Kakao Chocolate – Maplewood

Get Me Here Using Metro Transit

KAKAO CHOCOLATE follows in Maplewood’s tradition of artisans and local makers, offering everything from salted dark chocolate with truffle oil to classic, smooth milky chocolate crèmes. And they serve it using sustainable practices throughout their operation.

Kakao sells Fair Trade coffee, and offers a wide variety of local products, especially from their friends in Maplewood. They offer tons of great locally crafted products, and even partner with local businesses, like Traveling Tea, to flavor some of their specialty items. They use Missouri pecans, strawberries from the Schlafly Farmers’ Market, and local peaches, raspberries, and even tomatoes when they’re in season. Kakao also partners with local wineries to create boozy candy treats.

Kakao works to reduce their single-use waste by using some compostable plastic wrappers, compostable coffee cups for hot chocolate, and compostable water cups. They are great about reusing packaging materials when they ship out their products, they stopped selling bottled water, and they even sell branded thermally insulated bags so customers don’t need to use single-use packaging. They divert organic waste from the landfill by composting as much of their kitchen waste as possible, and cleverly reusing and re-forming broken chocolates. Kakao reduces food waste and helps their neighbor at  GDA-certified Pie Oh My with their “egg share” program: Kakao only uses the whites of eggs for their marshmallow pies and they send their yolks to Pie oh My for their pie crusts!

Visiting Kakao is a must if you’re in Maplewood’s Green Dining District. Stop by for a sample next time you’re in the neighborhood!