Entering Creo was like walking into a wall of chocolate. It was more than the gorgeous display of enticing treats; it was the heady aroma of toasted cocoa beans that permeated every corner of the small workshop. Even as I write this, I want to inhale deeply and savor the moment yet again. For this reason alone, we recommend you visit Creo.

But it wasn’t the chocolate alone. The staff immediately welcomed us and we hit it off, especially with Eleanor, who shyly shared her connection to Ecuador with us. She lived in Quito when she was a little girl and would love to visit again. Ryan didn’t know it at the time, but he reminded us of our oldest son who shares the same name, blondish and bearded with a smile that lights up a room. 

Behind them stood a cupboard painted in chalkboard, inviting us to “Taste it. See it. Enjoy it.” And when you sign up for their chocolate bar experience, you get to “Make it” as well. We’re grateful to the Creo team for gifting us the opportunity to create our own chocolate bars with my parents after we reached out to them because of their Ecuador connection!

The Creo Chocolate Experience

Our tour began with Tim, Creo’s co-founder and resident joke-slinger, handing us our official apprentice aprons. Good chocolate makers, we learned, must start with clean hands, gloves, hairnets—and yes, even a beard net for my husband. No stray whiskers in the chocolate, thank you very much.

We perched on barstools and settled in for Tim’s well-rehearsed spiel. It was obvious that he was a regular presenter and chocolate mentor. While we listened, a video played overhead, showcasing the full bean-to-bar process and views from Ecuador, where Creo sources their heirloom cacao.

Tim kept up a steady stream of puns and commentary, managing to balance facts with humor—though not every joke landed smoothly. A few of them caught us off guard, but the delivery was always earnest and the pacing kept us engaged.

Tim mixed in a little chocolate tasting with his chocolate facts. Like most Americans, he talked about the Mayan and Aztec uses of cacao—but didn’t mention that domesticated cacao originated in the Amazon highlands of what is now Ecuador and Peru. Curious? You can read more in our article about the Surprising History of  Chocolate!

I was most interested in the story behind Creo. What began as a home-based hobby experimenting with chocolate eventually grew into a successful family business. His wife, Janet, was an integral part of that journey. Though she passed away from breast cancer in 2020, she left a lasting impact at Creo. Tim spoke of her often, and it was clear how much she meant to the business, to him, and their family.

Together, they named the business Creo: “I believe” in Spanish and “to create” in Latin, two perfect sentiments for anyone building a purpose-driven company. From the start, they cared about more than profit. They’ve built a business that respects the land where cacao is grown, pays farmers fairly for high-quality beans, and helps consumers savor their chocolate more deeply through education and transparency.

Creo pays a premium for quality beans from Ecuador, working directly with farmers trained to improve both cacao flavor and yield. These relationships result in chocolate that tastes amazing and does good, too. If you’re used to Hershey’s (which contains a mere 11% cacao and often unfermented beans), maybe you shouldn’t taste Creo chocolate. You can never go back.

Making Our Own Chocolate Bars

Next came the fun part. After washing our hands and putting on our gloves, we headed back to the prep tables. We were each handed a tray that could potentially hold three bars with the center bar full of delicious, dark chocolate waiting to be covered in the fillings of our choice. The only rule: each piece of filling had to touch the chocolate. If it didn’t touch, it would merely be shaken off in the machine that settles the ingredients into place.

We had the choice of a dozen or so fillings yet my family ironically went to the same ones: crystalized ginger and berries, either dried blueberries or freeze-dried raspberries or both. An exciting combination? For us, seemingly so! Perhaps you would go for the Rice Crispies, the M&Ms, the cocoa nibs, or the colored sprinkles? That’s what makes this activity great. You have ultimate control. 

After finishing this process, we had to wait. After all, it takes time to shake these bars into shape, let them rest and come to a solid foundation. About 30 minutes or so. But don’t worry, we weren’t done with chocolate. The chocolate tasting came next!

Tim guided us through a progression of flavors and textures. Chocolate with crunchy cacao nibs was best munched. Chocolate with toffee required patience to allow it to melt in your mouth. Chocolate with orange was my hands down favorite. The one with vanilla was a close second. My least favorite was the chocolate with spicy hot pepper chocolate. It wasn’t bad. Just not great. All in all, we tried a lot of delicious chocolate!

As Tim passed around trays of different flavor combinations, he threw in a few more Dad jokes. We groaned at most. But he threw in some new facts for us as well. We now understand why chocolate changes color when not stored correctly. The process is called blooming. Tim recommends not eating bloomed chocolate but he does suggest finding a new use, melted for hot chocolate. When you buy fine chocolate, store it like fine wine, in a cool, dark cupboard.

About this time, large baking sheets with our inventive creations came out and were place on the table in front of us. It was so tempting to reach out and break of the piece of someone else’s bar. But I refrained. 

Instead, I followed Tim’s instructions. Any good chocolate apprentice has to know how to package the goods. We wrapped our specialty bars in cellophane, sealed them with the heat sealer and placed them into a cardboard sleeve. The final touch? To name our bars. Ginger Berry for both my husband and myself.

It was great way to end a wonderful morning of chocolate making. 

If you decide to book a make-your-own chocolate bar experience at Creo, let them know you heard about it through Not Your Average American. At the very least, please go into the store and take a deep breath. Then consider buying a box of chocolates. They’re worth it!