I love chocolate so much I kept a drawer in my kitchen solely for keeping chocolate. One day, I read about a class online about how to make chocolate. Since I love to cook and bake, I thought, “Sure! I want to learn how to make chocolate!”

I started with one melanger machine. This machine takes cocoa nibs and sugar and over a three-day period, grinds it into chocolate. I taught myself how to temper and mold the chocolate after it comes out of the melanger.  This satisfied me for a year or so but then I wanted to be able to make chocolate from the bean not from just a nib. To turn beans into nibs, I purchased a roaster, a cracker and a winnowing machine. 

The fixation grew … currently, I am a small-batch craft bean-to-bar chocolatier. The types of bars and confections I am making, these days, are almond toffee milk chocolate, candied ginger dark chocolate, Chinese 5-spice milk chocolate, pure milk and pure dark chocolate, chocolate covered marshmallows (that I also make by hand) and chocolate covered fruit. 

I am experimenting and creating new combinations and ideas all the time! I am licensed with the state of Minnesota as a Cottage Food Producer and am able to sell direct to consumer. I look forward to meeting you and anyone as in love with chocolate as I am!

Cheers!

—Amanda Flowers, Chocolatier