Monsoon believes that anything worth doing should be a challenge. Why else would they choose to make chocolate in one of the hottest places in the country? Focused on direct collaboration with their global farming partners and local ingredient inclusion, these young guns are ready to take the chocolate scene by storm. Named for the seasonal floods that feed the desert, their chocolate holds a deep connection to the earth and all the treasures there within.
“The southwest US has a deep, deep connection to cacao. That story is evolving,” says founder Adam Krantz. “For a region that maybe has the most historical context of cacao use in America, it’s now a place where the future of cacao and chocolate is being brought into that story.”
Monsoon crafts chocolate in small batches at their factory in the historic Santa Rita Park neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, using cocoa beans from all over the world. The process of making fine flavor chocolate starts long before the cocoa beans reach their factory.
Head chocolatier Athene Kline, originally Monsoon’s pastry chef when they first opened their doors, holds an intimate respect for each bean the crew sources. Their partnerships are just that – a collaboration with each farm they work with to import cacao. Once the beans are in house, Athene leads a (very small, sometimes solo) team to craft everything from chocolate bars, to malt balls, to chocolate bonbons that are (almost) too pretty to eat.
Their range features beautifully unique origins (nerds know what’s up when they see Tranquilidad), addictively delicious sweet treats (malts, brittles, and chocolate covered fruit, oh my), and a full collection of inclusions honoring their desert heritage (blue corn, mesquite, and James Beard award winning whiskey, to name a few). It’s very easy to see how Monsoon is gaining national notoriety and international acclaim. Let the storm rage on – this flood is just getting rolling.