Handcrafted Chocolate Made Fresh in Small Batches, from Bean-to-Bar.

Mystic River Chocolate creates & crafts small farm grown & wild grown rare, heirloom & specialty cacao from around the world.

We are a Connecticut-based company both producing and crafting organic bean-to-bar chocolate in small batches, made fresh. In 2010, we aimed to create the best tasting organic dark chocolate from organic cacao nibs, for friends, farmer's markets and local retailers. Hundreds of farmers markets later, we created the Mystic River Chocolate Cafe at 12 Water Street in Historic downtown Mystic, Connecticut.

Craft Beer, Made Fresh In-House.

Our Craft Beer is house-made using freshly malted grains, hops and inclusions, fruit, spices and cacao. Our new offerings are delicious and fresh, crafted with as much care as we put into our chocolate. We feature a complex IPA, a smooth Belgian White Ale and a complex Nitro Brew Ale or Stout with Cacao.

What Starts as a Crunchy Bean, Transforms into a Dreamy Elixir.

Mystic River Chocolate Cafe features our signature organic bean-to-bar chocolate made from fresh cacao that is transformed into a dreamy chocolate elixir. We carefully select our ingredients, many unrefined, including raw organic heirloom cacao nibs and unrefined organic sugar, blended with natural, organic fruits, botanicals, herbs and essences.

 Our small-batch processing sustains the unique flavors of pure cocoa. We support fair direct trade, sustainable agriculture, and support small cocoa farmers who have learned their trade over generations.

We Buy from Small Farms, and Support Fairly-Traded Cacao.

Mystic River Chocolate purchases heirloom varieties of cacao from small organic cacao farms that have learned their trade over generations. Their cacao is internationally recognized for its high quality and unique flavors. Through careful farming, skillful harvesting, and expert fermentation the growers retain the bean’s natural essence. Our cacao suppliers ensure farmers are paid a fair wage through an ethical and sustainable supply chain.

Organic farmers are subject to many more environmental difficulties than commercial growers. Certain rare heirloom varieties of cacao can be more susceptible to plant diseases, yet thankfully, dedicated family farms keep growing them organically, despite the extra care and patience required.  

We strive to make the most natural, organic chocolate you can buy. Our prices reflect fair payments to farmers and small-quantity purchasing for freshness and quality, and the care we put into each batch.  

Everything. Chocolate. 

 Our signature Mystic River Chocolate coverture is handcrafted into our specialty bars, barks, truffles, chocolate-covered nuts and fruits, confections and more. We make the best handcrafted decadent European-style Mystic River Chocolate Cafe® drinking chocolate, and our very own recipe of soft serve ice cream. Our coffee bar features local-roasted premium organic coffee and espresso. And there are often cupcake specials and surprises.

Some Benefits of Dark Chocolate ~ 

No chocolate website would be complete without mentioning the latest research on dark chocolate. We make no health claims on our bars; instead, we’ll leave that up to experts. The Cleveland Clinic, a highly respected research institute, has run several articles describing the possible heart-healthy benefits of chocolate, due to it’s high flavanol content: 

"Flavanols are related to the production of nitric oxide, which relaxes your blood vessels and improves blood flow. In turn, this also lowers blood pressure. Better blood flow is also great for our overall health. “Improved blood flow means protection from heart disease,” says Peart. “It’s also good for cognition,  because you’re having more blood flow to the brain.” "Due to their antioxidant properties, flavanols are also beneficial in fighting cell damage relating to aging." "Dark chocolate is packed full of important minerals, including iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and phosphorus. In your body, these minerals are used to support factors such as immunity (zinc), can help keep your bones and teeth healthy (phosphorus), and contribute to better sleep quality (magnesium)." (article here)

Mystic River Chocolate’s signature coverture only uses cocoa butter along with our nibs, no soy or fillers. Research also shows that ‘cocoa butter is made up of equal amounts of oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids.’ The consensus seems to be that moderate portions of dark chocolate, (i.e. 1 ounce) a few times per week could be good for you!

Other websites describe dark chocolate containing properties that are: ‘helpful to gut microbes’, ‘anti-inflammatory’, ‘increases endorphins’, and that chocolate contains ‘anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and depression.’ Most seem to agree that the ‘darker’, i.e. the higher content of cacao, the better, eaten in moderation. 

Mystic River Chocolate creates signature bars that contain 100% cocoa, 90% cocoa, 85% cocoa, 72% cocoa, 70% cocoa and 55% cocoa. All are considered ‘dark chocolate’. Bear in mind that your average commercially-available ‘candy’ bar contains only 11% cocoa! 

We have also noticed that chocolate can make children of all ages smile, lift a dreary mood, and most apparent: it’s just delicious!

About the founders ~ 

Bill Gash, Chocolatier, Engineer and Navy Veteran, has been a chocolate connoisseur since 2006 when he opened Xocolatl Cafe in New London Connecticut. Through that experience, and from explorations of Peru and Ecuador, he found his love of creating handcrafted chocolate from bean-to-bar.

Bill has found some of the world’s finest cacao beans working closely with dedicated organic cacao farmers to purchase the highest quality, ethically and fairly-traded cacao. Bill’s cacao bean-to-bar process has been honed with years of thoughtful patience and respect for the alchemy of chocolate making – what starts as a crunchy bean transforms into a dreamy elixir.

His wife Casey ~ Graphic Designer, Artist, Musician, Yoga Teacher and Natural Foods Baker, found her complimentary skills a perfect paring for developing the cacao brand ~ drawn to the natural beauty found in cacao, unprocessed whole foods, and the culinary creations that derive from them. Casey’s lifelong exploration of art, natural foods, alternative holistic therapies and a yogic lifestyle have influenced the direction of the company.

Mystic River Chocolate is dedicated to offering organic ingredients when possible to bring natural wholesome foods to the community.  

Come visit us at 12 Water Street in the heart of Historic Downtown Mystic, Connecticut!