How we make

Everything at Wholehearted is made by a single chocolatier. We are small-batch by choice. This lets us focus on the craft rather than optimizing for speed or volume. 

Most of what we make is dark chocolate. It has the widest range of flavor to work with. Milk chocolate is used in select recipes. 

We make two main products- bars and molded truffles. Limiting the range keeps our process focused while still giving room for creativity.

With bars, we focus on the flavors of single-origin chocolate. With truffles, we build flavors that complement them.

Our making process splits into three phases: design, form, and finish. 

In the first phase, we define the taste we're aiming for, then choose the format that best supports it.

The form stage involves tempering chocolate and casting it into bars or hollow shells using molds of different shapes and sizes. 

Some bars are given toppings before they set.
Truffle shells are filled with ganache and sealed with a final layer of chocolate.

Both are then unmolded and prepared for packaging.

Timing between stages, the structure of the ganache, and the condition of the chocolate all affect the final result. Small changes show up clearly in taste, texture, appearance, and shelf life. 

We don’t outsource production. Each batch is made start to finish in the same space, by the same person.

Our process is slower, but it produces chocolates that are consistent and deliberate.