Food, concerns about all these chocolate sales, long post
So I know the world is a nightmare, but I want to talk about how there are so many bean to bar chocolate sales this year. Because it concerns me.
That is, most of these brands don't really do big sales? They can't afford to, the margins are that small. So to see so many sales makes me wonder how many are in danger of closing.
Because the big problem here is that mainstream chocolate is cheap thanks to paying cacao farmers poverty wages. And buying bean to bar when you can is a small push towards changing that. Even just getting the word out can help.
If you want to support BIPOC bean to bar makers today, here's a start, and I can give recommendations.
- Auro Chocolate
- Askanya Chocolate
- Baiani Chocolate
- Bar & Cocoa (shop)
- Cacao Hunters
- Cacaosuyo
- Cuna de Piedra
- Fu Wan Chocolate
- Kasama Chocolate
- Madhu Chocolate
- Mashpi Chocolate
- Mission Chocolate
- Luisa Abram Chocolate
- Soma Chocolate
- Theo & Philo
Food, concerns about all these chocolate sales, long post
@dessertgeek do you have any reccomendations for bean to bar companies that make stone ground/mexican hot chocolate disks?
I’ve been buying Taza ( https://www.tazachocolate.com/collections/discs ) since my grocery store carries and they do at least list which orgs they buy their beans from by name but I’d love to try some other brands as well
Food, concerns about all these chocolate sales, long post
@dessertgeek we have exactly one local bean to bar company, who unfortunately i don’t love (they make a very grainy chocolate, and they are also very into like, using dates to sweeten their chocolate because they think processed sugar is bad and those kinds of things. which is fine if you’re into that but generally when i’m eating chocolate its as a treat and not a health food, you know?)
So generally i’m either ordering from online stores or randomly spotting less local brands in the grocery or the food co-op, which id how i found Taza! but they’re not consistently carried :( so i had wondered, if i was going to be paying shipping no matter what, if there were any other brands doing similar things worth checking out. But it sounds like from what you’re saying they’ve actually filled that niche pretty well! will check out the other people you mentioned as well though, thanks for the tips :)
Food, concerns about all these chocolate sales, long post
@Satsuma Of course! Glad to help! (And yeah, the non-standard sugar chocolates can be hit or miss, it's a tough balance for sure.)
Food, concerns about all these chocolate sales, long post
@Satsuma Oof, so there aren't many in bean to bar that you can get stateside? (And Taza is bean to bar! I feel like they're one of the easier bean to bar brands to get in stores?)
That is Cuna de Piedra and Bate Bate come to mind, but neither make true stoneground chocolate, they make discs in similar styles and/or using Mexican cacao. I think the Chinantla from CdP would be closest to what you're looking for? And I haven't had Bate Bate in a bit but I really liked their hot chocolate disks when I had it!
For links, since CdP's biggest selection is from Caputo's, here you go!
- Cuna de Piedra: https://caputos.com/cuna-de-piedra/
- Bate Bate: http://www.batebatechocolate.com/
Also if you can tell me more about what you like about the texture/flavors, I probably have more suggestions? It's just that stoneground disks are kind of a limited thing. (Like Tableya from Askinosie and Madre Chocolate's Chocolate de Mesa are similar but not quite?)