When We Give, We Give A Little Love

This time of year, my thoughts turn to giving and to giving to a large number and wide variety of people. I consider that there is love in the act of giving and in the gift itself. The love that sparks the idea of a gift, the attention to the person, the appreciation for who they are, the recognition of connection with them, the significance they have in your life: all are in essence, love. Love can have many forms and shapes and sizes. Whether we overtly try to consider why we give or what sparks us and motivates us to give, I would put forth that in giving, we feel some love of some type on some level.

This love can also be shown in how we see ourselves in one another: we recognize on some level that we are all connected. We are not really giving away something never to see it again, but we are sharing in a way that recognizes and reinforces love and nurturing the connections in the larger human nature.

And so it is that at Chocolove we are, in fact, aware of this. Even if you don’t see it the same way, we share that we see it this way, and we are happy to give a little love in everything we do and everything we make.

Chocolove

Giving Thanks

My son recently asked me, “Dad, why did you write ‘Giving Thanks’ on the calendar instead of ‘Thanksgiving’?” I shared with him that often we say a word or phrase without awareness of its origin and meaning, so I wrote it that way to give me and others extra time to think about giving thanks on Thanksgiving.

Every day that I wake up I am thankful. There was a time that either I was not aware, or I simply took this for granted. Perhaps taking things for granted is the opposite of giving thanks.

‘Thank you’ is a common phrase that I say and write dozens (some days over a hundred) of times a day. Many of those times I am aware of and say or write it with a deeper connection and feeling. I liken it to saying (or writing), I love you and even thanks, love you, or love. All phrases can be said or written to convey a depth of feeling, meaning, and sincerity that varies and may be quite deep for some. It is an expression from the heart.

I am thankful for family and the opportunity to love and share love. My thanks extend to everyone I interact with and for their thoughts and actions. This goes even further to those I may only exchange a message with who are in distant lands and are awake while I still sleep. I wake up earlier than most and am working with people halfway around the world before the sun rises, and so my thanks extend halfway around the world most days.

The tradition of Thanksgiving when I was growing up in the farming state of Iowa was that thanks were given for any amount of food gathered and especially for a good harvest. I think this still rings true. If we are giving thanks for a good harvest we are, by extension, giving thanks for harvesters and farmers of food. So, I take this moment, and ask you too, to give thanks for the farmers of cocoa, sugar, milk, and fruits and nuts. Being a farmer of sorts, I imagine farmers and harvesters are thankful too.

In my view of life, it is not enough to simply think that money equals thankfulness, or that it’s enough that someone got paid for their work. Instead, I think it is essential for the being part of being human to feel appreciated and thanked. And there is a profound feeling of wellbeing in the sharing of thankfulness. Happy Thanksgiving Day.

Chocolove: Making People Happier Since 1995

Chocolove sold its first bars in September of 1995.

The venue was a trade showed called Expo East. Chocolove has been making people happier every day since September of 1995, which amounts to 9,490 days.

In 1995, we were first in many ways that would soon become a standard for chocolate in the US. We were the first US firm to state cocoa content on the front of the bar. We were the first to make a great tasting, high content chocolate for national sales. We’ve continued with many firsts over the last 26 years.

Our first focus from day one was on great taste, and we also made a dedicated standard to simple, premium, and natural ingredients. Despite the same 9,490 days of supply changes and production challenges we have maintained that high standard of excellence in taste and quality. I personally taste each batch of chocolate made, which is over 1,600 pounds of chocolate that I have eaten over 26 years; all in the name of keeping the taste the same great Chocolove taste.

This year as we celebrate our 26th anniversary, we also want to congratulate Barry Callebaut on their 25th anniversary. Barry Callebaut has been our partner in making great chocolate and in helping us help millions of people enjoy life more through great chocolate.

Over the years since 1995, many changes have come to the chocolate industry. Many were asked for by consumers and retailers; we listened and made it so. I am happy to say that Chocolove was an early adopter of cocoa farmer sustainability, cocoa labor certification, cocoa supply traceability, and non-GMO certification. For example, Chocolove had the first non-GMO certified milk chocolate in major retail store chains.

With each of these initiatives (or projects as Barry Callebaut calls them), we were one of the first firms in the Barry Callebaut facility to walk the factory floor and discuss how it could be done. I also asked for a number of other projects and special recipes that are a trade secret but are built into every Chocolove bar we make. While we asked Barry Callebaut to make the change, they deserve credit for listening and solving a great number of problems to realize the many goals set. A big thanks to the team who has made it happen at Barry Callebaut.

Over the last 26 years, I have worked with the namesake Richard Callebaut; yes, we started working with Callebaut chocolate 26 years ago. I provided polite, persistent, and at times, humorous assurance to Richard that if they make the changes and maintain the taste, I will make the bars, and people in the US and in Africa will be happier every day. Thanks Richard.

Chocolove: helping millions of people enjoy life and be happier every day.

The Gift of Chocolove

It was a day sort of like today, an early summer day.

I rode my bike to town, a small farming community in Iowa. The post office asked me to pick up a package.

I was curious and optimistic to be receiving something despite not knowing who had sent it or what it was. As I looked at the package stamps and postmarks, I recalled my time in Switzerland a few years prior staying with a farming family, hiking alpine pastures, and tending cows. I wondered how it was they had located me and what they had sent.  

When I opened the package, I was surprised that it was full of chocolate bars and a note that expressed gratitude. And then standing there, in small-town Iowa, it became clear that the Swiss man I had rescued in a blizzard earlier in the year had sent a gift from Switzerland to thank me. I see that day very clearly, although it was many, many years ago. I recall unwrapping and tasting the chocolate right away and having a radiant joy of discovery at the texture and taste, nothing like any chocolate I had tasted; it was a premium Swiss chocolate. The unexpected gift at an unexpected time, the gesture from a person so far away, and the joy of new taste buoyed my spirits.

I rode my bike home and set the package on the kitchen table, where the Swiss man had sat months prior, and enjoyed the moment. I was so impressed with the taste and quality that I took a couple bars to work the next day. I walked through my place of work and shared squares with everyone I met, and they too enjoyed and marveled at the richness. I was a spice and tea taster at the time, so I found intellectual enjoyment of unraveling the flavor profile. I rationed the remaining bars, a few squares each afternoon after riding home from work. The afternoon snack was a pivot point between work and relaxing the rest of the day.

The layers of that gift were millifold and the gift that the Swiss man sent continues to give to this day. That gift opened my mind to the possibility of a truly great tasting chocolate, and that a few squares can be a great, simple joy in life to look forward to, and, perhaps most of all, that the gift of or sharing of great chocolate can brighten a person’s day. That seemingly simple gift was the seed to great joy for millions of people: Chocolove.

Master Chocolatier Patrick Peeters: Helping People Say “I Love Chocolove”

On the surface, a chocolate company is one that makes and sells chocolate products. While any amount and type of packaging can be wrapped around chocolate, any sort of graphics can be applied, and any form of marketing angles can be plied, with chocolate, it’s what’s inside that counts. And what is inside is due to who is inside the  company’s chocolate factory. The ideal core of a chocolate brand and their chocolate factory is a Master Chocolatier.

There are chocolatiers and then there are master chocolatiers. A master chocolatier can make the difference between good chocolate and great, world-class chocolate.

Introducing Patrick Peeters, the master chocolatier for the Chocolove chocolate factory. Peeters is as humble as he is great at his art. Let’s say hello to Patrick and hear his story.

Born in Belgium, Patrick speaks Flemish, French, and English. Early on he worked in local bakeries, but found his calling at the Confectionary, Bread and Pastry Apprentice School in Leuven, Belgium, where he also received a diploma with high honors.

He soon became the executive pastry chef at a well-known, world-class hotel chain, winning regular awards and acclaim. Peeters worked in a technical capacity at several of the largest food and chocolate companies in the world, to round out his technical excellence. He also started from scratch and ran his own chocolate shop and bakery.

Over the years to keep his creativity flowing, he assisted and worked with other master chocolatiers, including Jean-Pierre Wybauw. Peeters is a member of an elite cadre, The Barry Callebaut Chocolate Ambassadors Club.

Taking into account his 5 years of early work and formal training, combined with his life-long career of 45 years, Peeters has a total of 50 years of dedication to the art of chocolate. Another way of looking at what makes a master chocolatier: 125,000 hours of work making people happier.

So why does a master chocolatier call Chocolove home? Peeters says he loves “the freedom to innovate and create without restriction, the use of the best ingredients available, the great atmosphere, and updated facility.”

At Chocolove, Peeters oversees the nuance of aroma and flavor in every item the company makes: from chocolate bars, such as Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate, to his seasonal gourmet collections. Peeters adds that he thrives by being “surrounded by a team that has the can-do mentality” and his “ability to work every day with an ingredient that I respect and love.”

Chocolove together with Patrick Peeters: making great, world-class chocolate.

The Chocolove Story – 25 Years of Helping People

Twenty-six years ago, I learned I would be a dad. I tried to look 25 years into the future. I needed more than a job; I needed to engage in a life’s work that I would enjoy, not tire of, and provide for my family. I wanted work that would shape me in a positive way.

I have the ability to taste chocolate like a sommelier tastes wine. I see flavor like a composer sees music. Unlike wine, coffee, or other acquired tastes, everyone in my focus groups could not only discern premium chocolate, they preferred premium chocolate. I decided to make the best tasting and best quality chocolate for the US consumer.

In August of 1995, I introduced the world to Chocolove. We began with 4 flavors of premium chocolate and all with declared cocoa content on the front of the wrapper. The wrapper design was inspired by a letter from abroad with a love poem printed inside.

Looking back, you might recall that premium chocolate in 1995 was an import from Europe with a high price tag. It was hard to find and often had some loss of quality due to the miles traveled and months on the shelf.

We made premium chocolate in Boulder, Colorado, with a keen focus on taste and a strong respect for the American consumer. We made the freshest, best-tasting chocolate money could buy, and we priced it right.

In 1997, two years into the endeavor, making no money and working 72 hours a week, I asked myself why was I working so hard. One night I recalled the classic counting sheep trick to go to sleep. I opted instead to count the number of people who were eating Chocolove at that moment and made happier because of Chocolove. Then I factored for the number of people who were happier that day because I went to work. This epiphany served me well; a focus on serving the customer and I continued to count happier people.

With this focus on serving and taking care of people came clarity of brand and the growth of the company. The perspective of helping people be happier through Chocolove was extended to all employees and all people in the supply chain, including cocoa farmers in Africa and around the world. Over the years, we have been forerunners and innovators on many matters. Chocolove has played a role in sharing chocolate with someone you love, rewarding oneself and others, and giving thanks. Now, 25 years in, I have retained the role of taster and of keeper-of-the-brand, and every now and then I still count the number of people made happier every day.

Happy Mother’s Day

You may ask, “What does a chocolatier get their mother for Mother’s Day?”. My family tradition is making a gift, so this year I will be making chocolate chip cookies for my mother. 

My mother taught me to cook and I was happy to learn and help. From a weekly task of baking chocolate chip cookies as a kid for my family, under the watchful eye of my mother, I learned the art of making a taste and the joy of helping people be happier. From the seed of the joy of cooking for people, planted early on, grew Chocolove.

It is a joy once again to be in a much bigger kitchen and bake cookies for a much bigger family. Fortunately, I have the help and watchful eye of master chocolatier, Patrick Peeters. I will be working together with Patrick to bake chocolate chip cookies; I think we will have a few dozen extra.

Please place your orders early—for your mom of course. Check the website under the “Gift Boxes” category and place your order. Orders placed by the 5th will be baked the 5th and will ship out on the 6th. Happy Mother’s Day.

Chocolove: Open For Business

Yes we are open.

It seems obligatory to say as much.

For years we have been working smarter every day to make a facility, supply chain, and workforce that meets and then exceeds FDA and USDA regulations and on top of that ascribe to an even higher standard of safety to earn the laudable SQF certification.

We were simultaneously asked by Whole Foods to certify our supply chain for food products and it was part and parcel to our trade to certify our supply chain for cocoa. And we did what we were asked.

The cost and time involved was and is overwhelming at times, and at other times a relief. Yes, for years we did the smart and hard work and methodically and consistently forged ahead to build an organization that met world class standards. We knew in advance such diligent work was smart.

In the year 2020, we realized in an obvious way that all our hard work at making a safe facility, safe supply chain, and safe workforce was indeed time and money well spent. There was no question in my mind over the last few years we needed to do it and there is no question today that we did it. Our safe quality food organization is indeed safe for all concerned today.

Yes we are open, cruising at capacity, and filling every order in stride. Thanks for being there for us every day and we are here for you today and everyday as well.

Tim

What is Valentine’s Day?

I like Valentine’s Day because it is a holiday about love and a day when everyone can express their love. In some relationships it is expected (or hoped) that you would express yourself. Of course, most of us wish the other in our lives would take more than one day a year to express or be receptive to a celebration of love; no need to limit it to just one day. But it is great to have a day to remind us.

I am reminded of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” at this time. His composition and delivery are so clear and enjoyable on the level of a song that we might miss the actual message. I have read that he was a prolific writer. When you look at the song’s lyrics from a writer’s perspective and see things from his time and place, the message reads more like a Valentine: what he is really saying is ‘I love you’. The poetic grace of the message of “What a Wonderful World” is fitting for Valentine’s Day: a sort of universal or higher love. Music was his delivery of his wish for more happier people and he succeeded.

This time of year I also spend more time pondering, calculating, and imagining the number of people that are happier each day through Chocolove. I see people sharing Chocolove, and as they do, what they are really saying is, ‘I love you’.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. That there is a day (a whole day!) for giving thanks gives me pause for thought and is comforting, even days before the holiday. Giving thanks is a great way to start the holiday season and hopefully carry those feelings of gratitude through to the next year.

At Chocolove, we celebrate life and the changing of seasons with food and dining together. This year we continue this tradition with a company-wide catered lunch with a classic menu. Also, we can give thanks to have on staff a world class maître chocolatier who prepares treats for our desert. So in addition to lunch’s pumpkin and pecan pie, we have chocolate truffles.

This year, Chef Patrick (as we call him internally) has made up a couple of truffle collections for us and for sale exclusively on the Chocolove website. One gourmet gift box set is inspired by pies and has four flavors: pumpkin, pecan, mincemeat, and apple. There is also Chef Patrick’s classic round dusted truffle collection offered in a long box. Mendiants and Sacher Tortes will be back again this season and gold-dusted caramels round out the collection of our seasonal offerings.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.