A Legacy Rediscovered

 There was always a story in my family about a great-grandfather who made chocolate and candy in the 1920s. I always found it interesting, but I never gave it much thought. Like many family tales, it might have faded into history—if not for my uncle.

Oddly enough, my uncle is from my mom’s side of the family, with no direct connection to my great-grandfather’s chocolate business. But his work with a not-for-profit organization started by a medical doctor from Sierra Leone, unexpectedly rekindled that legacy.

During one of his photography trips to Sierra Leone, he noticed strange, brightly colored pods growing on jungle trees. When he asked, the doctor explained that they were cacao pods, the source of chocolate. These trees grow tall and wild, a remnant of a robust cacao industry devastated by civil war in the early 1990’s.  Curious, he thought about those cacao beans for a while before reaching out to me with a simple question: Would you be interested in importing cacao beans to sell?

I said I’d look into it. 

That moment sparked an unexpected journey—one that led me deep into the world of chocolate. I explored how cacao was planted, grown, harvested, fermented, dried, shipped, and ultimately transformed into chocolate. The last part—actually making chocolate—was where I became truly enamored.

And then, it all came full circle. I remembered my great-grandfather and the chocolate business he built a century ago in Indianapolis. What started as a forgotten family story became a living connection to the past. With that in mind, I revived Bradley Chocolate—not just as a business, but as a tribute to craftsmanship, simplicity, and the enduring love of real chocolate.

Today, we honor that legacy by crafting pure, two-ingredient chocolate, made in small batches from ethically sourced cacao. From the jungles of Sierra Leone and all over the world, to our workshop, every bar is a reflection of history, passion, and discovery.

Because some stories are too good to melt away.

At Bradley Chocolate, we believe the best chocolate starts with the best cacao beans—and that’s why we take a bean-to-bar approach. This means we oversee every step of the process, from sourcing raw cacao to crafting the final chocolate bars, ensuring quality, transparency, and a deep respect for the craft.

Great chocolate starts with great beans. We work directly with sustainable cacao farms, carefully selecting beans that bring out the most complex and nuanced flavors in our chocolate. Every region produces cacao with unique characteristics, and we let those natural flavors shine.

Raw cacao beans have incredible potential, but roasting is where the magic begins. We carefully roast our beans in small batches, bringing out deep, rich flavors while preserving their natural complexity. A well-balanced roast is key to unlocking the full essence of the cacao.

Once roasted, we crack the beans open to separate the cacao nibs from the husks. The nibs are the heart of chocolate, full of bold flavor and natural richness. The husks are removed through winnowing, leaving behind pure, unprocessed cacao.

The nibs are then ground into a smooth, liquid form. This process, known as stone grinding or refining, can take days—slowly transforming rough cacao nibs into silky chocolate. We add only one other ingredient: pure sugar, keeping our chocolate simple and true to its origins.

Conching is the art of refining the texture and flavor of chocolate. Through continuous stirring and aeration, the chocolate becomes smoother and more balanced, developing the signature melt-in-your-mouth quality that sets fine chocolate apart.

To achieve that perfect snap and glossy finish, we temper the chocolate, carefully controlling temperature changes to create a stable, well-formed bar. The chocolate is then poured into molds, cooled, and solidified—transforming from liquid gold into beautifully crafted bars.

Each bar is wrapped with care, ready to be enjoyed. Whether you savor it slowly or share it with someone special, you’re tasting chocolate that has been crafted with intention, passion, and respect for the cacao itself.

Making chocolate this way takes time, patience, and dedication—but that’s what makes bean-to-bar chocolate special. At Bradley Chocolate, we let simplicity speak for itself—just cacao, just sugar, just real chocolate.