“Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get.” And while life might be surprising…your chocolate doesn’t have to be.
When you purchase from Amor Cocoa, you can be confident that you have made a wise choice. This week, we had the pleasure of meeting Eric and Gloria, owners of Amor Cocoa in Lubbock, Texas.
“Every purchase from Amor Cocoa invests in the local community,” says Eric.
He and his wife Gloria are the duo behind this business, and their desire is to “enable our customers to impact the life of others.” They believe in loving through chocolate, and thus began their business in 2017.
“It was the perfect storm; meaning that a lot of things met at the same time. We were looking at what can you do at home, business wise, and we came across the Texas Food Cottage Law.”
The Texas Food Cottage law allows people to have a home-based food business, producing products with the intent of selling to the local community.
He explained the rest of the story as a perfect match. “Because I was born and raised in Switzerland…we (Swiss people) are the greatest consumers of chocolate… I love chocolate, and I thought “oh my gosh, this is perfect.” We could prepare it and have a business run from home… and ever since then, Gloria has been preparing the chocolate bars.”
Ironically, Gloria, who grew up in Central America surrounded by cocoa trees, never liked chocolate… except for Amor Cocoa. “My favorite is the dark chocolate; I guess you can taste the strong cocoa.”
The beans are imported from a vendor in the Dominican Republic, and then go through a hand-crafted process to become the delicious and thoughtful product you receive upon purchase; made with love, and to share love.
What does loving through chocolate mean? “Ten percent of every sale is donated to a local non-profit organization. In addition, you can make up to a $5 donation to a charity of choice, and receive a discount off your order… At Amor Cocoa, we love our chocolate, but most importantly we love the people of our community.”
Their chocolate is a reflection of that, true in taste and selection.
Notably, their chocolate is healthier: all natural with no preservatives or artificial flavors. It is the closest you can get to artisanal chocolate.
Currently, you can choose from Milk, Dark (78%), and White Chocolate bars in either 3 oz. or 1 oz. sizes.
And one of my favorite aspects – is their customization.
“We do special designs and custom orders. So you can do a special message on the chocolates: Graduations, thank yous, or business logos if you are interested.”
“Our chocolate is good! Our prices are competitive, as good as Wal-Mart, so the choice you’re making between our chocolate and someone else’s is really where you want some of the profit to go… in someone’s pocket or back into the community? And that’s the choice you make, of being local, and giving back to the community. Also, don’t forget it’s healthy. It’s all natural….so it is physically and socially healthier! (laughter)”
If you are interested in ordering from Amor Cocoa, or want to learn more, go to their website: http://www.amorcocoa.com
Or find them once a month at the Chicago Station Market Days, a farmer’s market-type of event that will feature produce, food, crafts and more:
The event will be held at 5507 126th Street on 126th Street and Chicago. The event will continue every 4th Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
