What Taza Chocolate does

Taza Chocolate is a privately held, family-owned stone ground chocolate maker founded in 2005 by Alex Whitmore and Kathleen Fulton in Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as Whitmore Family Enterprises, LLC. The company produces chocolate using traditional Mexican stone mills (molinos) with hand-carved granite millstones, an eight-step process spanning roasting, winnowing, grinding, mixing, roll refining, tempering and depositing, chilling and de-molding, and packaging. This minimal-processing approach preserves bright, fruity cacao flavors and produces a distinctive gritty texture that differentiates Taza from refined commercial chocolate. The product portfolio centers on Mexican-style chocolate discs (the foundational product inspired by Oaxacan traditions), chocolate bars in textured and smooth varieties, covered nuts and snacks, bulk and baking chocolate, hot chocolate mix, curated gift collections, and digital gift cards. All products are USDA Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Kosher Pareve, and dairy-free, and the company holds five major third-party food safety certifications.

The company's supply chain is built around a small set of long-standing Direct Trade grower partnerships in the Dominican Republic (Finca Elvesia since 2010, OKO CARIBE since 2013), Haiti (PISA since 2015), and Ghana (ABOCFA), all governed by the chocolate industry's first third-party certified Direct Trade cacao sourcing program. In 2025, Taza purchased 201.6 metric tons of beans totaling $2,053,422 from 1,157 farmers across 1,821 certified organic hectares, with 100% of cacao grown in agroforestry systems. The company pays premiums of $800 above market and never less than $4,250 per metric ton, with full transparency disclosed through annual reports. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer e-commerce at tazachocolate.com with free shipping on orders $49+, a physical Factory Store at 561 Windsor Street Somerville, MA, B2B wholesale to retailers and food service across the Northeastern US (Whole Foods, specialty, and natural food stores), and a guided factory tour business with private tours at $180 per group of up to 17 guests.

Taza operates as a bootstrapped, founder/family-owned business with no disclosed external venture capital or institutional investment. The company is led by founder and CEO Alex Whitmore and co-founder and Chief Design Officer Kathleen Fulton, who designed all packaging. Marketing relies on a mix of DTC website content, email, Facebook, Instagram, a Rivo-powered points-based loyalty program, recipe and blog content, public transparency reports, and experiential factory tours. Geographic scope is domestic-only: shipping to contiguous US, Hawaii, and Alaska via UPS, with no international orders accepted.

Name

Taza Chocolate

Legal name

Whitmore Family Enterprises, LLC

Website

https://tazachocolate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Taza Chocolate is a family-owned, USDA Organic stone ground chocolate maker founded in 2005 in Somerville, MA, producing chocolate via traditional Mexican molinos and selling direct-to-consumer, through wholesale to Northeastern US retailers, and via a factory store with guided tours.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Stone Ground Chocolate

NAICS

Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans (311351)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Confectionery Manufacturing (Chocolate, Candy, Gum) (AFAKAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chocolate & Chocolate Confectionery (CRADABAA), Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD)

Keywords

• Stone ground chocolate
• Organic chocolate bars
• Direct trade cacao
• Artisan chocolate maker
• Bulk baking chocolate

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: Taza generates revenue primarily through direct sales of stone ground chocolate products including bars, discs, snacks, and baking chocolate via their e-commerce website and factory store.
2. Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale sales of chocolate products to retailers, grocers, and food service businesses throughout the Northeastern US and beyond.
3. Factory Tours: Revenue from guided factory tour experiences including public tours and private group bookings. Private tours start at $180 per tour for up to 17 guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Taza Chocolate manufactures stone ground chocolate using traditional Mexican molinos (hand-carved granite millstones). The company sells Mexican-style chocolate discs, chocolate bars, chocolate snacks (covered nuts and cacao nibs), bulk and baking chocolate, hot chocolate mix, and curated gift collections. Products are made from USDA Organic, Direct Trade Certified cacao and are sold direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and a Somerville, MA factory store, with additional wholesale distribution.

Product overview

Taza Chocolate is a stone ground chocolate maker offering a portfolio of minimally processed, organic, Direct Trade Certified chocolate products. The core offerings include Mexican Style Chocolate Discs (the foundational product inspired by Oaxacan traditions), Chocolate Bars (in textured and smooth varieties from 44-100% cacao), Chocolate Snacks (covered nuts and cacao nibs), and Bulk & Baking products. Additional offerings include Hot Chocolate Mix, Gift Boxes/Collections, Gift Cards, and an in-person Factory Store & Tours experience in Somerville, MA. All products feature stone ground texture using hand-carved granite millstones (molinos) and are certified USDA Organic, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Kosher, and dairy-free.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mexican Style Chocolate Discs

Quantifiable outcome

• Pay premium of at least $800 above market price, never less than $4,250 per metric ton for cacao
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PISA (Produits Des lles Sa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Export partner in Haiti since 2015. PISA supports local farmers with 1,073 farmers and 35 full-time employees. Taza paid average $7,420 per metric ton, with $6,740 average price paid to farmers per metric ton. Employees earn $5.35 per day wage. Taza sourced 50.4 metric tons in 2025 despite challenges with infrastructure and cross-border cocoa smuggling from Dominican Republic.
• OKO CARIBEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Processor of cacao beans in central Dominican Republic since 2013. Works with 537 farmers. Taza paid average $10,857 per metric ton with $8,436 going to farmers. Supplied 75.6 metric tons in 2025. Chain: Farmers > OKO Caribe > Uncommon Cacao > Taza Chocolate.
• Finca ElvesiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010189-hectare organic cacao farm in Dominican Republic partnered since 2010. Heavily impacted by Hurricane Fiona in 2022 but recovered strongly. Taza paid average $11,358 per metric ton with $7,400 going to farmers. Supplied over 75 metric tons in 2025. Chain: Finca Elvesia > Rizek Cacao > Atlantic Cocoa > Taza Chocolate.
• ABOCFAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrower partner in Ghana. Part of Taza's Direct Trade certified cacao sourcing program ensuring quality organic cacao and fair pricing for farmers.
• Uncommon CacaocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExport partner connecting Taza with cacao producers including OKO Caribe. Part of the supply chain: Farmers > OKO Caribe > Uncommon Cacao > Taza Chocolate.
• Rizek CacaominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExporter handling Finca Elvesia cacao. Chain: Finca Elvesia > Rizek Cacao > Atlantic Cocoa > Taza Chocolate.
• Atlantic CocoaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorImporter/exporter in the supply chain for Finca Elvesia cacao reaching Taza Chocolate.
• Baystate Organic CertifierscoreOthersUSDA-accredited organic certifier based in Massachusetts that independently verifies Taza's Direct Trade claims annually, ensuring transparency and trust in the program.
• Native Green Cane ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable organic sugar supplier that Taza partners with for cane sugar sourcing in the majority of their products.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tony's Chocolonely: Mission-driven premium chocolate brand focused on eliminating slavery in cocoa supply chains. Directly comparable to Taza on ethical-sourcing positioning, bean-to-bar craft credentials, and US distribution through Whole Foods and specialty retail.
• Endangered Species Chocolate: Natural, ethically traded chocolate brand with a percentage-of-sales donation model. Directly competes with Taza in natural/specialty retail with comparable ethical-sourcing narratives and bar SKUs.
• Hu Kitchen: Premium clean-label, paleo-friendly chocolate company emphasizing simple, traceable ingredients. Comparable direct-to-consumer + wholesale premium positioning with overlapping Whole Foods customer base.
• Vosges Haut-Chocolat: Chicago-based artisan chocolate maker known for exotic flavors and premium gifting collections. Comparable craft positioning, gift-set packaging, and direct-to-consumer + specialty retail distribution.
• Mast Brothers: Brooklyn-based craft bean-to-bar chocolate maker with strong DTC, retail, and tasting-room presence. Comparable artisan manufacturing story, premium pricing, and experiential retail via factory/store visits.
• Dandelion Chocolate: San Francisco craft bean-to-bar chocolate maker operating factory cafés and tours. Directly comparable on small-batch single-origin craft chocolate, factory experience, and direct-to-consumer model.
• Equal Exchange: Worker cooperative producing fairly traded organic chocolate, coffee, and snacks. Comparable ethical-sourcing credentials, organic certification, and natural foods wholesale distribution.
• Divine Chocolate: Fairtrade and co-op-owned chocolate brand sourcing from Kuapa Kokoo farmers in Ghana. Directly comparable mission-driven ethical sourcing model and bar product portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Green & Black's: Organic premium chocolate brand owned by Mondelez, offering Direct Trade and organic bars at scale. Comparable organic ethical positioning but distributed as part of a much larger mass-premium portfolio.
• Lindt & Sprüngli: Global premium chocolate incumbent with broad dark-chocolate and bar portfolio including Lindt Excellence. Comparable dark/premium bar category overlap but with vastly greater scale and distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tazachocolate
• Instagraminstagram.com/tazachocolate
• Xx.com/tazachocolate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taza-chocolate

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taza Chocolate