More Chox in Portland... The city that can't get enuf CACAO..

Heal your body from the inside out with Rox Chox and Yoga and massage and all kinds of more good healing at Root Whole Body on Ne 15th Ave in Portland! They now carry our 3/4 oz Square.

Come on down to the Farmer's Market!

Great News! Every other Wednesday starting tomorrow, you can find Rox Chox at the People's Co-op Year-Round Farmer's Market! We will be giving away samples and deals on all three flavors, plus occasionally featuring new recipes for your taste buds to review!

This Wednesday, March 27 (tomorrow!) we will have our second "debut" (the official one, this time!) of our  new flavors Dibs on Nibs and O.M.Ginger. We would love to have your company and for you to review our new flavors.

Where: 3029 SE 21st Ave, Portland  OR 97202
When: Wednesday March 27th and every other Weds. after that, 2-7pm
Who: Rochelle will be at the booth!
Why: FREE CHOCOLATE and DEALS!!

Here's a peek at the labels for our new flavors, which will soon be available online and in your favorite store:

A new state of being delicious: Maryland!

Rox Chox is now available in the neighborhood of our country's capital (in Mt. Rainier) at The Glut Food Co-op: http://www.glutfood.org/

This co-op looks positively old-school awesome! We hope to visit it one day, but for now: all you folks in the capital area, enjoy!

New flavors in stock at People's Co-op

Hello! We had some graphic design delays, but finally finished the labels for our new flavors! The O.M.Ginger and Dibs on Nibs will be on the shelf at People's Food Co-op tomorrow! Hooray! And in a bit, we will have online ordering options for them as well.

Another "Yes, Please" environ Los Angeles!

A new location... my favorite news to share!

This time it is a legend in the vegan world: Follow Your Heart in Canoga Park! Like our favorite food source here in Portland, it has been a cozy "down-home" kind of place to get your organic veggies and such since 1970.

You may know them from the Follow Your Heart brand cream cheese and delicious heart-healthy Vegenaise which they are responsible for, among other things. We are honored to be in such established culinary company, and happy to fulfill the request of a customer who will now be able to walk in and pick up her Chox fix.

A few new spots in/near PDX to get your fix...

We are happy to now be accessible to all the docs-to-be at the:

National College of Naturopathic Medicine Bookstore
49 SW Porter St  Portland, OR 97201

And across the Columbia River in the state to the North, where gay marriage is legal <3 :

The Vancouver Food Co-op
1002 Main St  Vancouver, WA 98660

Update on the new flavors:

So sorry to have teased you, but there's a bit of a delay on releasing the new flavors.

We have been so busy stocking up the stores after everyone's holiday Chox-eating frenzies that we've barely been able to give the new flavors our attention! But rest assured, the first limited editions were so well-received that we know we must produce.

So while I don't have a date for you, I do have a promise.

Dibs on Nibs and the as-yet-to-be-named Ginger Chox will be coming to you (at least on the Internet) soon. I know that's vague... but did you know that we are doing this the down-home DIY way? As in, we are figuring it all out one step at a time. I know, I'm impatient for them as well! I swear to you, interneto-blogosphere fans, that right after filling our regular orders, releasing our new flavors are my #1 priority, and I am giving them all the attention I possibly can while still maintaining some sanity.

Thank you all so much for making our dreams of creating this business possible! We are thrilled beyond our expectations to be this busy, and you are making it possible for us to continue providing you with this delicious treat.

Rochelle and River

Nutritional Information!

 

We got our nutritional labels done! This one is for the 1.5 oz Bar. Soon you will see the abbreviated version on our labels! 

We're baaaack!

Thanks for the vacation, folks! We got a lot of blissful sunshine and family time over the week in California, and are now gladly back in Portland, where by some miracle the sun is also shining. Online ordering options are back up, and we are expecting our delivery of cacao any day now, so we will be making a fresh batch (No.291, I think)in the next few days and shipping orders on Monday. Hope your holidays were awesome, or if you celebrate Kwanzaa, that they will be, and Happy New Year! Peace, Rochelle and River

A preview of our new flavor's label design, to tide you over while we are away...

Going on Holiday!

Hello Rox Chox fans,

I hope that this post finds you well.  I wish I had thought ahead to give you more warning- so I apologize if this takes you by surprise and you find yourself stranded over the holidays with no Rox Chox.

We are taking a holiday! Rox Chox will be unavailable for business December 18th-26th.  If you would like to order online, please do so by the end of the day on the 17th. We will ship to you on the 18th and then be on our way to Los Angeles to be with family.

We will temporarily remove the shopping buttons and replace them on the 27th, when we will be available to make and ship you a fresh batch of Rox Chox again.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! See you in the New Year!

Rochelle and River

A Charming new Seattle location to get your Chox fix!

There is a lovely location in Seattle, tucked away in an unassuming modern-looking building, where I have heard you will get the most old-fashioned personal attention and holistic healing advice and assistance. It is called Sugar Pill, and it is the source of many specialty needs and extras, and a showroom of delightful sights and smells. It is a special place for those who desire something distinctive in the departments of Culinary, Mercantile, and even Apothecary. Its proprietor, Karyn Schwartz, who is of much specialized knowledge, recently discovered Rox Chox... so now you can buy our chocolate there as well. Happy happy O So very Happy Holidays, Seattle.

Big News: New Flavors!

The time has come! We have had so many requests for a coconut-free flavor that I have been busy experimenting and finally hit upon two combinations that are delicious enough that I scaled it up for our first limited-edition premiere. The new flavors are: "Dibs on Nibs", made with these cacao nibs of so many colors:

And "Ginger":

for which I used all of this vibrant Peruvian magical root.  I had never peeled this much ginger at once before yesterday, so I googled 'peel ginger', thinking 'there must be an easier way?' and it turns out, there is! A simple spoon did the trick. The skin is so much more delicate than I'd thought.

Both of our new flavors are free of coconut and salt, so they are accessible to even more people of restricted diets - hooray! Nothing makes me happier than when someone says, 'Oh, but I can't have ___' and I can respond with 'But this treat is free of ____' and I see their face light up with joy. I know that feeling all too well, and I am really looking forward to seeing those smiles on your faces at the:

People's Holiday Craft Fair, December 12th, 2-7pm. 3029 SE 21st, Portland OR 97202, when we will premiere these two new flavors in a limited edition! Come by for a taste.

Shortly after this fair, we will also make them available online and to our retail locations. Thank you for fueling our creative fires, chocolate lovers. We are so happy to give you some sweetness.

Tender Loving Empire ! Gifting season ! Visit !

We have an exciting new location where you can buy the Rox Chox 1.5 oz Bar and the 4.0 oz Phenomenon: Tender Loving Empire, 412 SW 10th Ave. This lovely little store is jam-packed with beautiful, locally made crafts and music and is also their record label headquarters, a screen printing studio and an art gallery.  If you are in Portland, I really really really suggest visiting this gem of creative brilliance. Especially now that it is officially gift-buying season.

Los Angeles is getting stocked up in Rox Chox!

Some exciting news today...   We have three new LA-area accounts!  We are one lucky chocolate company. And the Los Angeles area just got a whole lot sweeter! (or will next week anyways when we ship these out)

Figueroa Produce Market  in Highland Park:  6312 North Figueroa Street  Los Angeles, CA 90042

Organix LA in Eagle Rock : 1731 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock, CA, 90041 
  
This is an article on the Huffington Post on those two stores, which are owned by the same awesome group of people with a stellar mission. Founder Luis Quismorio is quoted saying "It's a great feeling to know that we're providing fairly priced, organic, and healthy foods so that it's reachable to all income levels." He, Anthony Bermudez and Ruben Perez founded Figueroa Produce Market first, over four years ago and just opened its sister store Organix last year.

And then we have another store, on the other side of town:

One Life Natural Foods in Santa Monica!  3001 Main St Santa Monica, CA 90405

Manzanita News and Espresso!

One of the coziest and accommodating coastal places to relax with a cup of tea or (yum!) hemp milk latte, Manzanita News and Espresso has been my go-to coastal location for years, and now will be a place for people to get Rox Chox!  They have a stellar selection of news sources, artful cards and jewelry and make awesome in-house cookies!

"A jem in a food desert"

For this post, I would like to quote an anonymous reviewer of our newest retail location, the New Earth Health Food Store in Compton, California, which has been going strong for 30 years!:

"This place is a jem! I couldn't believe how well-stocked their room of herbs, teas, etc. was. They sell hard-to-find healthy products in a virtual food desert. The nearest Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is anywhere between 25 and 30 minutes away and they have products that you can't even find in those stores. Don't get me wrong, it is a tiny store. Their refrigerated items are much more limited, but they have a bulk nut section that is organic with prices that rival much larger stores. They sell food, sundries, and some prepared foods. I would definitely recommend this place. I can see why they've been in the neighborhood for 20-something years. Who knew there was health food in the hood???"

It was reviews like this that made us send them a sample, and now we are so happy they said yes, because starting next week, Rox Chox will be available to the folks in Compton, which is really close to River's roots in Long Beach. <3 Everyone deserves a healthy treat.

People in New York! Park Slope Food Co-op carries Rox Chox!

Brooklyn, New York, you are in luck!

After an entire year of follow-up calls to the Park Slope Food Co-op, they finally ordered! They had wanted to order as soon as they tasted this Chox, but the world works in mysterious ways. A year was well worth the wait for us, and now all the awesome folks of Park Slope are in for a delicious surprise!

We are so excited to make Rox Chox available at our first retail location in New York, and especially because The Park Slope Food Co-op is such an amazing place.  True to the following swoon-worthy Mission Statement, they will be selling Rox Chox at an awesome price! @goodfoodcheap isn't their handle on twitter for nothing! (also @foodcoop) If you live in the Brooklyn area and haven't joined the PSFC yet, I would highly recommend that you check them out!  We are so thrilled!

Park Slope Food Coop Mission Statement

The Park Slope Food Coop is a member-owned and operated food store-- an alternative to commercial profit-oriented business. As members, we contribute our labor: working together builds trust through cooperation and teamwork and enables us to keep prices as low as possible within the context of our values and principles. Only members may shop, and we share responsibilities and benefits equally. We strive to be a responsible and ethical employer and neighbor. We are a buying agent for our members and not a selling agent for any industry. We are a part of and support the cooperative movement. We offer a diversity of products with an emphasis on organic, minimally processed and healthful foods. We seek to avoid products that depend on the exploitation of others. We support non-toxic, sustainable agriculture.

We respect the environment. We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations. We prefer to buy from local, earth-friendly producers. We recycle. We try to lead by example, educating ourselves and others about health and nutrition, cooperation and the environment.

We are committed to diversity and equality. We oppose discrimination in any form. We strive to make the Coop welcoming and accessible to all and to respect the opinions, needs and concerns of every member. We seek to maximize participation at every level, from policy making to running the store.

We welcome all who respect these values.

Two Charming places to get Rox Chox!

New places to get your Rox Chox fix:

The Woodsman Tavern on Division Street in our hometown Southeast Portland, a real quaint and classy joint, located right next to Stumptown Coffee, which pairs deliciously with Rox Chox! This is the counter-top where you will see the Chox, and the front of the shop:

Also:

AJ Remedy Teas, Seattle's Organic Tea Company and Cafe, which I have yet to visit, but am really looking forward to seeing!
Open 7am-11pm every day located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood at the corner of 15th Ave East & Harrison.

We ship to Canada!

Hello and Hooray!

We just recieved word from a Canadian that their order of Rox Chox reached them without any tariffs or customs charges, in exactly one week, so we are updating our policy to offer shipment to Canada!

Oh, my fellow Canadians, you're gonna like this chocolate...

xo,
Ro

Holy Moly, Powell's Books on Burnside!

If you live in or have visited Portland, you know of the amazing Powell's Books, the 'City of Books' that takes up a whole city block and is a Portland institution.  Words cannot describe how thrilled we at Rox Chox are to be delivering to Powell's on Burnside for the first time tomorrow.  It is locally-loved hot spot and also a tourist destination, so will expand visibility for our chocolate exponentially. It also means so much to us personally.

When I, Rochelle, moved to the Portland area with my parents and sisters, it was 1989.  As fate would have it, that was the same year that River moved to Portland from Los Angeles.  We didn't know each other then- I was only nine years old- but we were connected by Powell's Books.  River lucked out and got a job working there almost right away, which really provided an awesome introduction to this city and life as an independently thinking adult.  I lucked out by having a really amazing mom who would bring us to Powell's on special trips to the city and let us pick out a book of our own.  We would spend hours there, back when the kids' section was in the Gold Room, reading and agonizing over the decision of which book to buy.  Perhaps River and I saw each other then, but gladly we didn't meet until we were both fully grown adults!

During high school when my friends and I rode the bus to 'The City', of course we visited Powell's.  We would sneak into the (you-know-which) section, grab a book, and giggle in hushed whispers a few aisles away.  In college I focused on art and the Pearl Room was like my living room.  As an adult now, I peruse the business section as needed, but mostly you can find me in the Purple, Red, or  Blue Rooms.  River hasn't worked for Powell's for some time now, but whenever we have a few hours of free time, Powell's is our go-to date destination of choice. 

We have been selling Rox Chox at the Powell's on Hawthorne location for over a year now, and for their birthday party they will be giving away 300 mini Rox Chox squares -- October 19th, first come first serve!

Now our Rox Chox are going to be sold at the main Burnside location in the Green Room and the Orange Room! It's like we've come full circle, and our rainbow is complete.  Really amazing.

Close to home & heart, a new store in SE Portland

The Sheridan Fruit Co, on SE Martin Luther King Boulevard in Portland, OR is now also host to a selection of Rox Chox. That makes it currently the closest grocery location to where Rox Chox is made, a mere twelve to fifteen blocks or so. Just a little jaunt on the delivery bike!

Two new locations... Keep 'em coming!

Chico Natural Foods, Chico CA: www.chiconatural.com
And:
Friendly Street Market, Eugene OR
Www.friendlystreetmarket.com

As ever, requests are appreciated! :-)

New Portland Locations!

New locations! Portland, we are getting you more covered in Rox Chox:

Cherry Sprout Produce Market on NE Sumner St at Albina got their first delivery today and will be giving away free sample morsels on Friday.  They are carrying our Bars and Squares.

Foster & Dobbs in Irvington will be getting their first delivery of Bars later this week.

Want some in your neighborhood? Let your favorite store know!

Rox Chox up in lights in two big West Coast Cities!

Great news!  Rox Chox will be in Seattle proper and northerly Los Angeles next week.  We just shipped our first order of bars and squares to Full O' Life in Burbank, California and next week our first order for Central Co-op's Madison Market goes out with the awesome distributor Earthly Gourmet.  Central Co-op will carry all three sizes of Rox Chox, from the tiny square to the four-ounce Phenomenon, which is a real hunk (of chocolate).

Another upcoming location is the Briar Patch Co-op in Grass Valley, California (paints quite the picture, eh?).  Chox fans in these three locations, sit tight for a week or so to give your grocers time to get them onto the shelves... then, by all means, dig in!

In related news, we have decided after some deliberation to not pursue those accounts which require distribution on the East Coast as it is too costly at this time.  We will instead be searching out other stores which will take direct distribution.  Stay tuned, and if you have recommendations, we are all ears and eyes at roxchoxpdx@gmail.com

Also, if you are on twitter, hit us up! Getting quite the network going @RoxChoxCo and giving out updates like what music we listened to while making which batches (today was Beyonce.. yeah B!) and when new shipments head out to new locations.

New & Upcoming locations: Mt. Shasta, NYC, Seattle

Hello! Good news from the land of Chox: we are getting more situated and secure in our business, so we will still be bringing you delicious Rox Chox indefinitely! This week; we got a P.O. Box, ordered some set-up cartons for sturdier display boxes, made and delivered a lot of Rox Chox, got more network-tastic on the twitter front, enjoyed some much-needed long-lost sunshine, and added some new stores to our list of vendors.

Berryvale Natural Foods in Mt. Shasta City will soon receive their first Chox delivery! I visited this lovely natural foods market on one of my Pdx-to-SF-and-back-grad-school trips last summer. They have an awesome fresh juice bar and deli and a great raw specialty foods section, and while I was there for lunch I gave a sample to the buyer. Yesterday morning i had risen especially early to make calls to the East Coast and happened to glance for a moment at the card for Berryvale. I thought, "oh, that's longer-term, they wanted the new packaging," and moved on to the next task. Just as I was about to head over to the production & shipping portion of this biz, the phone rings. Surprise: they haven't been able to stop thinking about our chocolate, and they want it now!

Some more stores we are super stoked about are; Madison Market in Seattle, The Park Slope Co-op in New York City, and Wild by Nature in Long Island. They have all said yes, pursuant to our securing distribution, so it's in the works! Pretty soon we'll be able to make one of those t-shirts that says: "Rox Chox: Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New York.". Since we're so fashionable. Let us know where you would like to buy Rox Chox, and we will send them a sample.

Rox Chox is in the news!

Well will ya look at that! Rox Chox is in the news!

Rox Chox News: new locations in Arcata and Eugene OR, and Oak Park IL

We got one of those great emails today- an order from a new vendor, Marche Provisions in Eugene, OR. I also shipped a first order out to Arcata's North Coast Co-op, which is coincidentally at the center of its city, just like Marche Provisions. And, due to a customer request, we will also be shipping a first order to The Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park, Illinois. Getting right into the heart of things!

In other exciting news, we were interviewed by a food-and-arts writer from the SE Examiner yesterday, and a few weeks ago by a writer from BePortland.org. Word is spreading! Looking forward to reading their perspectives on our chocolate story.

Speaking of stories, I've been reading 'Chocolat', by Joanne Harris, and really enjoying it as a narrative, as visually and viscerally evocative prose, and as a window into the person I am becoming more of every day: a love-propagandizing chocolatier!

When I am tempering chocolate I ask my mind to clear, I focus on my breath and simply enjoy the swirling seductive smooth waves of cacao. I give thanks and hold my love and gratitude for this gift of right living high in my heart. When River and I make Chox together, the kitchen is full of our giggles, affectionate quips, and endearing admonishments. We love our work. Maybe that shows in the taste of our creation, and as a friend recently told me, is part of why people love it so much.

Demotastic! Sundance is great, excited to visit Olympia!

Riv and Ro had a great time last weekend giving away samples at Sundance Natural Foods in Eugene, where there are lots of mellow chocolate-loving folks, and an awesome deli. We had so much fun on our little demo road trip, in fact, that we just scheduled another for Olympia, just in time for the Procession of the Species. On Saturday we'll see the Procession of artfully crafted creatures, and do some touristy relaxing non-work, and on Sunday we will give Rox Chox out. Come see us, or send your Olympian friends: west side co-op from 11-1pm, east side co-op from 3-5. Chox it up to yumminess!

More stores, stat!

Well folks, we are happy to announce our latest location: the two Community Food Co-ops in Bellingham, WA! So if you are in BC Canada, that is your best bet, right across the border.

Vegansaurus!

Thanks to Megan at Vegansaurus for a very thoroughly descriptive review of Rox Chox.  I especially like the way she makes a distinction between Rox Chox and sinful chocolate bars, placing Chox in a class of its own as a great snack.

And in answer to your question, Megan, Yes! Our raw friends do like mostly raw.  In fact, David Wolfe (whose book/work of art The Sunfood Diet Success System is totally amazing, btw) advocates an 80% raw diet.

Yessss... we are in the Midwest!

The Dill Pickle Co-op in Chicago, Illinois has said "All the staff here love your chocolate!" so we are very happy to announce that Rox Chox will be on its way to the Windy City this week.  Thanks to my friend Alisa for recommending this great new co-op.  We love Chi-town!

Let us know where you would like to be able to buy Rox Chox in the store: roxchoxpdx@gmail.com

Sno-Isle Co-op, Olympia Food co-op, and Go Outside!

This triad of picturesque names evocative of the mountains which surround them describes the new locations where you may now purchase Rox Chox. At the Eastside Olympia in bulk, for starters, at the Sno-Isle Co-op in Everett, and at Go Outside in La Conner.

And! Very exciting news-- the Berkeley Student Food Collective is going to discuss our chocolate with their board of directors! Yeah, I bet they want to offer a sugar-free superfood to their superpowered brainiacs.

Guess what else? This multi-tool does a screen shot as well! So here's a picture of the route from the Rox Chox Raw Lab in Portland to the Sno-Isle Co-op in Everett, Washington. A short hike, when you put it in perspective.  I like the looks of those snowy mountains in Canada- we've got some ground to cover yet, Chox! You can also see by this picture that I am up far too late playing with my new gadget. To bed, to bed!!!

International Chocolate Lover

Hey Friends,
We have yet to figure out the whole international shipping tariff situation, so until further notice, if you would like to receive our chocolates outside of the continental United States, please email us a special request at roxchoxpdx@gmail.com and we'll find out how much the shipping will cost and get back to you.
Thanks!

All the minerals in Cacao, explained. Wow.

Magnesium: Cacao seems to be the #1 source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium is one of the great alkaline minerals. It helps to support the heart, brain, and digestive system (it fights constipation). Magnesium is also important for building strong bones. Magnesium balances brain chemistry and has a strong influence on feelings of ease and happiness. This is likely the primary reason women crave chocolate during the monthly cycle. Magnesium is the most deficient major mineral on the Standard American Diet (SAD); over 80% of Americans are chronically deficient in Magnesium! Cacao has enough magnesium to help reverse deficiencies of this mineral.

Iron: Cacao contains 314% of the U.S. RDA of iron per 1 ounce (28 gram) serving. Iron is a critical mineral in nutrition. Iron is part of the oxygen carrying protein called hemoglobin that keeps our blood healthy.

Chromium: Chromium is an important trace mineral that helps balance blood sugar. Nearly 80% of Americans are deficient in this trace mineral. Chromium plays a significant role in detoxifying the liver from alcohols which build up during the fermentation process of sugars and starchs when we overeat or make bad food choices. It has a major influence on blood cleanse.

Anandamide: Anandamide (The Bliss Chemical) is an endorphin that the human body naturally produces after exercise. Anandamide has so far only been found in one plant — Cacao. Anandamide is known as “The Bliss Chemical” because it is released while we are feeling great. Cacao contains enzyme inhibitors that decrease our bodies’ ability to breakdown anandamide. This means that, when we eat cacao, natural anandamide and/or cacao anandamide may stick around longer, making us feel good longer.

Theobromine: Cacao usually contains about 1% theobromine. Theobromine is an effective anti-bacterial substance and kills streptococci mutans (the primary organism that causes cavities). Theobromine is a chemical relative of caffeine but is not a nervous system stimulant. Theobromine dilates the cardiovascular system making the heart’s job easier. This is one of the major reasons why cacao is an important part of a heart healthy diet.

Antioxidants: Cacao contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world. These antioxidants include polyphenols, catechins, and epicatechins. By weight, Cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates, and goji berries COMBINED.

Cacao Also Contains the Following Important Unique Nutrients:

Manganese: Manganese helps assist iron in the oxygenation of the blood and formation of hemoglobin. Interestingly, manganese is also concentrated in tears.

Zinc: Zinc plays a critical role in the immune system, liver, pancreas, and skin. Additionally, zinc is involved in thousands of enzymatic reactions throughout the human body.

Vitamin C: Cacao must be raw to contain vitamin C. All cooked and processed chocolate has no vitamin C. A one ounce (28 gram) serving of Cacao Beans supplies 21% of the U.S. RDA of Vitamin C. However, Cacao goes really good with fruits and greens that are high in Vitamin C and should be consumed together, there are yummy smoothies in our recipe section.

Omega 6 Fatty Acids: Cacao contains essential omega 6 fatty acids when it is RAW.

Phenethylamine (PEA): Phenylethylamine (PEA) is found in abundance in cacao. Because PEA is heat sensitive, much of the PEA in conventional cooked and processed chocolate is missing. PEA is the chemical that we produce in our bodies when we fall in love. This is likely one of the main reasons why love and chocolate have such a deep connection. PEA also plays a role in increasing focus and alertness.


Tryptophan: Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is transformed into important stress-protective neurotransmitters including serotonin and melatonin. Tryptophan is heat sensitive and therefore it is “cooked out” in many high protein foods and in conventional processed chocolate.

Serotonin: Serotonin is the primary neurotransmitter in the human body. Serotonin is similar in its chemistry to tryptophan and melatonin. Serotonin helps us build up our “stress defense shield.”

Does Cacao Contain Caffeine?
Specialists have different opinions about the subject. David Woolfe quote: ‘… Contrary to popular opinion, cacao is a poor source of caffeine. A typical sample of Cacao Beans or cacao beans will yield anywhere from zero caffeine to 1,000 parts per million of caffeine (less than 1/20th of the caffeine present in coffee)….’

Credit for the above passage goes to Supertzar from the chat section of Davidicke.com. Thank you!

The Love Show Chox Demo

Awesomeness... Had a ton of fun giving away smiles, hugs, and Chox at Launch Pad Gallery's Love Show on Friday. One person took a sample, and then said, "I already love your chocolate, but I didn't want to tell you until I had gotten another sample!" Don't even worry about it-- I am so happy to share.

Another pleased person said, "I'm going to send these to my two moms- they're both diabetic." Warm my heart, whydoncha? Smile after smile... Yes, when I see that bliss face in person it makes all the behind-the-scenes parts of running the biz totally worth it.

Fashion Disclaimer: I had forgotten a tablecloth-- hence the lovely borrowed pink and black tiger print accenting our display. Didn't seem to turn anyone away.

Labels. What do they really say?

Well, these say 22 cases and cut by hand while dancing. If I have my way, soon our labels will say 100% compostable and recycled, printed with biodegradable inks as well. No, there won't be a bird on it, but thanks for asking.

Hooray for the Internet!

Wow. Blogging, networking... I have been 'following' so many people in the wee hours of the night that I'm surprised I don't have a restraining order! Ha ha... Twitter is proving to be very fruitful and full of amazingly inspirational healthy eaters, positive thinkers, and motivating entrepreneurs. Focusing on our mission like an eagle, we are making and shipping Rox Chox to new people every day! Last night with my love and business partner River, we listened to Mozart for Wind instruments while we joyfully packed Internet orders, infusing each shipment with refined happiness!

We are thrilled with each new wholesale account as well, because that means it's much easier for a craving to be immediately and healthfully satisfied. Now the people of the lovely seaside hamlet of Manzanita will experience the sweet and salty crunch of a Rox Chox bar.

We are waiting with baited breath to hear back from the Park Slope Coop in NYC, Rainbow grocery in SF, and more Co-ops in: Moscow, Idaho, Sno-Isle in Everett WA(cool name!) Corvallis, Berkeley, Boise, Arcata, Olympia, and the independent stores Other Avenues in SF and Zerbo's in MI. Taste buds crossed!

If you have a favorite local co-op or independent grocery or chain with awesome business ethics you'd like to find your Rox Chox fix at, send us a recommendation. Last night River and I agreed that our new goal is to be available to chocolate lovers in at least one location per major city in each state before the magical year of 2012 is out. Help us help you be your healthiest self!

Lots of love from a miraculously sunny spot in Portland.

Awesome review with a video... Crunching sound included!

Wow, how rad is this? Super radtasticalitiousness! Rox Chox got a great review from Eco Vegan Gal on her blog, complete with sound effects! It is really great to hear just how much people appreciate our Chox. Thanks, Whitney!

Rox Chox in Manzanita, Oregon

One of my favorite towns on the Oregon coast is Manzanita. And now our Chox will be available there, in a great boutique called Unfurl. Can't wait to visit! Thanks, Suzy. Enjoy!. Find them here: http://unfurlclothing.com/

Great Surprise review from Chef Tina at Haute Health!

We just found this great review of Rox Chox on the blog Haute Health, written by Chef Tina Leigh, who had this to say: "The makers brilliantly blend coarse sea salt and shredded coconut right into the cacao so each and every bit is rich in salty goodness.  But you know what’s even more amazing?  They are completely dairy and SUGAR FREE!!!" Thank you, Tina. We also think our Chox is brilliant and amazing, but we are a little partial. Nice to hear back from chocolate lovers-at-large in the health profession.
Read the whole post here: http://hautehealth.co/rox-chox-rocks-my-sox-off/

Also, I Just tried taking a picture of the screen with the apple shift-apple-4-space-bar option, and it works like a charm!  Here is a picture of the blog post from Tina Leigh at Haute Health.  The Rox Chox 4 oz jar in the picture is our special holiday packaging that we did for People's, which will make an appearance for Valentine's day at People's as well. 

Rox Chox are not for Dogs!

Please folks, don't throw this Chox to the dogs.  Xylitol is not safe for dogs.

Really.  It can be fatal.  We all know that chocolate is bad for dogs, but while our sweetener Xylitol is totally safe for human bodies, in any amount it poses a fatal risk to our canine friends.  Please exercise extra caution around dogs, and lock up your stocks of Rox Chox so they can't access it!  

If you are ordering Rox Chox through the mail, let us know if we need to use extra-dog-proof packaging.  


We are working on a warning label for our new package design, and for now we're going to improvise with an added sticker.  Here is the link to the website of Dr. Jason Nicholas, The Preventive Vet, whose letter prompted our swift preventive measures, where you can find more information on keeping innocuous-seeming foods (grapes!?) out of reach of animals they could harm:


http://thepreventivevet.tumblr.com/post/8174699090/lesser-known-pet-poisons

Introducing, The Phenomenon

We premiered this big four-ounce bar with our first delivery to Our Community Pantry, and then to great fanfare at the People's Holiday Market, where it was the first item to sell out.  It is now available online as well, through email: roxchoxpdx@gmail.com, and will soon be on the website as well. In 2012, it will be available at People's Coop! The Phenomenon. A lot of Rox Chox. It's your birthday.

December 21, 2011

Solstice and Chanukah and Christmas and Kwanzaa greetings to everyone! 

We are happy to welcome the light back into our lives, and so happy you Rox Chox lovers are here to share it with us.

It’s been a while since we last gave a Rox Chox update, since we had big life changes and transition to take care of, so this post is both about business and life, as they are intertwined.  We are back in Portland and are committed to bringing Rox Chox to the people. We made a limited edition holiday special of Rox Chox in jars with ribbons, and they have proved very popular. 

I had so much fun working with Rox Chox today.  The annual People’s Holiday Craft and Farmer’s Market was a lively whirlwind of beautiful faces, voices, and names from all over the world and a landscape of bountiful local splendor.  My booth was outdoors and my breath created successive moments of light fog around my bundled head and layers of wool sweaters kept my teeth from chattering.  I kept a wooden bowl and spoon continuously filled with over two pounds of bite-sized Rox Chox and offered samples to the passers-by. For five hours I expounded upon the benefits of xylitol, raw cacao, and coconut and shook hands with and recorded the names* of over sixty-five people as they bought or traded in Rox Chox. I had the chance to try out a few catch phrases in French, Russian, and Finnish, to my delight and possibly others’ chagrin. I personally witnessed the delightful result of our work as many eyes widened in surprised appreciation of the deliciousness.  I lit the menorah for the second night of Chanukah and learned a new saying in Hebrew from a just-met friend.  I saw and hugged many friends, shook many hands, shared many smiles and much chocolate.  On top of it all, I made the rent for the Rox Lab.  Now that’s a great day. 

Yes, our little Rox Chox family now lives happily in Portland again.  We had a pretty smooth transition once the decision was made to return home – River and I (Rochelle) both got our other jobs back (River is a chef and I’m a grocer and studio co-manager) and we found a great apartment that has nice-smelling bushes out front under which our baby Mr. Kitty hides and spies on the world outside.  We are all feeling much better.  We did have an adventurous three-months exploring San Francisco and SFAI’s MFA program but we didn’t like the taste of that debt or the lack of trees, and we are much happier to be investing directly in our future with Rox Chox and riding bikes through piles and under boughs of many colorful leaves.  This is where we belong, and it feels amazing to all of a sudden own a business that has the potential to support us.  We get to decide how quickly we grow, and we are taking it one carefully-planned step at a time.  We are getting used to our new Rox Lab and this month will be building a dividing wall, as per the Health Inspector’s request.  Pretty soon we will be able to invest in new flavors and packages, and soon after that Rox Chox will hopefully be our full time job.  They say it takes two years to begin to make a profit on your own business?  We’re aiming for at least that.  Our business is almost nine months old, so it makes sense that around the time it’s walking it would be on its own two feet.

Here are some of our latest steps:
Rox Chox are newly available as bars on the shelf in addition to the bulk at the Alberta co-op, and are new as bars at Proper Eats in St. Johns.  A lovely locale featuring local organic produce, a café, and live music. www.propereats.org. (Let them know if you want Chox in bulk!)  We also now offer our Chox through a local organic buying club organized by a great guy named Brion Oliver: http://ourcommunitypantry.com   He gave us a great quip about Rox Chox: “This local, artisanal chocolate currently comes in just one flavor, but it’s some of the best I’ve ever had and possibly the best local chocolate in town.  The coconut oil gives it a mild coconut taste and the xylitol makes it crispy, like a Nestle Crunch bar.  It’s really good stuff.”  Thanks, Brion! 

Here's a special limited offer for those of you who have read this far: If any of you would like to tell us what you love about Rox Chox for our 'Rave Reviews' section, we will send you a square of Rox Chox in return (if it's a good review, that is).  Just write up a few sentences and email us your address or get your Chox from us in person.  (roxchoxpdx@gmail.com)

It is so beyond-words wonderful to be back in Portland and at home amongst our community.  Thanks for welcoming us back.  I feel so thankful to those of you who love to treat yourself to Rox Chox and who truly enjoy the work that we do. It is a greatly rewarding job to be of service to your chocolate needs and to see happy written all over your face.  Thanks for loving our chocolate creations!  To life!

* Thank you to all of the new and old-friend people I met tonight whose contribution this holiday season is very directly keeping Rox Chox in business: Esther Yan for the ride to the fair, Karen and Beck for the ride fro, Amira Mednick for the last-minute tent loan, Kim Card for bringing me a tamale,  Maureen for bringing me licorice tea,  Anastasia for the coffee and rice milk, and to Chris of Lovejoy coffee, Marty of the knitted mitts, and Gee Creek Farms for trading, and to those of you who dropped hard-earned cash on our Chox: Brian Heck, Sara Powell, Karen, Brian, Corbin Dallas, Eliot, Jeremy & Shelly, Brian, LaBrae, Kate, Raji & Arbin, Eric, Brian, Amy, Joanna, Ed, Mary Ann & Catha, Alex, Mina, Hazel, Juli, Josie, Dylan, Barbara, Maureen O’Brien, Judith, Beth, Jody, Joanne, Naomi, Nicholas, Brian, Clio, Reen, Peggy, Guillaume & Christiana, Judith for Ashley, Lara for Maureen, Meerka for Ivan in Slovakia, Joe, Mary & Reed, Ivy, Judith, Christine, Anna, Fiona, Julie, Tasha, Julie for her sister, Phil, Bill, Patty, Eve, Bert, Melissa, Elisabet, Max, Zane, Lam,  and the two ladies who were the first to buy two squares promptly at 2pm before I got the great idea to record everyone’s names. 

Chocolate and Cameras

 

Chox Photo Shoot

99% to the People, 1% Reinvestment in the People.

Howdy to the great anonymous unknown energetic ether of the internet from a sunny blustery hilltop in San Francisco!

Occupy Wall Street is going so strong, and this is just the beginning.  I'd like to share with you, world out there, chocolate fans and fellow 99%, that here at Rox Chox we are part of the 99%, and our mission is to use any profits we may generate from this business to support the 99% through barter, trade, employment, fair trade sourcing practices, and once we are 'in the black', a flexible pricing structure aimed at providing Rox Chox on a sliding scale to lower-income markets.

I took huge loans to go to school and to begin this business and will be in debt for quite some time.  When I am no longer a student, I will once again be without health insurance.  At one point I dreamed of becoming a teacher, and I would be a really great one, but the education system has been corrupted and there are hardly any teaching jobs.  Good thing I happen to be pretty good at managing and organizing a business, because Rox Chox is our basket, and almost all of our golden eggs are stuck like glue to its sides.

Good thing the 99% are loving the chocolate we make.  River brought home nine cases of bars from his chocolate-making trip to Portland last week, and we already sold out!  The Ashland Coop will soon be host to Rox, and Eugene is LOVING Rox Chox.  Sundance Grocery has been selling bars like hotcakes, and they just ordered SIX CASES!  Then we got some internet orders (surprise!) and now we are sold out... and I'm like, "Hey, what am I supposed to eat?"

Time to high-tail it back to Portland again...  where the Police are proving to be Peaceful with the protesters.  Maybe they are smart enough to realize that they are the 99% too! I just saw a chart yesterday that showed that around the world, C.E.O.'s make approx 20 times what the average worker makes. Here in the good ol' Democratic U.S. of A., however, if you are a C.E.O. you can make up to FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN dollars for every $1 made by the 99%.  And, you can create an economic crisis, steal the homes of the People, steal their Pensions, and then get bailed out by their tax dollars!  Wow.  What a land of opportunity it is for the 1% who are born into the elite class!

I am working towards the eradication of the entire system of oppression.  I envision a NEW way of building and sharing resources, reestablishing the collective consciousness, and caring for each other.  This business, and this blogging project of sharing our experiences of the struggles and triumphs of the entrepreneurial journey are my attempt at expanding the concept of what a business really is and of what we are each capable of.  This is the People's New Deal.  We can do this, 99%.  Are you with me?

Rox Chox is a real Rarity in so many ways

Today in my 'Global Perspectives on Modernity' class, we were discussing Marx's theory of alienation.  So many workers on this planet are trapped in jobs which are not at all related to who they really are.   Rox Chox is different.  My teacher said that Marx would approve, then qualified that with, 'well, actually, it's not really on a large enough scale.'  Well, maybe not yet, but sooner than we think, at this rate.

I wish I could hand out self-empowerment and self-employment like I can hand out chocolate samples.  Perhaps that will be a longer-term goal: Rox Chox Microlending.  For now, I am super duper happy with the smile on this sweet face:

That's our license!  River has been in Portland making Chox nonstop since we got it.  My heart is warmed.

Approved!

Well, Happy Birthday to me!  Yesterday we were approved for food production in the new Raw Lab.

The Plumbing Inspector arrived just in time so that our friendly Heath Inspector Lisa could meet him and see his approval, and here is a picture of the two of them as Lisa signs our license! 

Good job River on putting the final touches to the Lab and charming the pants off of the officials. 

Rox makes an Ashland connection

Whooo hoo!  Rox Chox will be available soon to the fine folks in Ashland, Oregon at the Ashland Food Coop!  The thrill of hearing another grocery buyer say, 'Yes, please' to our delicious chocolate just doesn't get old.


In other news, Rox and Chox are really grateful for student loans.  They are essentially paying for the creation of a small-scale raw food preparation space: tools of one arm of my social art practice.  Today I said to River, "by January, we'll be in the black!" and he said, "No, no, honey.  When you've paid yourself back all that you've invested, then you'll be in the black."  Finances are not my strong suit, but I sure don't have a problem letting go of them when it is a very good investment.  With our Raw Lab almost finished, our last big investments are coming up: a mold and labels.  And then a short little tiny bit later Rox Chox will be solidly in the black.  And all the happier for it.

The graduate seminar talk about Rox Chox went well, by the way.  People asked some clarifying questions, used the word 'delicious' more than a few times, and were impressed with the Fair Trade aspect especially.  One insightful question posed was, "how do you see your labor and the labor of those who are farming the cacao to be related?"  That is a great question, and at the time I talked about raising awareness for fair trade practices.  But really, although I haven't (yet) met the farmers of our cacao, coconut, vanilla, xylitol, and salt,  we are all collaborating.  I suppose I see this as a giant collaborative art project, synthesized in a tasty treat.  The project is finished when the smile is on the mouth that is savoring the result of all of our combined work.