ChocoSol Traders
ChocoSol Traders is a Toronto-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker that produces stone-ground dark chocolate (52%-100% cacao) and Forest Garden Coffee using direct-trade cacao sourced from cooperatives in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador, selling through two boutiques, farmers' markets, e-commerce, subscriptions, and wholesale partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ChocoSol Traders does
ChocoSol Traders is a privately held, Toronto-based bean-to-bar chocolate social enterprise founded in 2004 in Oaxaca, Mexico by Michael Sacco and relocated to Toronto in 2006. The company produces stone-ground dark chocolate using traditional volcanic stone wheels rather than industrial steel rollers, an approach the company claims preserves cacao's nutritional profile and produces a distinctive rustic texture. Its product portfolio is organized into three collections: Rustico (classic 52%-75% cacao bars), Fino (premium and seasonal bars), and Jaguar (rare white cacao/Theobroma bicolor bars), supplemented by drinking and baking chocolate (52%-65% cacao), Forest Garden Coffee sourced from Indigenous farmers in Oaxaca, and a menu of workshops and tasting experiences. Sourcing is built on multi-decade direct-trade relationships with farming communities and cooperatives in Oaxaca and Chiapas (Mexico), the Dominican Republic (Öko Caribe/Zorzal), and Ecuador (Kallari), with ChocoSol paying approximately US$2.50 per kilogram above Fair Trade minimum and sponsoring regeneration of over 15,000 Jaguar cacao trees.
The company's go-to-market combines owned retail (two Toronto boutiques on St. Clair West and at St. Lawrence Market), a year-round presence at six Toronto-area farmers' markets, a dedicated B2B wholesale portal (chocosolws.com) serving partners including Dundas Chocolate Shop and Aroma Cafe Bar in Calgary, and a Canada-wide e-commerce site with subscription tiers priced at $19-$39 USD per month. Single bars retail at $6-$8 USD and 750g bulk at $49 USD, with workshops ranging from $18 (children's ChocoLearning) to $467-$500 (corporate/community bookings for up to 22 participants). ChocoSol has won four medals at the 2018-2019 International Chocolate Awards Americas competition and a 2020 ICA Gold in drinking chocolate. The company operates as a founder-owned social enterprise with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or subsidiaries, and reports no AI/ML, API, or proprietary software capabilities; its principal infrastructure investments are in the ChocoSoil rooftop composting and urban agriculture program at its St. Clair production facility and in supply-chain storytelling through its blog and social channels.
ChocoSol Traders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ChocoSol Traders
- Legal name
- ChocoSol Traders
- Website
- https://chocosoltraders.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ChocoSol Traders is a Toronto-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker that produces stone-ground dark chocolate (52%-100% cacao) and Forest Garden Coffee using direct-trade cacao sourced from cooperatives in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador, selling through two boutiques, farmers' markets, e-commerce, subscriptions, and wholesale partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ChocoSol Traders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Chocolate
- NAICS
- Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans (311351), Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Chocolatiers & Confectionery (CRAHAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Imported & Regional Specialty Food Stores (CRAHAGAL), Ethnic Bakery, Confectionery & Snacks Wholesale (AFAIAIAE)
Keywords
Where ChocoSol Traders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
ChocoSol Traders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dark Chocolate Bar Sales: Primary revenue stream from small-batch, bean-to-bar dark chocolate bars sold through own e-commerce, boutiques, farmers markets, and wholesale partners. Products range from 52% to 100% cacao content across Rustico, Fino, and Jaguar collections.
- Subscription Boxes: Monthly subscription service offering curated chocolate boxes and coffee+cacao bundles with loyalty discounts (5% for first 3 months, 10% after, 15% for 12-month prepaid). Boxes ship on 1st of each month with subscriber-only pricing.
- Workshops and Tasting Experiences: Interactive chocolate workshops including ChocoLearning for children ($18), Stone-Ground Cacao & Maize Workshop ($72), Cacao Community Learning Workshop ($467 for 8-22 participants), and Virtual/In-person tasting experiences ($33-$36).
- Forest Garden Coffee Sales: Direct-trade, shade-grown organic coffee sourced from Indigenous farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico. Available in Light Roast, Espresso, and Three Roast Blend varieties (340g-1KG bags).
- Drinking Chocolate and Bulk Products: Baking and drinking chocolate products including Chocolatl variants (60-65% cacao) sold in 750g bulk format, plus coffee+cacao subscription boxes.
- Wholesale Distribution: B2B sales through dedicated wholesale portal (chocosolws.com) with partner retailers across Ontario and Alberta including Dundas Chocolate Shop and Aroma Cafe Bar.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Chocolate Bars |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk Deal (750g) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Chocolate Subscription Box |
| Subscription | Monthly | 1KG Coffee + Cacao Subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Small Coffee + Cacao Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Drinking Chocolate Bulk |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Forest Garden Coffee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tasting Experiences & Workshops |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
ChocoSol Traders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ChocoSol Traders is a Toronto-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker that roasts, winnows, and grinds direct-trade cacao using traditional volcanic stone wheels to produce stone-ground dark chocolate bars, drinking/baking chocolate, and forest garden coffee. The company also runs tasting workshops, educational programs, and monthly subscription boxes, selling its products through two Toronto boutiques, farmers markets across Ontario, an e-commerce store, and a wholesale partner network.
Product overview
ChocoSol Traders is a bean-to-bar chocolate social enterprise offering a portfolio of stone-ground dark chocolate products organized into three main collections: Rustico (classic bars 52%-75% cacao), Fino (premium/seasonal bars), and Jaguar (rare white cacao/Pataxtle bars at 68%-99% cacao). The product line includes drinking chocolate and baking chocolate (52%-65% cacao), Forest Garden Coffee sourced from Oaxaca, Mexico, and experiential offerings including tasting workshops, educational programs, and subscription boxes. All products are free of gluten, dairy, nuts, soy, additives, and preservatives, and are produced using volcanic stone grinding in Toronto. The company operates as a single unified product ecosystem focused on ethical sourcing, ecological sustainability, and community collaboration around craft chocolate.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ChocoSol Boutique: Retail boutique locations operated by ChocoSol in Toronto
- ChocoSoil Project
- Chocol'Arte
- ChocoLoyalty
Products and services
- Rustico Collection | The Classics Classic line of stone-ground dark chocolates made from in-house blend of high-quality cacao, cacao butter, and simple whole-food ingredients. Features low-heat and low-shear stone-grinding method to retain nutrition and complex flavour profiles. Includes bars such as Vanilla Sea Salt 65%, Darkness 75%, Kakai + Cacao 52%, Mon Cherry D'Amour 65%, Coffee Crunch 65%, and Forest Garden Vanilla 83%.
- Fino Collection | Premium Dark Chocolate Bars Limited-edition bars, seasonal specialties, and unique flavour inclusions crafted from sustainably sourced cacao and finest ingredients for those seeking a unique chocolate experience.
- Jaguar Collection | Rare Pataxtle Bars Award-winning chocolate made from white cacao (Theobroma bicolor/pataxtle) grown in ancient forest gardens of Mexico. Features uniquely nutty flavour profile and golden colour, functioning as a plant-based white chocolate alternative. Includes Jaguar Pure 75%, Jaguar Swirl 68%, and other Jaguar bars.
- Chocolatl Drinking & Baking Chocolate Drinking or baking chocolate available in various sweetness levels (52%-65% cacao) for making hot/iced chocolate drinks, milkshakes, and culinary applications. Bulk sizes available in 750g format for baking and melting.
- Forest Garden Coffee Shade-grown and organic coffee beans sourced directly from Indigenous farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico. Available in Light Roast, Espresso, and Three Roast Blend varieties in 340g and 1KG bags. Origin: Mexico, Region: Oaxaca, Varietal: Arabica Bourbon type Pluma Hidalgo.
- Tasting Experiences & Workshops Interactive chocolate and cacao workshops including ChocoLearning for children ($18), Stone-Ground Cacao & Maize Workshop ($72), Cacao Community Learning Workshop ($467 for 8-22 participants), and Virtual/In-person Tasting Experiences ($33-$50). Educational programs covering chocolate origins, stone-grinding techniques, bean-to-bar process, and sustainable food systems.
- Subscription Boxes Monthly delivery of small-batch, direct-trade cacao products with loyalty discounts (5% for first 3 months, 10% after, 15% for 12-month prepaid). Options include chocolate-only subscription ($19/month) and coffee+cacao bundles in small ($25/month) and large ($39/month) sizes. Boxes ship on the 1st of each month.
- Gift Cards Digital gift cards delivered by email with redemption instructions for the online store. Available in CAD denominations of $10, $15, $25, $50, and $200.
Quantifiable outcome
- Paying approximately US$2.50 more per kilogram of cacao than Fair Trade minimum
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ChocoSol Traders
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ChocoSol Traders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
ChocoSol Traders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Öko Caribe / Zorzal (Dominican Republic)coreSourcing cacao beans from the Zorzal private reserve since 2014. This 1,019 acre bird sanctuary and organic cacao demonstration farm is home to the endangered Bicknell's Thrush. Öko Caribe maintains relationships with 165 farmers through technical training and organic certification. Owners offer microfinance loans for cacao-related and personal emergencies. ChocoSol receives carbon credits for purchasing.
- Lacandona Jungle Communities (Chiapas, Mexico)coreChocoSol has been directly purchasing cacao from 3 villages in the Lacandona Jungle of southern Chiapas, Mexico for over 10 years. Village elder Don Flor and his family consolidate and test cacao for quality control. This community is also the home-base for cacao fermentation experiments including guanabana-infused fermentation.
- Chinantla Farmers (Oaxaca, Mexico)corePartnership with Chinantla mountains communities for Jaguar cacao (white cacao/Theobroma bicolor) regeneration. ChocoSol has sponsored planting of thousands of white cacao seedlings over 8+ years, with extraordinary commitment from farming partners in San Felipe de León. White cacao selling and palm hearts fund jaguar habitat preservation.
- Rayen Cacao Cooperative (Chiapas, Mexico)minorNewest sourcing partner in Chiapas, Mexico. Started first bulk purchase in 2019 of criollo and mixed cacao varietals. Rayen is a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to renewing the region's name in international cacao, regenerating ancestral criollo varieties, and shared learning from farm to fermentation.
- Kallari Cacao Cooperative (Ecuador)coreCooperative organization of and for small-scale Amazonian producers spanning 144 communities and over 2,800 families in Ecuador's Tena, Archidona, Arosemena, Tola, and Napo provinces. Dedicated to 100% Kichwa ownership, preserving local cacao varieties, and organic cultivation through 'Chacras' agroforestry model mimicking jungle growth patterns.
- Dundas Chocolate ShopcorePartner retailer powered by ChocoSol at 50 King St. West, Dundas, ON. Open 7 days/week, 10am-5pm. Ambassador Ben Prowse also represents ChocoSol at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market and Kitchener/Waterloo special events.
- Aroma Cafe Bar (Calgary, AB)minorAmbassador location in Calgary with two locations (1721 29 Ave S.W. and 1845 33 Ave S.W., Marda Loop). Owned by Erika Araujo as Alberta Ambassador. Open Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm/8pm, Sunday 9am-6pm.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ChocoSol Traders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Askinosie Chocolate: Springfield, Missouri-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker built around single-origin direct-trade sourcing and farmer relationships. Strong peer comparability with ChocoSol's ethical-sourcing narrative and cooperative partnership model.
- Sirene Artisan Chocolatemakers: Toronto-based artisanal chocolate maker producing tree-to-bar chocolate. Operates in the same Toronto retail and craft market with overlapping premium consumer segments.
- Dandelion Chocolate: San Francisco-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker renowned for single-origin sourcing and transparent supply chain storytelling. Comparable on production philosophy, educational workshops, and DTC-first retail model.
- Mast Brothers: Brooklyn-based pioneering bean-to-bar brand with strong DTC retail and artisanal storytelling. Comparable brand-led craft model emphasizing single-origin sourcing and chef-driven positioning.
- Hummingbird Chocolate Maker: Almonte, Ontario-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker widely recognized for winning International Chocolate Awards. Direct competitor in the Ontario craft chocolate market with similar premium positioning.
- Soma Chocolatemaker: Toronto-based bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker operating its own retail locations and sourcing single-origin cacao. Most direct peer given shared city, channel mix (boutiques + wholesale), and craft positioning.
- Soul Chocolate: British Columbia-based craft chocolate maker producing stone-ground bean-to-bar chocolate. Direct Canadian peer in the premium craft segment with similar artisan production methods.
- Taza Chocolate: Somerville, Massachusetts-based stone-ground chocolate maker using traditional Mexican molino technique. The closest method-of-production parallel to ChocoSol's volcanic stone grinding and Mexican heritage positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Alter Eco: Specialty food company focused on regenerative organic sourcing, fair trade, and carbon-neutral supply chain across chocolate and other products. Adjacent incumbent sharing sustainability-led positioning.
- Endangered Species Chocolate: US-based natural/specialty chocolate brand with sustainability positioning and broader retail distribution. Larger-scale incumbent operating in adjacent sustainability-driven chocolate segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ChocoSol Traders social profiles
Digital presenceChocoSol Traders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ChocoSol Traders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
ChocoSol Traders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ChocoSol Traders M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ChocoSol Traders
What does ChocoSol Traders do?
ChocoSol Traders is a Toronto-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker that roasts, winnows, and grinds direct-trade cacao using traditional volcanic stone wheels to produce stone-ground dark chocolate bars, drinking/baking chocolate, and forest garden coffee. The company also runs tasting workshops, educational programs, and monthly subscription boxes, selling its products through two Toronto boutiques, farmers markets across Ontario, an e-commerce store, and a wholesale partner network.
Is ChocoSol Traders a public or private company?
ChocoSol Traders is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ChocoSol Traders founded?
ChocoSol Traders was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ChocoSol Traders based?
ChocoSol Traders is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does ChocoSol Traders make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Dark Chocolate Bar Sales are the primary driver. The others are subscription Boxes, workshops and Tasting Experiences, forest Garden Coffee Sales, drinking Chocolate and Bulk Products and wholesale Distribution.
Who are ChocoSol Traders's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Askinosie Chocolate, Sirene Artisan Chocolatemakers, Dandelion Chocolate, Mast Brothers, Hummingbird Chocolate Maker, Soma Chocolatemaker, Soul Chocolate and Taza Chocolate. Broad incumbents are Alter Eco and Endangered Species Chocolate.
Does ChocoSol Traders have an API?
No public API is recorded for ChocoSol Traders.
What industry is ChocoSol Traders in?
ChocoSol Traders's product category is Artisan Chocolate. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAGAH, Specialty Chocolatiers & Confectionery, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAL, Imported & Regional Specialty Food Stores. Its NAICS code is 311351 and its SIC code is 2000.