Raaka is a bean-to-bar chocolate producer in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. Its founder, Ryan Cheney, “discovered” cacao while on holiday in Thailand. Enthusiastic about the flavors of minimally processed chocolate, he embarked on his adventure to explore the processing of low-temperature chocolate in an ethical way.
After a year of experimentation, Ryan worked with the musician and gastronome Nate Hodge to develop Raaka’s unique “Virgin Chocolate” range.
Raaka wants to enhance the community of growers whose livelihoods depend on cacao, precious guardians of the “taste”: the origin of the cacao, the climatic conditions in which it is grown and how it has been transformed depends on the sensory profile of the chocolate. In fact, cacao beans can have a completely different taste within a single region of the same country, depending on the unique characteristics of that area and the post-harvest process, particularly during fermentation where the cacao will properly develop the flavours and aromas that are vital for the chocolate.