At Indigenous Chocolate in Freeport, owners Brent and Monique Evans bring their passion for making fine quality chocolate to the local community. The shop’s slogan is “Born in Alys Beach, FL – Rooted in the South,” a nod to the couple’s own roots. The Evanses were born and raised on the Gulf Coast and began their small batch chocolate making in Walton County.
The pair’s interest in chocolate-making began about 17 years ago when they were tasked with making a dessert for a couples’ dining event. They chose to make a flight of small chocolate dishes, and it launched Brent’s personal passion for exploring chocolate, explained Monique, whose own background includes 48 years of home cooking and 13 years in the food industry.
Their journey into crafting exceptional chocolate took them from running a cottage food industry out of their Alys Beach home to operating a commercial, wholesale brick and mortar operation in Freeport. They also work hard to support local charities, including the Destin Charity Wine Auction.
All of the chocolate is made on site in the Freeport shop at 1245 Old Jolly Bay Road, A105. The shop’s products include chocolate bars, colorful and artfully crafted bonbons and a tea made from cacao husks. Products can be purchased at 30A locations, including Fonville Press Market + Cafe in Alys Beach, Sweet Henrietta’s in Inlet Beach and Modica Market in Seaside, as well as online at IndigenousChocolate.com.
An Indigenous Chocolate bar is made with only two ingredients – cacao beans and organic sugar. The environmental factors, or terroir, in which a cocoa bean is produced affects a chocolate’s flavor. “Soil and environment inform the flavor of the beans,” said Brent, “The bars are meant to be eaten slowly and savored.” The taster can detect flavor undertones like coconut, fruits and spices.
“All the bars are basically like vintage wine,” explained Monique. “Every year they [grow] grapes to make wine is different; every year they grow cacao beans is different from the last.” This means the various chocolate products are always taking on new and interesting flavor profiles.
The Evanses source quality cacao beans from places like Bolivia, Fiji and Tanzania, and the beans are indigenous to these places, hence the company’s name, Indigenous Chocolate. “All of our beans are mindfully and ethically sourced,” Brent said. Issues like fair wages for farmers are important in the industry because those farmers will in turn want to grow more and provide a better-quality product.
The process of making the high-quality chocolate begins with dry and fermented cacao beans and goes through many stages to achieve the final product – a nice, shiny chocolate bar that snaps nicely when breaking it.
Indigenous Chocolate offers tasting workshops at their shop where guests can learn more about growing and harvesting cacao as well as tasting six single origin bean-to-bar chocolates. The tasting portion of the workshop is guided, encouraging tasters to evaluate the flavors.
Visitors can enjoy a unique and delectable experience at Indigenous Chocolate, another example of a local establishment adding something totally unique to the community. Their quality products bring awareness to ethical and sustainable practices in other parts of the world while giving Walton County a reason to slow down and savor something good.
For more information about the tasting workshops or products and store hours, call (225) 315-7808 or visit IndigenousChocolate.com.