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ChocoSol
ChocoSol isn't just about making chocolate. Its philosophy, Mathieu McFadden tells me, is about "community, social enterprise, and traditional methods."
You'll find ChocoSol on the fourth floor of 6 St. Joseph building at Yonge and Wellesley. Reminiscing about my childhood visits to chocolate factories, I was expecting to be overpowered by the aroma of churning chocolate as I passed through the bright yellow door. Not so. I climbed up the flights of stairs and was taken right into ChocoSol's kitchen. Simple, clean, and traditional. Perfectly representative of what the ChocoSol community stands for.
The enterprise was born out of Michael Sacco's experiences in Mexico. There he learned about the qualities of various native cacao beans and traditional processes of grinding and preparation. ChocoSol uses those same methods, including stone-grinding its fair trade beans, at its Yonge and Wellesley kitchen.
"Everything is open-sourced and made with very little processing," McFadden tells me. "We start right from the bean, and our process is low shear and low heat. The result is an earthier chocolate, with a lot more flavour."
ChocoSol has 20 varieties of cacao in its kitchen. The key, says McFadden, is pairing the right ingredients together. I try its 75% dark chocolate, which has a rich, full-bodied, almost fermented taste. "That's the Porcelana," McFadden says, breaking me a piece of the bean. "It has sort of a red wine taste."
ChocoSol's chocolate bars and sipping chocolate are available for purchase right from their kitchen, though it does much of its selling at local farmer's markets. The team tries to use as little packaging as possible, and while the kitchen does have some hemp bags and other products in which you can take home your chocolate ($20 minimum purchase), they encourage you to bring your own Tupperware or some other reusable container.
"We want this to be as environmentally friendly as possible," McFadden tells me. Actually, the team is in the midst of creating what they hope will be Toronto's greenest kitchen. The zero-waste kitchen, which would also produce other products such as tortillas, granola, and pie, would rely on petal, solar, and other renewable sources of power, as well as serve as a community hub and learning environment. Though McFadden says the location is "top-secret," he hopes it will be up and running in time for summer solstice.
Photos by Dennis Marciniak
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I volunteer with ChocoSol. You can come to the loft any time Monday - Friday, 10 - 6 to pick up some eating or drinking chocolate. We don't have drinking chocolate ready made at the loft, but we can give you instructions on how to make it at home.
As Blamb said, you can find us at most farmers markets. Right now you can find us at Evergreen, Dufferin Grove, Wychood, Sorauran, Apple Tree and CBC markets.
You don't HAVE to bring your own container, but hey, why not? Save on paper.
We'll be hosting many workshops in the months to come, so stay tuned to our website.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12335548@N00/3727377866
Support their business and hope they get a new delivery vehicle soon!
but it's pedal power, not petal!!!
http://www.karmacoop.org/
Chili spiced dark chocolate bars
1075 Bathurst
Wed-sat1-7
http://www.rockethub.com/projects/1132-cacao-solar-roaster-pedal-powered-winnower
I had met Micheal selling the chocosol chocolates on Yonge St. just across from the Bell Building near Eglinton at a little outside market. This chocolate was darkness and hemp gold was amazing! I need more for my figure competition coming up on the long weekend in Cleveland. It's a North American Competition (with bodybuilding as well). Where can I find you guys so I can purchase before I leave on Wednesday?
Please contact me @ lararvp@rogers.com or (905) 302-8272
laraleewilliams.com
email, nanaolivia42@yahoo.com
OMG!!!! i could not get over the amazing taste!!! i loved the grit of the cocoa bean and the smooth chocolate. i actually purchased 2 hot chocolate pucks to take home but ended up eating a whole puck one night ....oops..... i only wish they were in hamilton cause man that would be my new drug!!!
thx guys!!!
sonia
soniaspieceofcake.ca