by Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Nobody starts a local food business to get rich. In my experience, our local food makers do what they do simply because making the foods they love and sharing those foods with others is what brings them joy. These are people with enough passion and dedication to sharing their culinary craft that they are willing to do the hard work and take the risks involved in starting their own enterprise, not to make gobs of money, but simply so they can do what they love and share the results with the rest of us.
How lucky we are to have them!
In that spirit, I’d like to introduce you to three of the local chocolate companies that grace our shelves, and the people behind them. Whether you are buying a Valentine’s Day treat for your sweet, or a well deserved gift to yourself, a chocolate from one of these skilled artisans will surely brighten your day—not through your taste buds alone, but also through the knowledge that by simply eating this delicious chocolate you are an integral part of a interdependent and vibrant community of suppliers, makers, and eaters.
Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier;
Madison, Wisconsin
If our community has a superstar chocolatier, Gail is it. She has been making chocolate confections on Madison’s eastside since 2004 to great national and local acclaim. Most importantly, her chocolates are divine!
When did you decide that you wanted to be a chocolatier?
When I was a little girl I had dreams of making chocolate for people. I had no idea there was such a profession as a chocolatier, I only knew I loved making chocolate treats and seeing the joy on people’s faces when they ate it; their happiness became mine.
What makes your chocolate products different from any others?
We use primarily dark, single-origin chocolate. When I started I would say “all dark, all the time.” I have since started making some milk and some white chocolate options, but we still make 90% of our products in dark chocolate. We mostly use single-origin chocolate, which means it all comes from one farm/area. Like wine, this showcases the flavor of each location, or terroir, where the beans are grown.
What’s the most rewarding thing about owning your own chocolate business?
When customers share their stories of how our chocolates have created a personal connection in their lives. Perhaps we provided desserts for their wedding, gifts for a baby shower, a special birthday tradition, or even treats to bring smiles at a funeral. These stories are so touching and I feel privileged to be a part of it all.
How has COVID-19 affected your business?
We have a small retail space; sadly this had to be closed to the public in order to preserve the health and safety of our staff and our customers. We do offer curbside pickup, delivery, and shipping. All orders have to be taken over the phone or through our website. This was certainly an adjustment but both our staff and customers have done a great job adapting. I do so miss seeing our customers in the shop and I look forward to tasting chocolates with them once again.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I think I will still be here making chocolate. I will have celebrated 21 years in business by then, but I hope to eventually turn the business over to my son and his wife who have been working with me for the past 9 and 11 years. After a smooth transition, I hope to be traveling to Central and South American cacao farms as much as possible!
Tabal Chocolate; Wausatosa, Wisconsin
To understand Tabal Chocolate, you have to first understand the difference between a chocolate maker and a chocolatier. Whereas chocolatiers make confections using pre-made chocolate; chocolate makers start with the whole, raw cacao beans. The beans are roasted, cracked, winnowed into nibs, ground, and then tempered and poured into molds. Owner Dan Bieser is passionate about this “bean-to-bar” process, which allows him to work directly with small cacao farmers and make a real difference in the lives of farmers across the globe, and also to educate consumers here in the Midwest about the process.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a Chocolate Maker?
In 2012 I started Tabal Chocolate after being inspired during a trip to Toronto and visiting craft chocolate makers. I love the profession because it allowed me the flexibility to use my many creative skills in marketing, package design, chocolate product development, person to person sales, travel, and building relationships with customers, farmers, and our community.
What makes your chocolate products different from any others?
Our chocolate is unique because it is made in collaboration with the cacao farmer that we work with to supply the world's most flavorful and high quality cacao beans, and we use superfood inclusions including chaga, peppermint, maca berry, turmeric, cinnamon, and other teas and spices to flavor our chocolate.
What’s the most challenging thing about running your own chocolate business?
The challenge is educating consumers that high-quality bean-to-bar dark chocolate is worth the value. Helping them learn that they are having a positive world wide effect when they purchase Tabal Chocolate. We consider our chocolate a food rather than a candy and treat it as the nutrient-packed superfood that it is.
How has COVID-19 affected your business?
COVID has reduced our walk-in traffic at our retail store and factory in Wauwatosa, and increased our online business. Overall we did not have the year we expected but we have had amazing community support and will be in a good position to start 2021.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
We continue to grow and expand our production capacity and we are excited to add many new products in the next few years. We are building relationships with farmers world wide and are poised to build a supply chain for cacao and chocolate ingredients that will help many more farmers thrive in the years to come
Madison Chocolate Company
I first met Megan Hile, owner of Madison Chocolate Company, several years ago when she was part of our Retail Ready Lab program and working to grow her business beyond her shop on Madison’s westside to the shelves of retail grocers like ours. Her enthusiasm for her craft is contagious, and her unique confections are out-of-this-world delicious!
When did you decide that you wanted to be a chocolatier?
Life decides for you sometimes. My former life was in bilingual education. In 2010 I was in the hospital for a serious MS attack. While in the hospital, my friends and family brought me food daily and dined with me, so I was never alone. During this time I not only relearned how to physically walk, but I also truly learned that food shared in good company brings joy, and food made with intention changes and heals the spirit.
With several months of downtime, I began relearning the importance of making food with intention. I landed upon a confection recipe that piqued my interest and suddenly an obsession with chocolate was born. Choosing to work with chocolate allows me to create confections that bring joy to others. We are grateful to see our products leave our shop and bring delight and comfort to many.
What makes your chocolate products different from any others?
Our chocolates and confections are unique to us because of our recipes and ingredients. As a chocolatier, you get to choose your butter, heavy cream, flavors, and most importantly the chocolate. We use chocolate from many different chocolate makers, from many different origins—all with varied flavor profiles. Our recipes are balanced with subtle flavors that allow one to still taste the important chocolate notes and not be overwhelmed by more dominant flavors.
How has COVID-19 affected your business?
We learned how to quickly (immediately) move from a full-service cafe and chocolate shop to serving the needs of our clients in a different way. We had to move the entirety of our shop on-line. That was challenging with a steep and incredibly fast learning curve. It also has been very eye-opening to see purchasing habits change and how we had to evolve right along with them. It goes without saying that the effects are daily. As a team I would say that we have adapted well and are lucky enough to keep our doors open. We are always in dialogue at the shop for what our next steps should look like.
What’s the most challenging thing about running your own chocolate business?
The most challenging is trying to set aside downtime to take care of oneself. It is very easy to get caught up in work life, and very difficult to set aside time for all the other wonderful things that life has to offer.