About Us
Who are we?
We are a business and social enterprise transforming cacao, the food of the gods, into small-batch, bean-to-bar, artisanal dark chocolate.
What is bean-to-bar chocolate?
For us, bean-to-bar means that we make chocolate from scratch and are in control of each step of the chocolate making process, from building long-term relationships with the farmers we work with around the world, direct-purchase and direct-trade sourcing practices, to the chocolate making process itself. We take our raw cacao beans and roast, winnow, and stone-grind them into chocolate all in our production kitchen in Toronto, Ontario.
All of our chocolates range between 65% to 100% cacao content, are low-sugar, and are free of dairy, soy, gluten, nuts, preservatives, fillers, and artificial flavours. We only use simple, whole-food ingredients to change the flavour and texture of our chocolate bars- ingredients like raw vanilla pods, coconut butter, and dried chilis.
Our cacao is organic and shade-grown, and sourced direct-trade from Indigenous communities in the Lacondon Jungle of Chiapas and the Oaxacan mountains of Southern Mexico. In recent years we have expanded our trade relationships with social and ecological projects in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Guatemala. Our horizontal trade relationships with our farmers go beyond the mere exchange of commodities and extends to reciprocity, ecological re-generation, and friendship.
Our origins
The concept of ChocoSol was originally founded in 2004 in Oaxaca, Mexico, by Michael Sacco, and has been based in Toronto since 2006. The origin of our name has links to 3 languages: English, Spanish, and French. ‘Sol’ is from the Spanish word for ‘sun’ and refers to our first 1,000 kilograms of cacao that were roasted with solar power in Oaxaca. In French, ‘sol’ means soil, acknowledging that you must have the soil of the gods in order to have the food of the gods. In English ‘soul’ reminds us of the importance of conducting our work with a good mind and spirit.
Our vision
A future in which our food system and practices are people-centred, socially-just, ecological, and dignified.
Our mission
To craft revolutionary chocolate that is good for mind, body, and soil.
To lead and inspire- while learning from and alongside- the craft chocolate industry to continually improve its practices, values, and standards.
To work in partnership, collaboration, and co-operation with indigenous communities across the Americas to support community-focused ecological regeneration.
To lead and inspire- while learning from and alongside- the craft chocolate industry to continually improve its practices, values, and standards.
To work in partnership, collaboration, and co-operation with indigenous communities across the Americas to support community-focused ecological regeneration.