Some Frequently Asked Questions
29 October 2008 in InfoWe get a lot of emails and calls from people. We always love the feedback. In fact one of our favorite things to do is to go to chocolate shows and be able to talk to some of the people who love our chocolate. It really makes us feel good about all the time and hard labor that goes into making our chocolate.
We’ve found though that a lot of the questions tend to be the same. So let me answer a few of the questions we’ve heard a lot. (Just for those of you we’ve not had an opportunity to talk with yet)
What does Amano mean?
In Italian Amano means both “by hand” and “they love.” We feel this represents our dedication to creating the finest chocolate available, taking the necessary time with each batch to ensure that it is just right. It also expresses how we feel at Amano about fine chocolate and why we feel it is important to create it “by hand.” We truly love what we do and hope that when you taste our chocolate you will love it just as much.
Amano also means in Japanese “heavenly field.” Since chocolate and cacao are known as the “food of the Gods,” it is truly a bountiful field that must be treated with reverence and respect.
What makes Amano’s chocolate better than others?
In creating chocolate you have to make hard decisions. One of the most important is whether to focus on quantity or quality. In a world of mass-produced merchandise, we at Amano strive to return to chocolate’s roots. We make the chocolate slowly and in very small batches while concentrating on developing the finest flavors possible. There is much fine chocolate made throughout the world. Each company or artisan has its own unique vision. We hope that you will share Amano’s vision of quality without compromise.
Cocoa flower
We also feel that you can either be a manufacturer or you can be an artist. We consider ourselves artisans and so focus on the art of chocolate making. We feel that our art is to bring out the “true essence” of each bean. That is rather than trying to make the beans from each plantation fit an expectation of what is ‘normal’ we try to be true to the bean. That means we let people experience the natural flavors that are already in each bean that sometimes others obscure or eliminate. Each flavor note has to be respected and treated in its own way. Bringing all these flavors into a harmonious whole can be hard work and certainly is more time consuming. But we feel it really lets us make something special.
This is also why we are so picky about which beans we select. Only a very select few of the many kinds of cacoa crops in the world can make the kind of chocolate we wish to create.
Why did you choose the Salt Lake City area for a chocolate factory?
We believe that the high altitude and very dry weather of our location aids in the flavor development process. It’s just one of the many things that allow Amano to create a superior chocolate. Water is the enemy of good chocolate. Being in a desert, we feel, really helps us make the best chocolate possible.
It is worth noting that Amano is located at 4,441 feet (1,454 meters) above sea level — higher than many of the Swiss chocolate makers, this makes Amano one of the highest-altitude chocolate manufacturers in the world!
Is Amano Kosher certified?
Yes, Amano is kosher certified. All of our bars are certified kosher-dairy. We are certified by Scroll K a regional kosher certification organization. We have found Scroll K to be good to work with and highly recommend them if you are in the west. Interestingly, the members of Scroll K also do the certification for the OU (Orthodox Union).
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can I purchase Amano chocolate anywhere in Orange County, CA? Or is it only available through on-line orderinig?
I’m afraid I don’t know Orange County that well so I’m not sure of all the cities there. We are in many stores in the LA region. If we’re not in a store near you ask them to contact us. You might try The Chocolate Bar, Chocolate Maya, and Maya Chocolate.
Is your chocolate considered raw at the end of this process? And, is it dutched (alkalized)at any point? It seems there are only a few sources that sell raw chocolate truffles and bars… I would be ecstatic if your chocolate was raw too!
We don’t alkalize our chocolate at all Dana.
Raw typically means unroasted which is dangerous because of potential bacterial contamination and actually illegal in the United States. Remember that these beans are coming up out of third world countries and usually out of the jungle. It’s very important to roast the beans to ensure their safety. Some people do sell it but if the FDA visits them they might be in trouble. Of course you can sell unroasted nibs. But there actually are regulations on what can go into chocolate proper.
Where can I buy your chocolate in Utah
Unfortunately there aren’t any retail locations in Utah county. However since there has been a lot of media attention we’ve been letting people stop by the factory to buy chocolate. We’re just a factory here so we’re not set up for retail. That means we can only take cheque or cash. We also don’t have a sign up so it’s a little tricky to find. We’re just a little ways off from the center street exit in Orem
494 S 1325 W
Orem, UT 84058
Knock loud though since our machines are loud.
We’ll only be doing this in February however.
We are available all over Salt Lake though. A few of the places that carry us: Liberty Heights Fresh, Tony Caputo’s, Emigration Market, The Store, and Pirate-O’s. We’re also available at Whole Foods in Park City and Livin Life in Park City.
Do you offer tours of the factory??? Saw your spot on The Food Channel, we will be in Salt Lake in June and would like to tour and purchase your products while there if possible.
I have not seen the fair trade sticker on your package. Do you follow the fair trade parctices by paying all workers a fair wage/pricefor their work?
Hi Karen, we discuss discuss fair trade here.
Ed, right now we’re not set up to do tours unfortunately. Hopefully one day we’ll have the factory arranged for where it is safe for visitors to stop by while we’re in production. Right now from a health and safety perspective we just can’t have people near the machinery while it’s running.
You mentioned that you would be selling chocolate at your factory, but only in February. Is that still true, or did you extend that time frame? Do you have any retailers in Utah County yet?
We are still doing it and probably will continue until we get back into heavy production again. (Sometime this summer)
There are several restaurants using us in Utah county but for inexplicable reasons there are no high end grocery stores or specialty food stores in Utah County. There is Sunflower Farmers Market but they don’t sell any high end chocolate there and we’d have to go through corporate with them. (We’re considering it just so someone locally would carry us)
There are numerous stores in Salt Lake City that carry us. Just none out here in the suburbs.