Blog

The most important things that happen at GDC can’t be summed or divided in a spreadsheet; they are the random uplifting moments that happen in the shop, the kind words, the loving intentions of the incredible people that orbit this small business.

From bears breaking into the shop to features in the NYTimes, an unprecedented global cocoa crisis to new international friends, 2024 has been an eventful year at Grocer's Daughter Chocolate!

Whether you visited us in-store or sent GDC treats to loved ones, it’s because of you this little business continues to thrive. Thank you for another year of unforgettably sweet moments! Here’s some of the highlights. 

I'm writing with updates from our shops as we kick-off the celebration of Grocer's Daughter Chocolate’s 20th birthday in 2024! It’ll be a year full of fun promotions, special classes and some exciting new offerings in the shops this summer. We’re also facing new challenges, like the unprecedented price spike in the global cocoa industry and what it means for us and chocolate industry in general.

In normal circumstances, the craft chocolate industry would be overjoyed at news of a global cocoa price increase. But this year’s record-breaking spike — from approx $2,000/metric ton to over $10,000/metric ton — isn’t translating into higher profits for the most impoverished cocoa farmers.

Trips to origin mean we ensure that what we value is being protected in every step of the process. We value dignified trading practices, we value opportunity for women, we value quality in our products, and we value products that come from sound ecological practices.

Twenty entrepreneur minded farmers gather around an old bench in Padilla, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The splintered wooden slabs that usually serve as seats are currently supporting 15 cacao pods. The pods are covered in tough skin and have a variety of tones ranging from brown, red, green, and even purple.

Walk into any deli or bakery and you’re sure to find what can easily be considered a sweet tooth’s best friend: chocolate chip cookies. But much like with the clothes you put on this morning, you are perhaps impervious to the story that the chocolate chips are telling you through the glass counter. Lucky for you, here at GDC we speak chocolate, and we want to share with you the story that those delicious chocolate morsels are melting for you to know.

Over the past several days I've been tasting 16 samples of liquor and chocolate per day for an exciting project - the expansion of the Latin American Cocoa Flavor map.

In these times of marvelous human invention - putting a man on the moon, exploring the depths of the ocean and communicating almost instantaneously with someone across the globe - our intellect as a species seems limitless. Yet, incredibly, we still haven't figured out how to live together in harmony.