Inside the Workshop: How We Handcraft Every Bar 🍫

Step Into the Workshop: The Heart of Menchaca Chocolates

When you unwrap a bar of Menchaca chocolate, you’re not just holding a sweet treat — you’re holding hours of care, tradition, and craftsmanship.

We thought it was time to show you what really goes on behind the scenes.

At our small workshop in Santa Barbara, every bar is roasted, ground, tempered, poured, and wrapped by hand. It’s a labor of love rooted in artistry and guided by taste. Here's how it all happens.

It Starts with the Bean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every batch begins with hand-selected, ethically sourced cacao beans. We source from farms that prioritize quality, sustainability, and fair trade practices.

Before anything is made, we sort the beans one by one — removing any broken or subpar pieces. This attention to detail ensures a cleaner, purer flavor in the final bar.

The Roasting Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once sorted, the beans are roasted right here in our workshop. This is where the magic begins.

Roasting brings out the unique notes in each bean — whether it's deep and earthy, bright and fruity, or nutty and warm. We roast in small batches and adjust the temperature and time depending on the origin of the cacao.

The moment the roaster fires up, the entire space fills with the rich scent of warm cacao — it’s the smell of something good in the making.

Grinding: Where Texture and Flavor Take Shape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After roasting, the beans are cracked and winnowed to remove the husks, leaving us with cacao nibs and cacao husks. (the shell of the bean is how we make our Cacao Husk tea!) This makes our process Zero Waste!

These nibs are poured into a stone melanger — a large granite grinder — where they’re ground for up to 72 hours with just the right amount of organic sugar.

This slow process smooths out the chocolate and deepens its flavor. We don’t rush it — and we never add emulsifiers or stabilizers. Just cacao, sugar, and time.

Tempering & Pouring by Hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the chocolate is silky and ready, it’s tempered — a process that aligns the cocoa butter crystals so the bar has that perfect glossy snap.

We temper each batch manually and pour the liquid chocolate into molds by hand. Every bar is smoothed, cooled, and carefully unmolded.

You won’t find conveyor belts or factory automation here. Just real tools, real people, and a real passion for the craft.

Wrapped in Care

The final step? Wrapping each bar by hand.

We take pride in the presentation, knowing that when you hold a Menchaca bar, it should feel just as special as it tastes. Whether it’s a seasonal release or one of our core flavors, it gets the same level of attention from start to finish.

This Is Why Small Batch Matters

Small-batch production gives us the ability to create something better, not just faster.

It means we can roast each origin just right. Taste every batch. Make changes on the fly. And craft chocolate that’s truly unique.

When you buy from Menchaca, you’re not just getting chocolate — you’re getting the story behind it, and the people who made it with intention.

Visit the Workshop (Or Taste the Magic from Home)
Whether you’re a Santa Barbara local or discovering us from afar, you’re always welcome to experience what artisan chocolate should be.

Stop by our workshop and say hello — we’d love to show you around!