Meet James of Beanpod Chocolate. My husband and I took a little ski trip through the Canadian Rockies we stopped in Fernie BC for a few days of skiing. The first day it was raining on the slopes so we walked the town instead of skiing. I love it when I find a small batch bean to bar maker while traveling, and I love it even more when I meet the maker.    As soon as we walked into the shop I was drawn to the heavy equipment sloshing and mixing chocolate. It is mesmerizing to watch chocolate in action. It also lets me know that this shop is the real deal, truly bean to ..read more

On a sunny January day Lauren Adler and I jumped in a car to go meet up with Adam Pearson and see Fortunato Chocolate in Issaquah WA.  Fortunato has a retail shop with a surprisingly large selection of products made with their special Peruvian origin chocolate. Read more about their discovery of cacao which was thought of as extinct until 2009. (Story here)  At the retail location we sipped hot chocolate while browsing the well stocked shelves and sampling most of the products.  I couldn’t leave without the Chocolate Covered Dates as well as the Cacao Nibs and Dates, a ..read more

When we travel we walk A LOT.  It’s good for us, right? One very cold and rainy evening on our trip to London in late 2024 we had been walking all day.  Although we had seen so much of London I was so exhausted and cold.  My sore feet didn't want to take another step. We only had about two more miles to walk to get back to our hotel when we walked by a coffee shop with a craft chocolate bar in the window.   A warm cozy coffee shop that sells craft chocolate! We turned back and stopped. I had a beautiful rich cup of hot chocolate, possibly made with Chocolarder chocola ..read more

In Bath England I found a concept shop I haven’t seen before.  Knoops is a chocolate beverage cafe set up to serve custom chocolate beverages.  Choose hot or cold, chocolate percentage, preferred milk, and extras. I saw at least six different origins on the menu, including Peru, Ecuador, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Colombia, and Venezuela.   There was also a menu of spices or roots and herbs that could be added as extras as well as some staff favorite recipes. I found the idea an interesting modern take on 17th and 18th century British chocolate houses.   ..read more

  Touted as the oldest chocolate shop in Rome, I found Moriondo & Gariglio captivating.  The shop was beautifully decorated with Christmas cheer from top to bottom. Even if it hadn't been Christmas season the shop would have been lavish.   Sipping drinking chocolate in such a lovely setting, watching the locals come in one after another to place their orders for holiday chocolate platters and pick up gifts, it was like I had a window into the life of someone living in Rome.   After I finished my sipping chocolate I purchased a couple of truffles and a few ch ..read more

I dragged my husband all over the streets of Rome to find this chocolate shop. Grezzo Raw Chocolate.  The shop has interesting architecture that makes me think the building is centuries old. It probably is, we are in Rome after all.   In contrast to the architecture, the marketing points to gluten free, lactose free, and vegan, more present day concerns.  I tried a hot chocolate with hand scooped whipped cream, I’m kind of wondering what the whipped cream actually was made of if everything is vegan? I did enjoy it, whatever it was made of.  Raw chocolate usually ha ..read more

  In early January, my chocolate loving friend Teri and I had the pleasure of visiting Fresco Chocolate in Lynden, Washington.  Lynden is a small town renowned for its Dutch heritage and proximity to the Canadian border.  The chocolate shop looks small from the outside but the interior is filled with chocolate and a HUGE tasting table.  I can't wait to attend a chocolate tasting here! When Teri and I arrived at Fresco Chocolates we were greeted by Rob and Amy, the owners and chocolate makers. We’ve all known each other for a long time so it was great to ..read more

When you can’t find a chocolate shop and time is limited, look for a quality tea shop. Tea and chocolate just seem to play well together.   On a very short visit to Malaga in December while looking for craft chocolate I ran across Golden Tips, a tea, coffee, and chocolate shop.  Thankfully they had Maychoco Chocolate and Kaitxo Chocolate.  The Maychoco shop was a 45 minute drive from the city and I was out of time after spending too much time at the Picasso museum. Someday I hope to return to visit the Maychoco shop. The day I visited, I found my way back to the shop to ..read more

Bath Chocolate Company, a bean to bar chocolate maker in charming Bath England!   I love finding bean to bar makers while traveling. On a rainy day while staying in Bath we stopped by Bath Chocolate Company.  We could have picked a better day for a hike, but travel doesn't always provide opportunities for sunny day hikes.  Luckily Bath Chocolate Company provided a lovely warm and welcoming place to stop and get out of the rain for a few minutes.  We met the charming owners Stephen and Steven. We also met Sue who works the counter and helps with packaging.  She mad ..read more

  London Chocolate. I found London Chocolate on a recommendation from fellow chocolate enthusiast Hazel Lee, I was absolutely delighted with both the shop and their chocolate.  It was our last day in London, with only a couple hours to spare before we departed for Bath.  From our lodging we walked about a mile to their location finding London Chocolate open and welcoming.   Because co-owner Asel was in and so generously shared her time with us we were able to hear some of the story of London Chocolate as we tasted their two ingredient bean to bar chocolate, sipping choco ..read more