Moksha Chocolate is organic artisan chocolate made bean-to-bar in Boulder, Colorado with heirloom cacao from our own farm in Peru.
Fair trade, female founded by Boulder native Jen Caines and her husband Michael. Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and crafted in small batches. We even press our own cacao butter in-house. It's a beautiful hyper-local Colorado product that plays well with other luxury and gourmet items. Besides our dark chocolates we also make very popular "pink chocolate", a raspberry white delicacy, grean tea Japanese matcha white chocolate, flaky sea salt dark chocolate, crunchy cacao nibs in dark chocolate, plus vegan milk chocolate, and fruity combinations such as cherry, blueberry, and raspberry. Our 3.2 oz. bars and .5 ounce square pouches look amazing in gift baskets. Y hablamos español.
Moksha is the husband and wife team of Jennifer, a world traveler, and Michael Caines, a horticulturalist.
Their endeavor into chocolate started in 2013, when Michael, an Australian transplant, grew tired of his foray into IT and longed to return to food and farming. When given the opportunity to visit and purchase a cocoa farm in Peru, Michael knew this was his chance to get his hands dirty again. But there was one problem — the local cocoa farm’s profits were not making their way back to the community. Michael set out to ensure that the farmers were paid more than market value, in order to improve the local economy and to utilize traditional growing practices to yield a high-quality cacao bean.
In late 2017, the first pilot project of four tons of cacao beans arrived in Boulder Colorado. Michael took to the internet, teaching himself every aspect of fine-chocolate making. From roasting, winnowing and grinding the beans to tempering and molding, he strived to perfect the process. His meticulousness resulted in a deep and uniquely flavored bar, showcasing the single-origin, ethically harvested cacao.
How did your business come to exist?
Through a family connection, we were able to buy a chocolate farm in the Peruvian highlands. Michael Caines, my husband, was a horticulturist before running a successful computer hardware business, and yearned invest in a region that could use an economic boost and where he could use his extensive plant knowledge and experience as a chef, his true passion. I am bilingual in Spanish and our extended family is part Peruvian, so it was something we were all excited about.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Our favorite part of this job is staying true to our values, carefully sourcing our ingredients and improving the lives of farm families in Peru with our mindful investment and management. (And eating the best chocolate ever made.)
What are you known for?
We are known for setting up the farmers co-op that helps the community in the Shanao region of Peru, protecting the watershed of the Amazon and biodiversity with our farming techniques, but that's just the beginning. We craft our bars in Boulder from bean to bar, often working late into the night to get orders out. Our seasonal varieties such as our holiday layered peppermint bark sold out quickly. Now it's pink chocolate that people are ordering almost as fast as we can make it.
What do you like to do outside of work?
You could find Michael cutting wood for a Cub Scout project or trying to make cheese! I hike every day without fail, love yoga and my book group, and keep my kids as active outdoors as possible since school and sports have been so limited lately.
What is your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge we have had is seeing our clients having a rough time, and the pandemic's pressures and limitations with everyone we care about. We are news junkies and are concerned about social inequity in our country. As a family it's hard to not be putting on big gourmet dinners, kid's play dates, and just freely being with friends and traveling.
In 2020 we figured out how to evolve with the pandemic by forming partnerships with other local purveyors of coffee and whiskey and other consumables. We keep working hard to stay positive and connected in the community.
If you had to choose between two superpowers, between flying or being invisible, which would you choose?
We would definitely choose to fly over being invisible! We would fly right to the farm again if we could, it’s time for a visit :)
Get in Touch with Jen
Website: https://mokshachocolate.com/
Instagram: @mokshachocolate
Facebook: Moksha Chocolate
Email: jen@mokshachocolate.com
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