

Maker
French Broad ChocolatesFrench Broad Chocolates is a chocolate maker in Asheville, NC. Guided by their mission to source with integrity and craft with love, French Broad Chocolate builds direct relationships with sustainable farmers and producers and transforms fine cacao beans into craft chocolate in their Chocolate Factory in Asheville, NC. Bean-to-bar to bonbon and beyond means they create not only their artisan chocolate bars, but also a compendium of confections and treats featuring their chocolate paired with local, fresh and organic ingredients. French Broad Chocolate is a Certified B Corp, a certification demonstrating their commitment to being people who use business as a force for good.


Cacao Region
Matagalpa, NicaraguaAfter Managua, Matagalpa is the most populated department in Nicaragua, known primarily for its high quality coffee. But beyond the coffee, Matagalpa also supplies most of the country’s rice, and its diverse climes are perfect for growing beans and cacao, as well as raising cattle. Most of the region’s population is centered upon the city of the same name, so the rural regions surrounding it are responsible for a large amount of the country’s food production & natural beauty.
Cacao Estate
Cacao BisiestoStarted by two cacao enthusiasts on February 29, 2012 in the Central Highlands of Nicaragua (bisiesto is Spanish for ‘leap year’), Cacao Bisiesto is best described as a socially-conscious fermentary. Co-founders Giff Laube and Jose Enrique Herrera had realized that the cacao the local farmers were growing had the potential to be fine flavor beans, so they built a fermentation and drying facility on their farm and began reaching out to local farmers. Their goal was to get them to sell their wet beans to Cacao Bisiesto for a higher price than they’d ever get in nearby markets, while also eliminating the work it takes for the farmers to process their own cacao. Cacao Bisiesto is now sourcing cacao from many farmers in the Matagalpa region, fermenting and drying the beans with precision to bring out a consistently smooth and earthy flavor.
