Tasting Experience: Rich, Creamy, Silky, Chocolatey Goodness
It’s nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite bar among the multi-awarded Goodnow Farms lineup. Each bar is an exquisite masterpiece expression of the fine flavor bean it showcases. That said, this Classic 55% Dark Milk Chocolate Bar is new to the Goodnow collection and made from Dominican Republic cacao and high quality milk powder from Organic West. It is velvety, delectable, sophisticated and a bar I select when I’m in the mood for a little decadent comfort
- Silver - Academy of Chocolate 2021
- SFA New Product - SOFI Awards 2021
The beans for this bar come from the 1,019-acre Zorzal Reserve near the northern shore of the Dominican Republic. Zorzal Reserve is home to a cacao estate but it is also a bird sanctuary and welcomes the Bicknell Thrush. Below is an image of the actual bird enjoying life on the reserve as well as a mural depicting one, painted by local artists. Goodnow Farms makers Tom and Monica took the mural photo on their Zorzal trip.
Shortly after the reserve was established as a protected land in 2012, founder Charles Kerchner decided to help local cacao farmers receive higher prices for their beans while raising money to maintain the grounds. Zorzal Cacao was born to meet the needs of the local people while preserving their environment. What started as a 20-acre farm is now almost ten times its original size! Farmers began planting unique varietals on the grounds of the reserve a decade ago, and In 2018 Zorzal Estate experts replaced the original fermentation and drying facility with a larger, more modern one in the nearby town of San Francisco de Macoris.
Zorzal Cacao not only utilizes the beans that grow within the protected land but also purchases beans from fifteen local farmers who work outside of the reserve, paying them 50% more than the local rate. The new post-harvest facility is the perfect size to handle the beans that are grown within and just beyond the reserve. The fermentation and drying center is locally staffed by six full-time workers and more than a dozen seasonal workers. All earn salaries that are above minimum wage and receive other perks such as access to a no-interest revolving credit line, ESL classes, and travel and training opportunities to enhance their skills.
The Goodnow Farms makers carefully selected the milk powder for this bar, too. It’s from a company called Organic West which sources from family owned and operated dairies on the west coast All the cows are pasture raised and their milk is antibiotic, GMO and rBST-free.
And now, meet Tom and Monica, your Goodnow Farms chocolate makers!
Tom and Monica Rogan, the excellent team behind Goodnow Farms Chocolate, have developed friendships with the cacao farmers whose fine flavor beans they meticulously source. This dynamic duo follows the beans, traveling directly to origin to secure outstanding, flavor-packed cacao. Here they are at the Zorzal Reserve among the colorful pods with their two young children.
They’ve learned so much about post harvest practices and often request that their farmer partners ferment and dry the beans according to their custom specifications.
Tom and Monica pay significantly more than Fair Trade prices to ensure that farmers earn fair wages and engage in sustainable practices.
Another reason why Goodnow Farms Chocolate is utterly superb is the fresh-pressed single origin cocoa butter that Tom and Monica incorporate into their bars. Many chocolate makers do not press their own cocoa butter, but these dedicated makers go above and beyond the standard to provide an authentic single origin experience, with cacao beans and butter hailing from the same terroir. This labor of love results in a rich, lusciously flavorful chocolate.
Every bar is lovingly made and wrapped by hand at the Rogans’ 225 year-old farm on Goodnow Road (named after one of the town’s first settlers) in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
- Ingredients: Single Origin Zorzal Cacao Beans, Organic Sugar, Single Origin Fresh Pressed Cocoa Butter, Organic Nonfat Milk Powder
- Net Weight: 55 g./ 1.94 oz.
- Country of Origin: USA