How One Grand Junction Chocolatier is Bringing Ethics, Flavor and Community into the Chocolate Scene
Story by: Harumy Torres, Foodie Editor
Photos by: Juliana Bomark
In a quiet kitchen in Grand Junction, what started as a culinary experiment for seniors has blossomed into Dirty Lil Cacao a locally created chocolate business.
Keanen Karnan, a 2008 graduate of Colorado Mesa University , didn’t always plan on being a chocolatier. After earning his culinary degree , Karnan worked in restaurants across the valley. One of his most influential positions came at a local senior living facility, where he was tasked with preparing meals from around the world.
“That job really made me fall in love with cooking,” Karnan said in an interview. “It was also where the idea of Dirty Lil Cacao first came to life.”
According to Karnan, chocolate is produced in regions around the world including Ghana, Madagascar, the Philippines and Mexico but American consumers often think of mass-market brands like Hershey or Kit Kat. Karnan wanted to offer something more nuanced, with flavor profiles as complex and unique as wine or coffee.
While experimenting in the facility’s kitchen, Karnan invited seniors to give feedback on the chocolate he was making. “I’d ask the residents what kind of notes or hints they’d want in their chocolate,” he said. The program became so popular that residents’ family members began attending tastings, where Karnan paired custom chocolates with wines. It was then that he realized this could become a full-fledged business.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before,” said Linda Martinez, a Grand Junction native “You can taste the difference in every single bar no two are the same. Each one has kind of like its own different flavor.”
As of this year, Dirty Lil Cacao produces eight varieties of bean-to-bar chocolate, ranging from 55% milk chocolates to 80% dark blends. The offerings include:
- Fiji with coconut milk and pineapple juice
- Bolivia, a 55% milk chocolate
- India, 55% milk Chocolate
- Colombia, a 55% milk chocolate made with buttermilk
- Venezuela, 55 % made using goat milk
- Ruby Red, a naturally pink 80% milk chocolate made from Mexican cacao nibs with notes of mixed berry
- Ghana, a 70% dark chocolate
- Ivory Coast, an 80% dark chocolate
The percentages, Karnan explains, represent the ratio of cacao base to sugar and milk. “If it’s 70%, then its 70 % Cocao,” he said. Unlike mainstream milk chocolate, which can have as little as 20% cacao and a host of fillers, Karnan aims for at least 55% cacao in every milk-based bar.
Ethical sourcing is also a cornerstone of Karnan’s business. “There’s a long, ugly history in chocolate production child labor, slave labor,” he said. The name Dirty Lil Cacao is a nod to that legacy. Karnan ensures his beans are sourced as close to the farmers as possible..
The chocolate-making process, Karnan says, is intense. “Start to finish, it can take me up to seven days to complete a batch.” After fermenting cacao beans, drying and roasting them, Karnan separates the shells by hand before grinding the nibs into chocolate liquor using melangers machines that can process up to 10 pounds of chocolate per batch.
He started with just one melanger, creating small batches as gifts for visitors at the senior center. Now, he uses two and continues involving the community. “We had residents designing labels for chocolate and wine bottles it got people out of their rooms, engaged,” Karnan said.
One community member who has supported the project is Olivia Larson, owner of local flower shop La Fleur and Karnan’s wife. Together, they’re committed to creating a locally rooted but globally conscious business.
Dirty Lil Cacao is currently available at 300 Main Street Ste 101, Grand Junction, Colorado 81504. For Karnan, it’s about more than selling chocolate it’s about changing how people see and taste it.
blockpartygj.net 