spenser magazine: issue four

and then finally at a certain point we decided it was all or nothing. So we got a loan and bought the antique equipment we use today.”

Fast forward to the tiny Escazú storefront in the Blount Street neighborhood just north of downtown Raleigh. The simple storefront has a bright, open atmosphere much like its namesake in Costa Rica. The air is positively thick with the aroma of chocolate — a deep rich flavor that you can almost taste with every breath. Customers have even been known to linger, waiting to regain their composure after the initial rush of chocolate delight.

Of course, the shop wouldn’t exist without the ongoing relationships they have with their cacao farmers.

“It’s amazing how willing these farms are to work with us,” Parsons explains. “The Costa Rican farm, for example: He sells most of his crop to a company in Belgium. He doesn’t have to sell to me. He chooses to sell it to us because he also wants to support small producers that are making high quality chocolate.”

Particularly vulnerable to economic, environmental, and political issues, today’s chocolate maker has to have more than one source of beans.

Venezuela happens to be a world-renowned source of criollo, the oldest and arguably finest variety of cacao. And in another lucky stroke of fate, Parson’s partner and head chocolatier, Danielle Centeno, was able to draw upon her Venezuelan heritage to make inroads with that country’s premier grower.

“They really have it down. This family, their knowledge is astounding.” Parson says, his voice trailing off.

“I talked to the son and then the father, and the grandfather is still around, and before that it was the great grandfather,” Centeno chimes in. “It has been like that for ages. At first they just listened because I’m from Venezuela. They weren’t so ready to sell us beans. We had to send them chocolate, and then work with them to prove we were worthy of their cacao.”

While Escazú sources most of their beans from Costa Rica and Venezuela, they have recently started importing beans from other Latin American countries as well.

“We are always looking for something new and interesting,” says Parson. “There are some regions that are just being discovered that have some really goods beans. Five years from now there might be more stuff on the market from even newer places.”

With sources identified, getting the beans from Central or South America to North Carolina was yet another adventure in research, relationships, and regulations. The first step is to get the dried beans from farm to the shipper. Beyond that, there’s getting through customs regulations on both ends, shipping to the United States and transport from the U.S. port of entry to storage in North Carolina.