Chocolate. It can be found almost anywhere – from convenience stores to the movie theater. Where did that chocolate come from? How it was made? What it was made with? Kasey McCaslin is a local chocolatier who says she believes these questions matter.
It began with a love of food and nutrition. McCaslin teamed up with her good friend Steven Shipler and created Stone Grindz Chocolate four years ago. McCaslin and Shipler began this as a hobby but due to the positive response from buyers, they were able to make their chocolate business into their full time job earlier this year.
“The main incentive was a way to make money, but we also wanted to get more involved in the local food movement,” McCaslin said. “We had an idea to start a small food company and sell at local markets and it kinda blossomed on its own.”
The imported cacao beans come from an Ecuadorian farm that emphasizes sustainable growing. An important part of how they work is that they don’t rush their process. They are deliberate in how much time is spent in roasting, mixing and molding.
“We want to sell our process,” McCaslin said. “We want people to know the flavors they are getting, we specifically made it that way. We made it unique.”
There’s chocolate, and then there’s craft chocolate. The reason for that terminology that can be found on their website and wrappers is the care they place into making it. A buyer doesn’t know much about the chocolate they can buy in a store – where the cacao beans came from, what kind of farm those beans came from, the process in which they were made. McCaslin emphasizes buying chocolate from smaller scaled vendors because “we take initiative to make sure we’re doing it the right way, it’s not about profit.”
“One of my daughters and I taste tested the chocolate and really liked it,” Phoenix Public Market goer Robyn Vandandaigue said. “I bought a five pack and munched away. [McCaslin] was very sweet, and we like supporting local and small businesses.”
Selling from Anthem to Gilbert and the cities in between, Stone Grindz wants its chocolate to be known all around. On Saturday mornings, McCaslin makes the time to be a vendor at the Phoenix Public Market. Although originally from the east coast, McCaslin said Phoenix “feels more like home than anything.”
“What initially drew me to their booth were the raw energy bars,” Gilbert Farmers Market goer Stacy Amador reviewed on Facebook. “As a chocolate lover, I obviously had to try it, and I was surprised at how much I liked it as I am new to the dark chocolate side.”
From flavors like Banana Nut and Kale Yeah!, the raw energy bars were a product McCaslin originally made only for herself. Because of Arizona’s hot climate, she realized chocolate might not appeal to some during the summer. She sold the bars one public market morning, and they got such a positive response, she’s kept them on the table ever since.
Being a vendor is a one-of-a-kind experience. People attend markets because they want to buy fresh and they want to support their local businesses. If a vendor really sways a member of the community, they’ll continue buying their products online. About 90 percent of Stone Grindz’s online sales are from people who sampled their products at a market, McCaslin said.
“I enjoy that it gives me an opportunity to educate,” McCaslin said. “Not only am I selling, I’m getting to connect with other people and tell them something they don’t know.”
Who McCaslin gets her cacao beans from is essential. Big corporations don’t often employ fair trade methods to obtain their cacao. The farmers are forced to produce a lot more in order to receive a decent check. As McCaslin pointed out, the problem with that is that method ruins that area where the cacao beans naturally grow. If the soil doesn’t have time to settle after farming, it makes the land unusable.
“It’s a bad cycle,” McCaslin said. “It’s more advantageous for companies to not care so they don’t properly give back to the farmers. We are working with farmers that are trying to grow cacao in an efficient way.”
By purchasing beans from sustainable farmers, McCaslin is doing what she can to help promote sustainable growing and give back to the people who are responsible for the farming. Stone Grindz prides itself in supporting the fair-trade craft. The chocolate McCaslin produces comes in various flavors from 84 percent cacao Midnight Dark to 70 percent cacao Cinnamon Cayenne to 60 percent cacao Mint and Cashew. What is McCaslin’s favorite?
“Twilight Dark,” McCaslin said. “The only bar I can eat completely is Twilight because of its high cacao concentration.”
Stone Grindz sells at various markets in downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Ahwatukee and Anthem. To find more about Stone Grindz and its products, click here.
