HARPER MACAW, HOW DID IT COME TO BE? MY WIFE IS FROM BRAZIL,
WHICH IS A MAJOR CACAO PRODUCING COUNTRY. WE ACTUALLY MET AT
COLLEGE AT NYU AND SHE HAD AN EARLY LIFE CRISIS LEAVING THE
CORPORATE STUFF, WENT TO CULINARY SCHOOL, GOT INVOLVED IN
CHOCOLATE AND BASICALLY WANTED TO BUILD A CAREER IN CHOCOLATE.
SHE KIND OF CONVINCED ME TO HELP HER START THIS. AS THE BORING
FINANCE ACCOUNTING GUY. SO I THOUGHT, I ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY
SOMETHING ENTREPRENEURIAL, WE MIGHT AS WELL DO IT WHILE WE'RE
YOUNG. SO WE JUST.. WE NAIVELY THREW OURSELVES INTO IT. AND HAD
NO IDEA ABOUT HOW MANY RESOURCES IT WOULD TAKE AND HOW MUCH
KNOWLEDGE THAT WE DIDNT HAVE. SO WE DID SPEND ABOUT A YEAR AND A
HALF, TWO YEARS RESEARCHING, TRAVELING A LOT THROUGH
DIFFERENT PARTS OF BRAZIL AND LATIN AMERICA JUST LEARNING
ABOUT CACAO PRODUCTION. EVERYTHING REALLY AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN. UNDERSTANDING HOW COMPLEX AND
REALLY KIND OF MESSED UP THE ENTIRE COCOA INDUSTRY AND SUPPLY
CHAIN IS. WE DECIDED WE WANTED TO PROVIDE A MODEL ON A
SMALL LEVEL, KIND OF VERY SMALL INCREMENTAL CHANGE IN HOW THAT
SUPPLY CHAIN WORKED. SO THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH EVERYTHING WE
DO HERE WITH REGARD TO PURCHASING DIRECTLY FROM
PRODUCERS, PAYING THEM PRICES FOR THEIR COCOA THAT ARE MUCH
HIGHER THAN FAIR TRADE PREMIUMS. AND MAKING EVERYTHING FROM
SCRATCH, FROM THE RAW COCOA BEAN ALL THE WAY THROUGH TEN
DIFFERENT MANUFACTURING STEPS TO THE FINISHED CHOCOLATE BAR.
THIS MACHINE WILL TAKE OUT, FIRST OF ALL, ANYTHING THAT IS
NOT A COCOA BEAN, ROCKS, STICKS, DUST, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S CHOCOLATE IN A RAW STATE. OKAY. I LIKE IT WHEN IT
HAS SUGAR IN IT. EXACTLY. PHASE II, GOING INTO THE
GRINDING, REFINING PROCESS, WHICH IS, SIMPLY PUT, PARTICLE
REDUCTION AND FLAVOR DEVELOPMENT. CHOP UP THE COCOA,
ADD IN THE CANE SUGAR, IF WE'RE MAKING A MILK CHOCOLATE, WE ADD
IN THE MILK POWDER. WE GRIND IT UP INTO A PASTE THAT THEN FLOWS
DOWN INTO THE BUFFER. HOW MUCH COCOA DOES THAT YIELD.
1600 TO 2600 CHOCOLATE BARS. THIS IS A PROCESS CALLED
TEMPERING. WE TAKE THE FINISHED LIQUID CHOCOLATE AND IT'S KEPT
HOT IN A BOWL THERE. THIS IS WHERE WE MOLD THE CHOCOLATE INTO
BARS. ANNA IS MOLDING OUR MINI BARS RIGHT NOW.
THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU.
HMM, HMM.
THAT'S MUCH BETTER THAN A HERSHEY'S THING I USED TO
SQUEEZE INTO MY -- WE TRY! ONCE THESE MOLDS HAVE KIND OF
SAT THERE FOR A LITTLE BIT, THEY'RE READY TO GO INTO THE
COOLING TUNNEL. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A HIGH SPEED, LIKE I
LOVE LUCY TYPE SITUATION. IT'S A VERY SLOW CONVEYER BELT RUNNING
FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES. IT TAKES 20 MINUTES FOR THE CHOCOLATE
MOLDS TO GET THROUGH. SO IT COMES OUT AT THE END AND WE DROP
THOSE INTO THESE COOKIE SHEETS RIGHT HERE, BUNCH OF CHOCOLATES
BARS THERE. THESE ARE READY TO PACKAGE. OUR PACKAGING SYSTEM IS
VERY LABOR INTENSIVE. WE DON'T HAVE SOME FANCY PACKAGING
MACHINE, WE DON'T WANT TO WRAP OUR CHOCOLATE BARS THE WAY YOU
WOULD GET A KIT KAT BAR WRAPPED. SO WE DO IT BY HAND. IN THE
END WHY SHOULD PEOPLE CARE ABOUT GETTING AN ETHICALLY SOURCED
CHOCOLATE. THE QUALITY IS ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVEL.
YOU'RE CONNECTING AT A MUCH DEEP LEVEL WITH NOT JUST THE MAKERS
OURSELVES...YOU KNOW WHO IS MAKING YOUR PRODUCT, IT'S NOT
LIKE A WHITE LABELED PRODUCT, YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S COMING
FROM THAT HIDES BEHIND CERTIFICATIONS TO SAY IT'S HIGH
QUALITY. AND THE STORY OF WHERE THE PRODUCT COMES FROM, THE FACT
WE HAVE A REGENERATIVE BUSINESS MODEL, GIVING A PORTION OF THAT
SALE BACK TO THE RAIN FOREST IN BRAZIL TO HELP RAIN FOREST AT
THE SOURCE, I THINK CREATES A MORE HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE,
SOMETHING PEOPLE CAN REALLY IDENTIFY WITH.