(Seahorse Chocolate is made onsite in Bend, sourcing beans from small estates and farms from around the world | Photos courtesy of Amanda Gartrell)
Seahorse Chocolate in Bend was born when founders RC and Amanda Gartrell began making chocolate at home in 2017. RC had a long history in the coffee business, Amanda says, and had always wanted to try his hand at roasting cocoa. “Our eldest son was in culinary school at the time, and our youngest was — and is — a dark chocolate addict. It seemed like a perfect way to meld our passions, and there was a serious need in the bean-to-bar world for a focus on roasting.”
That first batch of Madagascar, Sambriano Valley was the best chocolate she had ever tasted, Amanda says, so she told her husband, “Keep doing whatever you are doing!” Five years later, business is booming, and Seahorse Chocolate has become a national company. “People love chocolate, and we love educating them about what’s possible. We are so grateful to our local community for supporting us from the inception.”
The Gartrells make their chocolate onsite in Bend, bringing raw beans in from small estates and farms from around the world. “We focus on relationships with farmers that are paid above a basic living wage and who care for the land and agriculture in a sustainable manner,” she says. “We roast onsite, and with a touch of organic cane sugar and a lot of love over the three-day process to follow, a chocolate bar is born.” Inside the store and on the website, Seahorse’s offerings include selections made from beans brought in from Vietnam, India and Tanzania, and sample packs of seasonal selections made from beans grown in such places as the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Honduras and Trinidad.
Amanda says Seahorse Chocolate is truly one of a kind. “One focus is sourcing the best raw cocoa out there. A house can only be as solid as its foundation; that’s what roasting is in the chocolate-making process.” The secret, the Gartrells say, is drum roasting small batches of cocoa beans to bring out each varietals’ unique flavor. “RC can really bring to life what is hidden beneath as far as valor profiles go. He is a master at his craft.”
The Gartrells met in Telluride, Colorado, and both of their children were born there, Amanda explains. “We owned a coffee-roasting company. I felt like we were running a ‘crack house,’ because there were nights after 10pm, with our infant sleeping soundly, that people would come over, knock on the door frantically and say, ‘I need coffee! I’m out!’” she says with a laugh. “It was then that I realized RC had mad skills. He basically created addicts with whatever he roasted. It’s still the same. Whether it’s our good friend in Amsterdam who is a master sommelier or our winemaking friends in California, they all say the same thing: ‘This is the best chocolate we have ever tasted!’ I have to agree. We are all spoiled.”
Located in downtown Bend at 35 NW Bond St., Amanda says Seahorse Chocolate got its name in a funny way after weeks of struggling to figure out what to call their company. “I’m very indecisive, so I had all of our friends involved in the ‘find a name for the chocolate business’ game. It had been two weeks of drinking wine on the deck in the evenings, tossing around possibilities. I would wake up and say, what about this or that? The same thing happens when we rescue a new pet.” She continues, “I homeschooled both boys, and (my son) Rowan and I were in the middle of a project about seahorses. That afternoon, RC said, ‘The next word that comes out of your mouth, that’s the name of the company.’ Of course, I didn’t take him seriously, and I started to prattle on about how cool seahorses are. Then RC said, ‘What about Seahorse Chocolate? I love seahorses!’ And that was it.”
Seahorse Chocolate is available in the shop and online, and also at select coffee shops in Bend, Jacksons Corner, Newport Avenue Market and other locales throughout Central Oregon, Portland and several states.
seahorsechocolate.com • 541-668-1760
