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Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it. (Oliver)
❤️All about chocolate
🌎Based in DC/Baltimore

Calamansi, a feisty Filipino fruit🍈, adds a tou

Calamansi, a feisty Filipino fruit🍈, adds a touch of tart to the dark 70% Filipino cacao. As @oodaalolly says "The Flavor of the Philippines in each bite."

Chocolate maker Hernan Lauber exclusively uses Filipino cacao in their El Cerrito, California shop.

Or find more chocolate goodness online @oodaalolly

#supportsmallbusiness #supportcacaofarmers #chocolate #craftchocolate #beantobarchocolate #filipinochocolate

It's a dream that reaches from Denver, Colorado to

It's a dream that reaches from Denver, Colorado to a new farm in Cameroon. Patrick & Mara Tcheunou live in Denver, but planted 50 acres of new cocoa trees in Cameroon in 2015. Their dream? To connect the roots of their new family to Patrick's native country of Cameroon. After meeting in 2013, marrying in 2014, & starting a new family that now includes 2 children, the Colorado couple decided to create a sustainable farming business based in the west-central African country where Patrick grew up. The farm project, called The Smart Globe International, has now expanded to 1000 acres, with a variety of crops including cacao, coffee, & plantains, and focuses on the goal of creating fair-wage jobs, opportunities for women & access to technical education for local farmers. 👩🏿‍🌾

Fast forward to 2020. Five years after planting the cacao trees, the very first harvest of cacao beans arrived in Colorado in March, 2020. Rather than selling the cocoa beans (the original plan!) during the beginnings of the pandemic, Patrick & Mara decided to learn from local chocolate artisans in Colorado, and came up with a winning recipe for a 5 ingredient bean-to-bark dark chocolate treat.

The five ingredient bark focuses on the Cameroonian dark chocolate, handcrafted in Colorado, and includes perfectly paired Cameroonian produce such as plantains (from the Bibamba farm), coconuts (sourced from a locally woman-owned and operated farm in Cameroon), coffee (also from the Bibamba farm, for a "Best of both beans chocolate & coffee treat") & most recently, oranges (although the orange groves on their farms are still maturing!)🍊

If you order, don't forget a bag of 4-ingredient (convenient for snacking!) dark baking chunks. This seed-to-chocolate treat is made from Cameroonian cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter & vanilla. Free shipping!

www.bibamba.com

#supportcacaofarmers
#supportsmallbusiness #Blackchocolatemakers
#chocolate #beantobarchocolate

In case you missed it: DC Chocolate Society announ

In case you missed it: DC Chocolate Society announced decision to postpone this Oct event till 2022.

Stay tuned to @dcchocolatesociety
Or capitalchocolatefestival.com

#chocolate #supportcacaofarmers

March, 2020: On a 6-hour trek down a remote Brazil

March, 2020: On a 6-hour trek down a remote Brazilian river, Mariano discovered Dona Fausta, a grandmother & farmer who shared a secret: wild cacao growing on a remote river island. Mariano, a native Brazilian now living in Virginia (co-owner of River-Sea with his wife, Krissee), was determined to bring the spring harvest of the cherished Saracá Island cacao back to Chantilly, Virginia. Unbeknownst to Mariano, while deep in the jungle, covid was casting its dark shadow across the world, and Mariano had to abruptly return, arriving back to the US on one of the last flights. But, before Mariano returned, he commited to a direct trade purchase of Dona Fausta's entire Saracá spring harvest, providing financial support to a community frequently overlooked. However, after the harvest, this valuable shipment of cacao would ultimately take over a year to arrive to Virginia, due to monumental hurdles that had to be overcome in covid-related shipping & FDA mishaps. Supporting the Saracá remote river community & their cacao is a priority for River-Sea, and this Saracá chocolate bar is a worthy symbol of their support for this fluvial (river) biome where wild cacao has thrived for centuries.

Saracá 72% bar; A Brazilian bean worth waiting for, mellow but steadfast, chocolate forward (and backward), with a touch of tart blue fruit and ultimately a sweet ending.

#supportcacaofarmers
#supportsmallbusiness
#braziliancacao #chocolate #virginachocolatemakers
#riverseachocolate

Brandy nightcap. "Nibs were soaked in brandy till

Brandy nightcap. "Nibs were soaked in brandy till tipsy!"

A spirited 77% bar by 9th & Larkin.

#chocolatebeforebed #chocolateforbreakfast #alwaystimeforchocolate
#supportsmallbusiness
#cacaofarmers
#womenrockingbusiness
#womenownedbusiness

Cocoa Hero Stories. A new book series, hope to see

Cocoa Hero Stories. A new book series, hope to see more of these!

Created by author Christine Kevorkian, paired with farmer-traceable chocolate. Illustrated by Suam Fonseca.

#cacaofarmersaremyhero

Available on HeiSpark.com

Cocoa Hero Stories, newly published series.📚

Cocoa Hero Stories, newly published series.📚

Author is Christine Kevorkian, illustrated by Suam Fonseca.

Heispark chocolate and books
Heispark.com

@heisparkmyheart @heispark @kikieatscocoa @suam_fonseca

#cacaofarmers #cacaofarmersaremyhero

If this is a thunderstorm, I'm dancing in the rain

If this is a thunderstorm, I'm dancing in the rain. 🌧

A well-crafted bar, assertive & lively, a spellbinding summer storm that seizes your attention. Complete with bright flashes of figgy dried fruit, shimmering splashes of spice, and in the distance, gradually advancing closer with the melt of each morsel, the reverberating boom of a dark chocolate detonation.

No umbrella required.🌂

Sugar & cacao beans in a 70% Dak Nong bar mastered by Michigan maker Connor Tierney. Connor is an engineer & a chocolate adventurer who was assigned the nickname Chocolate Thunder in his youth in honor of NBA's 76'er Darryl Dawkins. Dawkins, known for his powerful dunks & shattering backboards, credited Steve Wonder, a 76's fan, for assigning the Chocolate Thunder name in the late 70's due to his "thunderous" dunks. The explosive slam dunks were not only heard, but felt as powerful vibrations in the arena, especially by the blind Stevie Wonder.⚡

#supportsmallbusiness #chocolate #dancingintherain #craftchocolate #michiganchocolate

Help Haiti by eating good chocolate. Yes, you can

Help Haiti by eating good chocolate. Yes, you can make a difference. Just ask Corinne Joachim-Sanon Symietz. She grew up in Haiti. In 2010, she lost family members to the devastating 7.0 earthquake. After studying engineering at Univ of Michigan she returned to her native country to build Haiti's first bean-to-bar chocolate factory, six years ago.

Corinne believes in creating jobs in Haiti. And in making chocolate at origin. She is transforming crops of Haitian farmers, including raw cacao & sugarcane, into fine chocolate bars. Well-crafted & fragrant chocolate bars, made with care and pride.

Corinne who "has never taken the easy road in life" is building a tenacious chocolate organization. And her company continues to move forward, despite operating in a country struggling with lack of infrastructure, political instability & ongoing natural disasters. This growth is due in part to the stubborness & creativity of both Corinne & her team of dedicated employees. As CEO, she's built a high quality chocolate factory in an area with no electricity (all chocolate making equipment is powered by generators.) She's created a fermentation center that collects raw cacao from 500 farmers in rural areas; some farmers so remote it requires crossing 5-12 rivers without bridges or roads. She is providing a living wage, job security & empowerment to 10+ full time employees, plus direct payments supporting hundreds of cacao & sugar cane subsistence farmers. Askanya is making a difference. And she believes you can help. After the recent 7.2 earthquake (8/14/21),Corinne suggests you can make "small & direct actions." "Buy Made in Haiti --not only are you supporting the makers and employees of the enterprise, but often they have a friend, family in the affected areas - their earning will help support these extra mouths moving in from the affected areas"

So yes, your small purchase can make a difference! Where to buy: askanya.ht.com (shipping from Brooklyn, NY), @yaharachocolate @soulandstoryinc

Askanya 90% bar from @soulandstoryinc An unapologetically dark bar, earthy & robust, but not bitter.

For more info, read Askanya's blog post: "Earthquakes in Haiti"

#womeninbusiness

Seattle farmers market sweet surprises from Bellfl

Seattle farmers market sweet surprises from Bellflower Chocolate:

Ben's brownies, Single Origin Chocolate Milk in a glass bottle and a 70% Kokoa Kamili chocolate bar with black lava salt.

All from bean-to-bar (and bean-to-bottle) chocolate maker Callie & her crew (Ben, loved your brownies!) 🍪

#seattle treasure #hikingadventures
#supportsmallbusiness #womenrockingbusiness #supportcacaofarmers

Coming soon!! A craft chocolate festival near DC!

Coming soon!! A craft chocolate festival near DC! An outdoor event, October 9th, in Chantilly, Va. 🍫
Stay tuned to @capitalchocolatefestival for updates. 👀
Or go to website www.capitalchocolatefestival.com to buy your tickets NOW

A day of chocolate & friends ❤

#supportcacaofarmers
#cacao #chocolate
#chocolatefest #capitalchocolatefestival

Within sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along a

Within sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along a quiet country road, inside a historic, wood-floored shop, lies a chocolate maker. A chocolate maker & Virginia farmer who opens her heart and doors of her vintage building with the same passion she applies to the burlap bags of cacao lined up inside. A maker who began in 2012 captivated by a cacao bean brew. A steamy drink, obsessively crafted step-by-step from whole cacao beans: freshly roasted, ground in-house and brewed in a french press. Soon after introducing her Cocoa Manna Fine Brewing Cacao, she explored the sweet & savory possibilities of a whole bean snacking cacao. Using raw cacao beans, roasted, sugared & spiced, Cocoa Manna's Sweet Midnight whole-bean snacking cacao was born.
🍋Today, elderberry and an in-house 6-foot tall Meyer Lemon tree serve as ingredients in bean-to-bar confections lining her airy shop. For in-person chocolate nurturing, visit Karen Mosebrook, a chocolate queen with lemon super-powers at her Cocoa Manna store outside Culpeper, Viriginia. A destination easily identified by the bright pink & blue painted antique gas pumps holding court outside her front doors.

#supportsmallbusiness #womenrockingbusiness
#virginiachocolate #craftchocolate #beantobarchocolate

Gobsmacked. A must-read 2020 book. About families

Gobsmacked. A must-read 2020 book.

About families & love, tragedy & things unimaginable. About perservence & chocolate. About the bubble we live in.

And how a community in Canada opened it's arms and changed the world, one ripple at a time.🦋

The kind of book you have to keep reminding yourself "these are real people, this is a true story"

A story that continues (with love & chocolate) today in Nova Scotia,Canada. A place I can't wait to visit.

A short synopsis, but doesn't do the story justice: The Hadhads family's well-known chocolate-making factory in Syria was bombed in November 2012. They were forced to leave their home, and everything they owned, to sneak away in a VW to escape their own country. They lived in a refugee camp for 3 years in Lebanon, until arriving in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada in 2016. Through the love & support of their Canadian community, they rebuilt their factory, which now employs over 25 people.

Thanks to Karla @openingchocolate for the recommendation

#peacebychocolate

West Virginia's only bean-to-bar chocolate maker!

West Virginia's only bean-to-bar chocolate maker! ❤
In Sept 2020, the original founder, Jack Meyer, sold the company & chocolate secrets to @blackdogcoffeewv, a well-respected local coffee roasting company.

You can find chocolatemaker Toni hard at work every day at the Appalachian Chocolate Lab, tucked away inside the Black Dog Roastery & Expresso Bar.

Stop by the cafe in Shenandoah Junction, WV, for a memorable coffee & chocolate. 🍫

Sidebar: Bicyclists--the shop is easily accessible from the WV Route 9 bike path 🚴🏽‍♀️.

#worththetrip #coffeeandchocolate
#supportsmallbusiness #madeinwestvirginia #chocolate #craftchocolate #beantobarchocolate
#coffeebreak

"The sky is not the limit, your mind is." Be Limit

"The sky is not the limit, your mind is." Be Limitless.

Curiosity bean-to-bar chocolate. "Because sometimes chocolate can be more than just a chocolate bar." Wisdom from chocolate makers Eli & Erik, St. Louis, Missouri. @curiositychocolate

"The sky is not the limit..." quote by Marilyn Monroe.

#supportsmallbusiness #chocolate #craftchocolate #beantobarchocolate
#missourichocolate

Red beets & dark chocolate! 🍫 Growing up on an

Red beets & dark chocolate! 🍫

Growing up on an Ohio farm, the red beet is one of my 'Top Ten' favorite veggies. Freshly-pulled-from-the-garden red beets are like a dessert, more sweet than savory.

A really good beet? It's like a refreshing glass of kid's fruit punch with a nudge of earthiness & a lingering floral liveliness.

Harvest Chocolate captures the red beet's quirky personality, combines it with the zesty effervescence of dried red raspberry and together find a perfect home nestled in a Tanzanian dark chocolate. A bean-to-bar summer harvest celebration by chocolate maker Elizabeth Gentry. Full launch coming Spring 2022. 👀 Keep an eye on this creative chocolate maker!

Other @harvestcraftchocolate creations, currently available on Tuesdays at the Sylvania Farmers Market (near Toledo, Ohio):

Cinnamon Custard: A french toast bar made with almonds & generous cinnamon crunch

Strawberry Crème Brûlée: An oatmilk & dried strawberry brûlée bar

Milk & Honey: An almond white chocolate with crispy honey brittle & a touch of salt

Cocoa Coffee Crunch: Dark bean-to-bar chocolate with candied cacao nibs & crunchy coffee beans

This summer harvest made possible by the efforts of my crazy forever-friend, beloved Karen Purple @kehopkinson

#womenownedbusiness #womeninchocolate #beantobarchocolate #craftchocolate
#supportsmallbusiness

The Aggie Chocolate Factory & store at Utah State

The Aggie Chocolate Factory & store at Utah State University. A chocolate learning & research center. Open to the public.

Put it on your must-visit list if you are anywhere near Logan, Utah (outside Salt Lake City)

Shop, eat & learn. The confections (made with bean-to-bar chocolate) are worth the drive! (4,000 miles, in my case #miloandme)

Thanks to Karla @openingchocolate who shared the Aggie story last year!

#roadtrip #utahchocolate #beantobarchocolate #craftchocolate

Orange & habanero in a dark chocolate, with a cin

Orange & habanero in a dark chocolate, with a cinnamon and coriander caress. 🍊

Summer splendor by Wisconsin bean-to-bar maker @sjolinds_chocolate.

Acquired during my cross-country puppy road trip, "Milo&Me" from @yaharachocolate shop. 🐶

Take note, on my scorecard Wisconsin is reigning as a bean-to-bar chocolate destination. ❤

#supportsmallbusiness #wisconsinchocolate #craftchocolate #beantobar #beantobarchocolate

Bee pollen or fairy dust? 🧚‍♀️ With a das

Bee pollen or fairy dust? 🧚‍♀️
With a dash of maple sugar. Just pure magic.

3 ingredient chocolate: cacao, maple sugar and bee pollen. 🐝 Butterscotch & floral & maple chocolate goodness.

70% Belize bar by Mike Sever @wildbluechocolate , bean-to-bar magic from the mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia.

#bees🐝 #mapleandchocolate
#supportsmallbusiness #chocolate
#supportbeesandbutterflies
#beantobar #beantobarchocolate
#chocolateforbreakfast

In Missoula, Montana, a newly opened bean-to-bar c

In Missoula, Montana, a newly opened bean-to-bar chocolate maker & coffee shop. 🍫

Wife & husband team, Claudia & Francesco Ducrey, moved from the Swiss Alps to make compelling 2-ingredient chocolate in the Rocky Mountains of Montana.

Convenient to I-90 for anyone making a cross-country trek! Only 7 hours from Seattle, just sayin. 🚘

(Discovered during 'Milo & Me' trip 🐕)

#supportsmallbusiness #roadtrip
#chocolate #beantobarchocolate #craftchocolate #montanachocolate

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