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| Passion of the Sea Truffle |
When I think about Gaithersburg, Maryland, I do not conjure
up a chocolate factory in my mind.
I used to live there once upon a time, so I should know, but I am happy
to be wrong. Not only does SPAGnVOLA
have a chocolate factory there, they provide regularly scheduled tours of their
factory. It’s not a big factory,
but it’s thoughtful and enough for my corner of the world.
As you know, I’m not a big chocolate fan but I do appreciate really good chocolate. SPAGnvVOLA chocolate
is delicious and I’m already planning numerous boxes for holiday presents.
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SPAGnVOLA (pronounced spang-vola), means Hispaniola in
Criole and refers to the island where the Dominican Republic is located. SPAGnVOLA is a single-estate
chocolatier with a cacao farm in the Domincan Republic. The process they employ is organic from
start to finish. The Gaithersburg
facility is called the Truffle Factory and you can see why from the photos. They also serve gelato and
coffee.
On my last trip to Paris, I remember walking by more than
one chocolate shop and gaping, unable to move simply because the chocolate looked
so incredibly beautiful. I cannot
tell you how much it pleases me to have such a shop so close to me. Aside from the product being delicious,
the shop is well appointed, the factory meticulously clean and organized, and
the staff friendly and knowledgeable.
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| Justin Brooks giving a tour. Kids get the front row. |
Our tour was led by SPAGnVOLA’s marketing director,
Justin Brooks, who talked about and showed us how the chocolate is prepared
from pod to truffle. The tour is
not long, but Justin packs in a lot of information and makes it interesting. Tours are free and conducted Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. We also got a little taste of
chocolate, which only made me want to buy their chocolate. The factory also has two-hour chocolate
making classes (again, a possible holiday gift).
A few blog posts ago, I wrote about the chef’s table dinner
at Rasika West End and mentioned how a little inside knowledge enhances a meal
and a dining experience. In that
vein, I think the factory tour is a stroke of genius. It’s been done, but why isn’t it done more? You become intimate with the process
and the product, the passion of the owners, you’re offered a taste, and
boom! You’re in. Brand Loyalty 101.
Take the tour, buy some chocolate. You won’t be sorry.
SPAGnVOLA Chocolatier
360 Main Street
Suite 100
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878
240.654.6972
www.spangvola.com
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| Cacao from SPAGnVOLA's AgroCriso Estate in the Dominican Republic |
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| SPAGnVOLA's chocolate is 70% cacao and 30% pure cane sugar |
This process goes on for days. And smells incredible.
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