home With Chocolate Festival
We did a video as part of the Stay Home With Chocolate festival – it’s available on their website. You can also check out videos from many other chocolate makers and also producers at origin!
ContinueA 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…
ContinueSingle 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….
ContinueThe 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…
ContinueDominican 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…
ContinueThe 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…
ContinueCacao 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…
ContinueCelebrating 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…
ContinueWhy 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…
ContinueHandcrafted for the Holidays!
When we decided to make holiday gift sets this year, we wanted to include something that really spoke to one of the heartfelt reasons of why we make our chocolate. Yes, an assortment of premium, fine flavor chocolate is a gift in and of itself, but we also wanted to include something without a shelf…
ContinueInclusion bars are here!
After months of (very tasty!) testing our inclusion bars are now available! We’re very excited to finally be able to share these new flavors with you! For each of our Signature Line bars we searched for the best flavor combinations, and did many test batches to find the perfect balance of flavors. As with our cacao,…
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