BEAN TO BAR · ORIGIN-LED CHOCOLATE

Follow the cacao.

Small-batch chocolate made from cacao chosen for character, then roasted, refined and shaped in Austin so each origin can speak in its own way.

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THE WORK

From bean to finished bar.

Bean-to-bar begins before chocolate is chocolate. I choose cacao by origin, then roast, refine, conche, temper and mold it in small batches. The goal is not to make every origin taste the same. It is to listen for what changes when the bean, percentage and process change.

ChooseRoastRefineTemperTaste
Ghana Komé
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01
80% cacao · Dark chocolate

Ghana Komé

Deep cocoa, brownie-batter richness and very little sharp acidity.

Origin
Asante Akim, Ghana
Cacao / source
Three Mountains Cacao · 2025 harvest
Craft
Drum roasted · 41 hours
CHEF'S NOTE

This is where my bean-to-bar journey began. Komé gave me a deep cocoa profile that reminded me of brownie batter and ganache, with very little sharp acidity.

Uganda Semuliki
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02
64% cacao · Dark chocolate

Uganda Semuliki

A smooth dark chocolate shaped by the cacao of Uganda’s Semuliki Forest.

Origin
Semuliki Forest, Uganda
Cacao / source
Direct trade · organic cacao
Craft
Drum roasted · 24 hours
CHEF'S NOTE

Semuliki moves away from Ghana’s density toward a smoother, softer expression, with toffee-like warmth and a rounder finish.

Ecuador Palo Santo
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03
68% cacao · Dark chocolate

Ecuador Palo Santo

A balanced single-origin dark chocolate made to let Ecuadorian cacao lead.

Origin
Ecuador
Cacao / source
UTZ-certified cacao
Craft
Drum roasted · 24 hours
CHEF'S NOTE

Palo Santo is naturally brighter, so I lowered the cacao percentage to make room for its citrus character rather than overpower it.

Dominican Zorzal
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04
50% cacao · Goat milk chocolate

Dominican Zorzal

Creamy goat milk chocolate built around cacao from the Dominican Republic.

Origin
Dominican Republic
Cacao / source
Zorzal cacao · direct trade · organic
Craft
Roasted cacao nibs · 48 hours
CHEF'S NOTE

Zorzal is my milk-chocolate study: direct-trade cacao paired with goat milk for a softer, creamier bar that still keeps the origin at the center.

THE TASTING RITUAL

Pause. Unwrap.
Taste. Pause.

Origin chocolate rewards attention. Notice the aroma before the first bite, the snap, what arrives first, what changes as it melts, and what remains after the chocolate is gone.

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