Bean to Bar Chocolate Maker: Conjure Craft Chocolate

Bean to Bar Chocolate Maker: Conjure Craft Chocolate

Bean to Bar Chocolate Maker Location: Swannanoa, North Carolina
Chocolate Makers: Marjory Rockwell
Website: Conjure Craft Chocolates
Date Established: June 2018
Ingredients Used: 3 - Cacao Beans, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter 
Current Chocolate Production Output: Approximately 1000 bars/month
Allergen Information: Produced in a facility with wheat, nuts and dairy

Nestled in the foothills of the highly touted tourist destination of Asheville, NC, is where you will find Marjory Rockwell, blanketed in flecks of chocolate on most days. Yet, chocolate, the decadent, taste bud-inducing morsel that most of America indulges in, wasn’t even a blip on the radar before she embarked on a spontaneous trip to Kenya to visit a friend from culinary school (***would be good to include the year of her visit to give a point of reference to her statement).

A graduate of esteemed culinary powerhouse Le Cordon Bleu, Marjory always had a knack for pastry and desserts. Her fellow classmate and friend Ashley Ndambo from Kenya, opened the door to the chocolate galaxy, diving deep into how chocolate is sourced, made, and packaged for consumption. Her trip to Kenya and Ashley sparked her curiosity for chocolate making.

Marjory shares, “When I was in Kenya, I was at a crossroads in my life. I had been managing/baking for a restaurant in Connecticut and had also been accepted to an accelerated nursing program for a third bachelors but had deferred for a year. I didn't know what to do with myself.

“A self-taught chocolate maker, Ashley showed me what she was doing with her Premier melanger, coffee roaster and local beans, and I was hooked. I have always loved to cook and I love science, and this was a combination of the two. If chocolate makes people happy, so why not try to make others happy while making myself happy.”

Shortly after returning to the States, Marjory had a newfound passion and purpose to create her own version of bean-to-bar chocolate. Thus, Conjure Craft Chocolate was thrust into action, a feeling or emotion derived from each and every flavor that Marjory, now growing into her role as chief chocolate maker, curates with her designer bars.

Marjory began feverishly experimenting with a multitude of beans and their origins along with flavor-infused chocolates which are sure to please any palate. A self-taught chocolate maker, Marjory did a lot of reading on John Nanci's website when she first started out, so the length of the first roast of a new bean is dependent on what she smells.