Chocolate Purveyors is a blog series where we connect and discuss everything chocolate with both makers and enthusiasts. This discussion is with Taza Chocolate co-founder and CEO Alex Whitmore.
Taza Chocolate makes stone-ground chocolate. Cacao is so complex in flavor that they want to let it shout loud and proud. That is why they do less to bring us more. They stone grind organic cacao beans into perfectly unrefined, minimally processed chocolate with bold flavor and texture, unlike anything you have ever tasted.
Do you remember your first experience with real chocolate? What was it?
Yes. Oaxaca, Mexico 2005 watching cacao beans being ground into delicious chocolate by molineros.
Taza makes stone-ground chocolate, how is this process different from traditional chocolate making?
We use traditional Mexican molinos, rotary stone mills, to grind cacao beans into chocolate using the amazing quality cacao beans sourced directly from cocoa farms.
What chocolate are you eating from other makers these days?
Fruition Chocolate is one of my favorite makers these days.
Photo Credit Taza Chocolate
For someone trying a Taza chocolate bar for the first time, what chocolate bar would you give them to try?
Vanilla Taza Disc, 70% Deliciously Dark Bar, Toffee Sea Salt Almond Bar.
How can we all help promote craft chocolate?
Vote with your wallet and support your local chocolate maker!
How did your trip to Oaxaca, Mexico help launch Taza Chocolate?
The amazing food milling traditions of Southern Mexico were the basis of the inspiration to begin Taza Chocolate.
Photo Credit Taza Chocolate
Do you prefer a hot cup of coffee or chocolate in the morning?
Hot coffee in the morning, everyday.
Taza is a pioneer in ethical cacao sourcing, can you describe the process quickly?
We work directly with cocoa producers in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Ghana to procure the best quality cacao money can buy. We do this by working closely with them on the fermentation and drying process to ensure the exact flavor profile we are looking for. In exchange we pay them a high premium above Fair Trade prices to secure a lasting and sustainable partnership. Direct Trade is all about more money for farmers to get the best quality cacao.
If you could only eat one chocolate bar for the rest of your life, what bar would it be?
Tough one because I like variety. I would say a 70% bar made with Dominican and Haitian cacao, our 70% Deliciously Dark bar.
What does the future hold for Taza Chocolate?
So many new innovations and amazing new ways to eat chocolate!
Photo Credit Taza Chocolate
We want to thank Alex for taking the time to answer our questions and the Taza team for making this happen. We hope you learned more about Alex and Taza Chocolate.
To get started with craft chocolate, begin with our Kekao Box. We search the world for the finest chocolate bars and bring them right to your doorstep monthly. From rich dark Peruvian chocolate bars to new start-up chocolate bars on the come-up, you never know what you'll get inside the box! Each month we will curate 4 to 5 premium specialty crafted chocolate bars.
If you have any questions regarding this blog, our Kekao Box, or premium specialty crafted chocolate bars, feel free to contact us! Keep up with us by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
