Bean to Bar Chocolate

Here in Vermont, we make award-winning, micro-batch Blue Bandana chocolate from bean to bar — craft chocolate bars celebrating a true taste of place, made from scratch using only cacao beans and pure organic cane sugar.

The History

It all began with a trip Eric Lampman took to the Dominican Republic in 2009. There he experienced first-hand how cocoa was cultivated, harvested, fermented, and dried. Fascinated, he brought some beans back to Vermont and started experimenting with small test roasts, learning how to winnow, refine, and conche — discovering how to make chocolate from scratch. The rest, you could say, is making history . . .

In 2012 the first Blue Bandana bars hit the shelves at Lake Champlain Chocolates, and right out of the gate the 70% Madagascar Dark Chocolate Bar was named a 2013 Good Food Awards Finalist. Shortly thereafter, in January 2014 Blue Bandana Chocolate Maker was announced winner of two 2014 Good Food Awards.

The Mission

The mission of Blue Bandana Chocolate Maker is to go deeper into the source of fine flavor cacao, through partnerships and craftsmanship. Eric’s work with Blue Bandana reflects a desire to go deeper into the chocolate-making process. To forge direct-trade partnerships with growers and co-ops. And to improve cocoa quality by reinvesting in training and education at origin. The result is bean-to-bar chocolate that captures the distinctive terroir — or taste of place — of the land where the cocoa was grown.