Best Chocolatiers in Santa Cruz

There are several chocolatiers in Santa Cruz where you can find excellent handmade chocolates

THE BEST CHOCOLATIERS IN SANTA CRUZ
MUTARI
GOOSE’S GOODIES
DONNELLY CHOCOLATES
ASHBY CONFECTIONS
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THE BEST CHOCOLATIERS IN SANTA CRUZ

Santa Cruz is fortunate to have several exceptional chocolatiers. Some have shops and some sell at the farmer’s market or online.

MUTARI

We are lucky to have a craft chocolate producer in Santa Cruz – Mutari Craft Chocolate. Their growers farm year after year on the same location, not moving into new lands, and they know how to grow and harvest the product to produce the best tasting chocolate. Then Mutari roasts the beans themselves to create the best chocolate possible, making them one of the best chocolatiers in Santa Cruz. Shopping locally is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and support local crafts people at the same time.

one of the best chocolatiers in Santa Cruz

GOOSE’S GOODIES

Best toffee ever!! No lie! I know that’s just my opinion, but I’m pretty sure it’s true. This is what we decided was OMG toffee! Especially the white chocolate and macadamia nut. The toffee is handmade by Goose’s Goodies, a family candy maker in Santa Cruz.

Best Chocolatiers in Santa Cruz

DONNELLY CHOCOLATES

Richard Donnelly Chocolates is perhaps the most well known Chocolatier in Santa Cruz. He has won a number of awards and is considered one of the best in the country, and it is easy to see why. There are a number of delicious choices for a wedding but we loved the little hearts the most. He also creates special little gift boxes which would be perfect for visiting guests’ welcome baskets or wedding favors.

ASHBY CONFECTIONS

Ashby Confections creates custom chocolates for special occasions. They can tailor colors, designs and flavors to compliment the style of an event, and can even monogram the chocolates or do wine pairing. They are located in the Santa Cruz area, and work with other local producers such as Driscoll’s Berries and Beauregard Winery. We think the globes are especially elegant – pictured in this post is a banana ganache globe.

Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography

Tags:chocolate local

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According to the United Nations, “Our food systems right now are unsustainable. They are a major contributor to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution“. But, research done at U.C., Davis demonstrates that “soils could store enough carbon to offset a significant proportion of fossil fuel emissions”, and actually reverse climate change. This happens when farmers use ‘regenerative agriculture’ practices, which increase and keep organic matter in the soil. This blog features products that are grown this way, so you will know which brands will help reverse climate change.

While traveling the world and looking for the best quality ingredients, we found that many producers who care about quality also care about sustainability. When we used the best quality ingredients we also reduced our carbon footprint. Additionally, by buying regenerative products, we could actually help reverse climate change. So, this blog features some of those products. If everyone did this, more farmers would use ‘regenerative practices’ and it would have a big effect on climate change. Little changes add up to something big. Little things matter. We could save the world, one cookie at a time.

Professional Photographer - Food Photographer, Wedding Photographer. Lisa was previously the Deputy Agricultural Commissioner, responsible for reviewing and enforcing organic regulations and Environmental Protection Agency pesticide use regulations. She also worked for years as an Agricultural Advisor in California, a farmer in California, and an Agricultural Extension Agent in Thailand. She received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from California State University, Chico and studied Integrated Pest Management at U.C., Davis, which involved farming methods that preserve the environment.