the Next Batch
the heart & craft of making bean to bar chocolate
Everything you’ll find here is shared through the perspective and experiences of a flavor-pioneering bean to bar craft chocolate maker.
Which is to say, I’m not writing here because I want to sell chocolate making equipment, or cocoa beans. I’m not a chocolatier teaching from inside a million-dollar kitchen or T.V. studio. I’m writing from inside the real life of a small batch bean to bar maker who defied the odds, made chocolate that made a lot of people very happy, and grew her chocolate business amidst the craft chocolate giants.
I am dedicated to the craft of making small-scaled, hands-on, bean to bar chocolate, so if you’re looking for factory processes and equipment bigger than a Shetland pony, I’m probably not your gal.
If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of crafting bean to bar, guidance for exploring beyond the boundaries of flavor expectations, insights from inside the real-life messy parts of making chocolate, welcome.
A bit about me
I began my livelihood as a self-taught professional bean to bar maker back in 2014. During the first 5 years of building my business Map Chocolate I also worked as the cocoa bean roaster for a well-known cacao supplier and bean to bar equipment designer; those five years offered me a unique view inside the cocoa bean sourcing and selling industry, gave me access to as many origins as my bean-loving heart desired, and hundreds of metric tonnes’ worth of cacao roasting experience.
Like any new maker I had to keep my head above water in a vast ocean of conflicting info. It was still the early-ish days and craft chocolate was just getting on its feet, so a lot of advice came from people who had actually never made bean to bar as a business, or were crafting it as their livelihood.
I took a different approach to craft chocolate by intentionally staying small, making chocolate for the reasons that drew me to it in the first place. Despite my small batch production, my chocolate landed on shelves around the world alongside much bigger craft makers. I’m credited as the original creator of oat milk white chocolate, my chocolate was featured in VegNews magazine, I was included in the bestselling book Bean-to-Bar Chocolate: America’s Craft Chocolate Revolution: The Origins, the Makers, and the Mind-Blowing Flavors, and food writer and author Megan Giller named me in the top 50 bean to bar craft chocolate makers in the U.S. My chocolate was used on the set of the food documentary Her Name is Chef.
I started teaching chocolate making in 2016, and in 2020 created my online workshop, which I called The Next Batch School.
Who else is here
Makers from around the world intrigued with the idea of turning cocoa beans into chocolate. Some of us are professional chocolate makers, working for ourselves or for craft chocolate companies. Others are home-based hobbyists, bean to bar beginners, advanced makers, chocolatiers considering adding bean to bar to their tool belt, professional bakers, chefs, cookbook authors, lovers of good food. Some are award-winning, others just getting started. There are diehard chocolate lovers here, and sometimes, folks who are simply cacao-curious.
Most seek a friendly and knowledgeable approach to the science of the bean to bar process, freedom to craft the chocolate of their dreams, troubleshooting insights, inspiration for crafting unique flavors, and a guide who will help them bring it all together.
That’s where I come in.
Thank you for being here,
Mackenzie Rivers