Travelgirls will always support small family businesses, and when that business is chocolate, well, it makes it even better! That’s why we’re loving Vesta, a bean-to-craft chocolate company by husband and wife duo Roger Rodriguez and Julia Choi Rodriquez. Based in Montclair, NJ, the craft chocolate factory uses organic cacao beans and transforms them into delicious chocolate bars, bonbons, baked goods and spreads. What makes their products even more special is that they apply French techniques to the best cacao Latin America produces.
Prior to starting Vesta, Roger was a master Chocolate Maker at Cacao Prieto in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and his love for chocolate may be inherited. His grandfather had a cacao farm in the Dominican Republic. Julia is a noted food stylist of Baby One More Bit.
For the holidays, Vesta has put together a collection of gift boxes, including Vegan Luxe ($110); Hot Chocolate Sampler ($110); Signature Brownies + Cookies ($65) and Bean to Bar Trio ($25).
www.vestachocolate.com
