Award-winning local chocolatier AJ Wentworth with The Chocolate Conspiracy opened shop in 2009. With his background and certifications in Holistic Health Counseling and as a Live-Foods Instructor, he developed an “insatiable love of raw, vegan desserts.” Especially raw cacao. What did he do with that fascination? He founded a raw chocolate company.
When AJ started the company, few other chocolatiers made fine bean-to-bar chocolate without roasting. It is still rare, to be honest. They make their bars without refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, soy, gluten, or artificial flavors. So what makes the bars a sweet treat? Local, raw, and unfiltered honey.
Like many small food producers, The Chocolate Conspiracy was impacted by the pandemic. When rents were raised, they had to move out of their longtime location (next door to Ruby Snap). But ultimately, they ended up in a new factory storefront and production facility that better suited their needs. They opened that location earlier this year on 1242 S Redwood Road. Working with longtime partner Erika, AJ said of the new space, “We’re just like a simple mom-and-pop shop, and it works. It really works. We really like coming to work. We both know the business’s whole scope and can do everything. So if I’m not around or need a day off, she’s got it. And if she’s out of count right now, I’m running the place.”
Another significant change along with the new location is a more streamlined product mix. You’ll see less in the way of chocolate bark and truffles and hot chocolate. “We also aren’t doing any production for other brands. At all,” said AJ. “Now we are focused on doing collaboration bars, but it’s still our product. The awesome thing is we’ve been able to focus on collaborations and get back to simplicity.”
By collaboration, AJ is talking about beer chocolate bars and whiskey-infused chocolate. Which we are here for! The inspiration came from beer and chocolate pairing events that The Chocolate Conspiracy did with Caputo’s and Fisher Brewing. AJ talked about the origin of collaboration partnerships. “Honestly, it started because I would leave work because I needed a break,” he said. “At the time, Fisher Brewing was around the corner. So, I’d go over to Fisher, I’d have a beer, and I’d grab some food, and I would have a little walk around the neighborhood, and then I’d go back to work. I developed a great relationship with those guys. I love them. They’re awesome. And as we got to talking, that’s when we started the beer/chocolate infusion process. They helped me navigate how to infuse the beer into the chocolate.”
It sounds like a mad scientist venture. “First, we tried adding powdered hops,” explained AJ. “We tried liquid hops. Then, we tried caramelizing the beer. I tried like 10 different variations of how to infuse this flavor. And finally, we just stumbled on the simplest method. We soak the cocoa nibs in the beer for about 10 days, strain off the beer, dry the nibs, and then make the chocolate.”
Right now, you can purchase three local beer collaboration bars at The Chocolate Conspiracy:
- Uintah Baba Black Lager Bar 75% cacao – Dark Chocolate
- Level Crossing Soul Rex Double IPA Bar 75% cacao – Dark Chocolate
- Kiitos Coffee Cream Ale Bar 75% cacao – Dark Chocolate
You can look for three more beer collaborations coming later this year, along with a Sugar House Distillery bourbon old-fashioned chocolate bar. The goal is to have a six-pack of chocolate beer bars you can take home. Look for The Chocolate Conspiracy at Caputos, local Harmons and Whole Foods locations, and various local markets and shops. You can also purchase online at eatchocolateconspiracy.com
Join AJ for a tour on the first Friday of every month at 3:00 PM. Get details here.
