August Edition

A New Origin: Río Samaria, Mexico 

The practice of drinking cacao dates back thousands of years in Mexico. Traditions held by the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs influence Mexican culture today. Yet much of the country’s cacao remains unfermented. Revival Cacao, founded by Alejandro Zamorano in 2017, is rethinking tradition, with the goal of introducing their beans to the craft chocolate market. Meet our newest origin: Río Samaria. We’re joined by Ron, our Cocoa Sourcing Manager, and Nate, Senior Chocolate Maker, to learn more. 

Let’s start with the chocolate. What’s the flavor profile of our new Río Samaria bar?

Nate: It’s very classic dark chocolate in flavor, with an interesting fruity note that was a pleasant surprise when we were developing it. I taste more of a stone fruit or a plum variation, but other team members have called out notes of topical fruit. For me, it has a kind of woody, earthy finish. It’s an interesting combination of flavors.

Ron: One thing that was interesting when we started developing the flavor was the fruit note was persistent — in a good way. It really wanted to come through. We want the beans to lead us to the flavor of the resulting chocolate, and it was very clear that these particular beans wanted to …

Our Advent Theme, Revealed

Our 2026 Advent Calendar pre-sale has begun, and we’ve got a brand-new theme: Nordic mythology. As we’ve been developing our Advent Calendars and stargazing tradition over the years, we’ve grown intrigued by stories stemming from the Nordic night sky. This year, we’re pairing the 25 confections with such lore. Keepsakes include an illustrated hardcover book and a Scandinavian paper-cut North Star — part of a centuries-old Nordic tradition. 

Music & Chocolate at 16^th Street

On Thursday, August 20^th at 7 p.m., our Music & Chocolate event at the factory will feature harpist Erica Messer. This will be our first-ever event with a harpist. The night will pair Erica’s compositions with a progression of our desserts for a relaxing, multi-sensory experience full of flavor, texture, and melody. Kayla’s especially excited to host this one.  

Mexican Cocoa, Mission Drinks

Now that we’re making Río Samaria, Mexico chocolate in the factory, we’ve decided to use that origin in both our Mission Hot Chocolate and our Mission Mocha. (We previously used Ambanja, Madagascar chocolate for those café drinks.) After running tests with Río Samaria chocolate, Lisa and our Kitchen team loved its pronounced fruity notes. Given that Mexican culture and heritage are integral to the Mission, being able to make these drinks with Mexican cocoa is a full-circle moment, and something we’ve been wanting to do for years.  

FEATURED RECIPE

Dandelion Chocolate Strawberry Galette            

By Bebe Carminito, Cookbook Author & Food Stylist

We first met Bebe Carminito when she attended one of our Advent Calender tasting panels. Her cookbook, The Curated Board, takes an elevated approach to small bites and spreads. Bebe attended cooking school in S.F. and began her culinary career at A16. With this galette, she turns our chocolate into a silky ganache, layered under farmers’ market strawberries. 

During strawberry season, I can’t get enough of my favorite freckle-faced berry. Think of this like a chocolate-dipped strawberry enrobed in golden, buttery, flaky pastry. This iteration uses mostly spelt in the crust, an ancient grain yielding a slightly nutty profile. It pairs delightfully with the star ingredients. The rich ganache, made with Dandelion’s 70% chocolate, is a perfect counterpart to the fresh strawberries. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

– Bebe

August Makers’ Collection Subscription

Our Makers’ Collection subscription brings six single-origin bars — two bars each, of three distinctive varieties — to your door. This month, Ron’s hand-picked selections include an 85% Maya Mountain, Belize bar. Last fall, 375 farming families across 30 communities voted to take full ownership of Maya Mountain Cacao, allowing the farmers growing cacao to steer the business as well.

Our August Makers’ set features: