A few weeks ago I wrote a story about Bar Au Chocolat, one of my favorite chocolate makers. It happens to be owned and operated by a woman, Nicole Trutanich. In the story I said that female chocolate makers are a rarity, a minority in a field almost completely dominated by white men.
I was talking about lone women chocolate makers, women who physically make the chocolate on their own and solely own their company. The good news is that there are many more of these women than I thought! Plus there are the many people who own companies with male partners: They might spend time working on machines, or they might keep the books, focus on marketing, or do any other number of tasks that are vital for running a business. That’s why this list includes both lone female makers and women who are part of a female-and-male team (many of them couples).
Many of these companies are brand new and pretty tiny; furthermore, most of the makers that experts consider the best in the business are owned and run by men. For example, at the 2016 Good Food Awards, no female-owned craft chocolate maker won any awards. Three out of 10, though, went to companies owned by a woman and a man (Fruition, Just Good Chocolate, and Ritual). Meanwhile at the International Chocolate Awards 2015 (the 2016 winners haven’t been announced yet), 18 American companies won awards: Only 3 of those were won by companies with female and male owners (Millcreek Cacao, Fruition, and Ritual) and only 3 were won by lone female chocolate makers (Starchild, Castronovo, and Ethereal).
Culled from your responses on Facebook to my piece and my own research, here’s an admittedly incomplete list of female chocolate makers in the U.S. This includes women who make chocolate on their own and who are part of a female-and-male team that makes chocolate together. (Thanks to Brady Belinski at FlavorsofCacao.com for an amazing list and resource.)
Sole Female Makers
Carol Morse at Acalli
Melanie Flores at Anahata
Nicole Trutanich Bar Au Chocolat
Regina Monaco at Bronx Grrl Chocolate
Jennifer Wicks at Burnt Fork Bend
Kristen Hard at Cacao Atlanta
Denise Castronovo at Castronovo Chocolate
Erika Chavez-Graziano at Cellar Door Chocolates
Carrie Anderson at Chocolate Compromiso
Patricia Tsai at Chocovivo
Karla McNeil-Rueda at Cru
Damaris Graves at Cultura Craft Chocolate
Lynn Kronschnabel at Del Sol
Laurie Rice at Dulcinea Craft Chocolate
Mary Ervin and Sara Miller at Ethereal Confections
Nichole Warner at Fresh Coast
Mackenzie at Map Chocolate
Katja Reitemeyer at Marin Munchies
Elena Sirignano at Mayacama
Daphne McClure at Moloa’a Bay
Makesha Duncan at Night Owl
Journey Shannon at Noir d’Ebine
Erin Andrews at Indi
Julie Waterman at Indulgence
Nancy Nadel at Oakland Chocolate Co.
Lisa Nelson at Roots
Julie McLean at Sibu Sura
Tracy Thompson at Sjolinds Chocolate
Samantha Fox at Source Chocolate
Kasey McCaslin at Stone Grindz
Rebecca Ankenbrand at Sweet Minou
Julie Farrell at Tease
Lauren Heineck at Wknd Chocolate
Female-and-Male Teams
Leslie and David Senk at Arete
Tamara and Zan at Batch Craft
Callie Neylan and Will Dixon at Bellflower
Tracey Britton and Eli Curtis at Bisou
Mary and Carl Matice at Cao Artisan
Debi and Ned Russell at Cello
Katherine Reed and Josiah Mayo at Chequessett
Janet, Tim, and Kevin Straub at Creo
Gila and Joel Dar at Dar
Joanne and Dan Sundell at Dark Forest
Jael and Dan Rattigan at French Broad
Renee Shuman and Logan Byrd at Frolic
Dahlia and Bryan Graham at Fruition
Sarah and Colin Hartman at Harper Macaw
Corey and David Menkes at LetterPress
Marlene and Paul Picton at Maverick
Stephanie and Andy Jackson at Middlebury
Dana Brewster and Mark DelVecchio at Millcreek Cacao Roasters
Barbara Wilson and Joe Meza at Mindo Chocolate Makers
Radinal Latuconsin and Yohanse Makmur Molucca
Katy Oursler and Stephen Beaumier at Mutari
Sandra Bedoya and David Mejia at Nibble
Alix and Toby Gadd at Nuance
Lisa and Jim Rast at Nutwhats
Tiffany and Ben Howard at Pinnacle
Rhonda, George, and Patrick Zender at Ranger
Anna Davies and Robbie Stout at Ritual
Celeste Walker and James Hull at Snake & Butterfly
Crisoire and Eric Reid at Spagnvola
Robin and Bob Williamson-Simoneaux at SRSLY
Brittany and Ash Maki at Starchild
Tiffany and Richard Dull at Tchefuncte
Michelle Holland and Scott Moore Jr. at Tejas
Kristen and Josh at Terroir
Alison and Hans Westerink at Violet Sky
Paige and Bob Leavitt at Vivra
Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt at Xocolalt
Maureen and Jim Elitzak at Zak’s
Did I leave someone out or make a mistake? Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook or Twitterand I’ll add their name to the list.
Read More Stories!
Chocolate for the Table: How Taza Transforms a Mexican Drink Into a Bar With Bite