KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Chocovivo: Alive in Chocolate
Patricia Tsai | Chocovivo
NHM Online Presents ChocoLAte: From Beans to Bliss, a video series celebrating the diversity of Los Angeles and its people through the lens of chocolate.
Entrepreneur and chocolate-maker Patricia Tsai, founder of Chocovivo, talks to NHM about her unconventional journey from working in an office to achieving harmony through chocolate.
Watch the video below to learn more about Chocovivo's mission to promote sustainable wellness through single-source, bean-to-bar chocolate.
The Journey
Patricia Tsai wanted a change. Equipped with a degree from the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an enterprising work ethic instilled in her by her parents, it would seem fated for Patricia to begin her upward ascendancy on the corporate ladder. However, something important was missing from her life. She sensed a nagging void that could not be banished with degrees or titles. The ensuing soul-searching sojourn to Mexico would prove deliciously consequential for lovers of chocolate all over the world.
I really created this community of chocolate because it was not just for myself, but it was also to bring people together for the love of chocolate.
Patricia Tsai
Patricia Tsai holds up some of her artfully crafted, single-source, bean-to-bar chocolates.
As a part of her commitment to the holistic benefits of cacao, Patricia offers chocolate meditation ceremonies at the Chocovivo store.
Tools of the trade: Patricia uses a tradition Mexican metate to grind cacao nibs into a paste.
Inspired by her culinary pilgrimages to the hubs of Mexican cacao consumption, Patricia had an epiphany. She had found her purpose: to inspire unity and connection through food. In the United States, chocolate is primarily identified with candy, a saccharine association which divorces it from the health benefits of its initial form. Popular chocolate products are awash in a host of sugar and other additives, and the global commodification of cacao has resulted in a proliferation of child labor practices by major cacao procurers. Patricia’s conception of chocolate, however, goes back to its roots–literally.
Chocovivo is located in the West side of Los Angeles at 12469 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. The inviting patio and spacious interior beckon the passerby to enjoy the unique taste and flavors of Patricia's chocolates.
Chocovivo offers a dazzling variety of organic, bean-to-bar chocolates.
The first way cacao was regularly consumed by the Mayans and Aztecs was through drinking. Chocovivo serves a variety of different hand-frothed drinking chocolates.
The Mission
From its beginnings as a single stall at a farmer’s market, to its brick-and-mortar storefront today, Patricia Tsai’s Chocovivo has been guided by a simple defining ethos: chocolate is food. Chocovivo treats each stage of the production process with the respect given to it by its ancient Mesoamerican predecessors. In the highly dynamic process, Patricia engages personally with her sole provider of cacao. “Part of this journey has been able to develop this special relationship with our head grower, Vicente Gutierrez. The name of the plantation is called Jesus Maria. So he has taken me under his wing to really show me this process.”
Patricia Tsai and cacao-grower Vicente Gutierrez stroll the grounds of the Jesus Maria cacao plantation in Tabasco, Mexico. Vicente has been Chocovivo's sole provider of cacao for over a decade.
Patricia has moved the majority of her bean-to-bar chocolate production to Tabasco, Mexico, in support of the local cacao-growing economy.
All chocolate begins as this- freshly harvested cacao pods.
A Life in Chocolate
By cultivating personal relationships with each person who helps to bring a Chocovico product from bean-to-bar, Patricia is able to ensure that its creation is equitable, fair, and sustainable. The raw form of the cacao is also naturally sugar and caffeine-free, and is a host to a wealth of beneficial antioxidants and nutrients. As the name Chocovivo suggests, Patricia is an ardent believer in the life-nourishing power of cacao and its ability to not only sustain the body, but also a sense of human interconnection.
And so as I think about how we are bringing in community, it's really important for me to share this cup, this cup of chocolate for people to really feel this connection, a human to human interaction.
Patricia Tsai
EXPLORE MORE FROM CHOCOVIVO
Ready to awaken your senses through cacao? Click here to learn more about Chocovivo and all of its amazing offerings.
SPILL THE CACAO BEANS ON YOUR CHOCOLATE FAVORITES
Do you have a special connection with chocolate? Do you know another L.A. chocolate-maker who lovingly connects with their community? We want to hear from you! Join the conversation on social media and tag us @NHMLA with #chocoLAte.
Following the success of Kneaded: L.A. Bread Stories and L.A. at Play: Dolls & Figurines, we're celebrating the history, heritage, and communities of Los Angeles through the lens of different cultural traditions. This year, ChocoLAte: From Beans to Bliss, seeks to inspire, captivate, and tap into the deep-rooted love for chocolate that flows through the veins of this vibrant city.
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