Bean to Bar Chocolate Maker Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Chocolate Makers: Ben and Becca Snyder
Website: Lumineux Chocolate
Date Established: March 2020
Ingredients Used: 3 - Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Nibs, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Butter 
Current Chocolate Production Output: 2500 - 3000
Allergen Information: All bars are soy free, all dark are dairy free 

To Ben and Becca Snyder, chocolate is a special experience that should brighten the day of whomever it comes across.

Hence, they started Lumineux Chocolate for that exact purpose – to brighten the day of the customer through the transformative power of chocolate. Their careers began in the restaurant industry, specifically in the pastry department; Ben as a pastry chef and Becca as a baker. Working with chocolate every day sparked a discussion of what could happen if they created their own artisan chocolate.

Starting off with no first-hand experience creating chocolate, their first batch was a 70% Ivory Coast dark chocolate. Though the batch was a little rough around the edges and underwhelming in flavor, the potential was exciting. It sparked in them the desire to continue trying to bring to life cocoa beans that were underused and left behind, but had a flavor so distinctly their own.

They continued to press on, through trial and error, to create a chocolate that would be distinctive. They started off with a single 8 pound refiner, cracking and tempering by hand. Starting off small and crafting by hand strengthened the passion they had for artisan chocolate.

Lumineux Chocolate chooses to work with cocoa beans that not only have a unique origin but also a unique flavor profile. Each bean is carefully chosen for its ability to stand outside of the norm. These distinctive qualities move from bold, tropical fruit flavors of Indonesia to the deep earthy nuttiness of Nicaragua. Each single origin bar is meant to highlight the beautiful yet diverse flavors of cocoa from all over the world.