Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Sourcing and Crafting Process

Growing Cacao Pods in Costa Rica

All good chocolate starts with the farmer.

We believe Farmer prosperity is a key ingredient in good chocolate, which is why sourcing and building strong relationships is a critical component in the chocolate making process. We've traveled to the farms where our cacao comes from, walked the fields where the cacao grows, and tasted the beautiful crops that grow along-side the cacao we source. Before there is a chocolate maker, there is a farmer, a terroir within the country where the cacao grows, and a farmer relationship to build strong. 

Harvest Chocolate (Elizabeth and Matt) with the Cacao Farmer in Costa Rica

Every cacao has a story to tell, and we are here to tell that story. 

Where cacao is grown is the first key to the tasting notes naturally enjoyed in chocolate. Fruity, nutty, earthy, rich & fudgy and everywhere in between, chocolate isn't just one flavor, it's a beautiful array of tasting notes. We love that chocolate starts as an agricultural product, and we want to respect its roots by using fresh and natural ingredients that come straight from the earth—no artificial or complicated stuff here. 

 

Where our cacao grows naturally.

The cacao beans we source are grown along the farmlands outside of Upala Costa Rica, by the Cayapas River in Ecuador, along the pristine Lake Lachuá of Guatemala, the northern shores of Haiti, and the only organic and fair trade-certified cacao-co-operative in Ghana, and produce from local farmer’s markets.

Cacao has different flavors based on its geographic location. Cacao grown in Haiti has subtle fruity notes, while chocolate from Ghana has a deep, bold chocolate profile. We source a variety of cacao beans, each with a story, flavors across the spectrum that complement each other and can stand on their own.

Cacao beans drying at the farm in Costa Rica

 

Small batch, big flavors.

We build honest relationships with global and local farmers to bring the best of the world to our shop in Tecumseh, Michigan


Taste the Difference.

As you can tell mass production isn't for us, but we think you'll taste the difference in our ethically sourced, meticulously crafted chocolate.