Artisanal Treats for the Holidays

Indigenous Chocolate Brings Chocolate-Making to Walton County

Story and photography courtesy of Walton County Tourism

At Indigenous Chocolate in Freeport, Florida, owners Brent and Monique Evans bring their passion for making fine-quality chocolate to the local community. The shop’s slogan is “Born in Alys Beach, Florida—Rooted in the South,” a nod to the couple’s own roots. The Evanses were born and raised on the Gulf Coast and began their small-batch chocolate-making business in Walton County.

The pair’s interest in chocolate-making began about seventeen years ago when they were tasked with making a dessert for a couples’ dining event. They chose to make a flight of small chocolate dishes, which launched Brent’s passion for exploring chocolate, explains Monique, whose background includes forty-eight years of home cooking and thirteen years in the food industry.

Their journey into crafting exceptional chocolate took them from running a cottage food industry out of their Alys Beach home to operating a commercial, wholesale brick-and-mortar operation in Freeport. They also work hard to support local charities, including the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation.

All Indigenous Chocolate is made on-site in the Freeport shop at 1245 Old Jolly Bay Road, A105. The shop’s products include chocolate bars, colorful and artfully crafted bonbons, and a tea made from cacao husks. Their products can also be purchased at nearby 30-A locations, including Fonville Press Market + Cafe in Alys Beach, Sweet Henrietta’s in Inlet Beach, and Modica Market in Seaside, as well as online at IndigenousChocolate.com.

An Indigenous Chocolate bar includes only two ingredients: cacao beans and organic sugar. The environmental factors, or terroir, in which a cocoa bean is produced affect the chocolate’s flavor. “Soil and environment inform the flavor of the beans,” says Brent. “The bars are meant to be eaten slowly and savored.” The taster can detect flavor undertones like coconut, fruits, and spices.

Visitors can enjoy a unique and delectable experience at Indigenous Chocolate, another example of a local establishment adding something unique to the Walton County community.

“All the bars are basically like vintage wine,” explains Monique. “Every year they grow grapes to make wine is different; every year they grow cacao beans is different from the last.” This means the various chocolate products are always taking on new and interesting flavor profiles.

The Evanses source quality cacao beans from Bolivia, Fiji, and Tanzania. The beans are indigenous to these places, hence the company’s name, Indigenous Chocolate. “All of our beans are mindfully and ethically sourced,” Brent says. Issues like fair wages for farmers are important in the industry because those farmers will, in turn, want to grow more and provide a better-quality product.

The process of making high-quality chocolate begins with dry and fermented cacao beans and goes through many stages to achieve the final product: a nice, shiny chocolate bar that snaps crisply when broken.

Indigenous Chocolate offers tasting workshops at its facility. Guests can learn more about growing and harvesting cacao while tasting six single-origin bean-to-bar chocolates. The tasting portion of the workshop is guided, encouraging tasters to evaluate the flavors.

Visitors can enjoy a unique and delectable experience at Indigenous Chocolate, another example of a local establishment adding something unique to the Walton County community. These quality products bring awareness to ethical and sustainable practices in other parts of the world while giving residents and visitors a reason to slow down and savor something good.

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For more information about the tasting workshops, products, and store hours, call (225) 315-7808 or visit IndigenousChocolate.com.