Chocosol
Chocosol is a social enterprise in the business of transforming cacao, the food of the gods, into small-batch, bean-to-bar, artisanal dark chocolate. The team pursues creating sustainable chocolate because they recognize that a strong, sustainable food system means everything. Throughout their offerings, Chocosol hopes to showcase what it looks like to enjoy gourmet, healthy, and delicious foods that are good for mind, body, and soil. The concept of Chocosol was originally founded in 2004, in Oaxaca, Mexico, by Michael Sacco. Chocosol has been based in Toronto since 2006. The origin of the name has links to three languages: English, French, and Spanish. 'Sol' is for the Spanish word for 'sun', and refers to the first 1,000 kilograms of cacao that were roasted with solar power in Oaxaca. In French, 'Sol' means soil, acknowledging that you must have the soil of the gods to have the food of the gods. In English, 'Soul' reminds us of the importance of conducting our work with a good mind and spirit.
The vision at Chocosol is a future in which our food system and practices are people-centred, socially just, ecological, and dignified. Chocosol's vision is to craft revolutionary chocolate that is good for mind, body, and soil. To lead and inspire, while learning from and alongside, the craft chocolate industry to continually improve its practices, values, and standards. To work in partnership, collaboration, and cooperation with Indigenous communities across the Americas, to support community-focused ecological regeneration.
Chocosol describes their growing process as eco-regenerative. What this means, is that Chocosol is striving to leave the forest gardens where their growing partners are harvesting cacao better than when they found them. This is accomplished through encouraging biodiversity, planting new species of cacao, research projects, and learning from Indigenous growing partners.
Chocosol embraces the mission of Graze & Gather, which is to build a community of farmers and food lovers for the future wellbeing of people and the planet. There are a few ways that Chocosol is working towards this goal. Internally, Chocosol hosts bi-annual solstice meetings to gain feedback from their learning community and chocolistas on how it is going and where they are going. Chocosol wants to know the employees that they work alongside, both as co-workers and individual people. For the environment, Chocosol has a local green-roof projects that many hands tend to each summer, they use a low emission roaster for all coffee and chocolate, and they use pedal power to transport some of their chocolate to the Market by bicycle. With Chocosol's growing partners, they support local co-operatives and families of growers that care about their land, and the longevity of the land to support future generations.
