RED HOOK — Raaka Chocolate officially opened its brand new Red Hook chocolate factory this week — with tours and chocolate-making classes coming soon to the neighborhood.
The 3,600-square-foot factory will serve as the bean-to-bar chocolate company’s sole production facility as well as its first brick-and-mortar retail shop at 64 Seabring St. at Van Brunt Street, reps said.
At the new space — roughly quadruple the size of its former Clinton Hill facility — Raaka has upped its chocolate production by 30 to 40 percent in the last month, according to chocolate maker Peter Gray and a press release.
Raaka now has a “bean room,” where sacks of cocoa beans are stored as well as a grinding room with six machines to grind and mix the chocolate.
In the factory's largest room, the tempered chocolate is poured into molds, "shocked" into a solid state in a refrigerated room, wrapped and finally labeled, Gray said.
"We're elated to be joining Red Hook's artisan food scene," said company founder Ryan Cheney in a statement.
"The new shop will allow us to expand production while also welcoming customers into our factory in order to explore the nuances behind the craft of unroasted, organic chocolate," he said.
Raaka's "virgin" chocolate bars are made with unroasted beans and organic ingredients that are soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free and vegan. Along with signature bars like Dark with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and Coconut Milk, Raaka has launched two new flavors, Maple + Nibs and Lapsang Chai.
Tours of the factory are slated to begin later this month at $10 per person, including a tasting of Raaka's handcrafted chocolate. The chocolate-making classes will also begin this month at $50 per session. For details, visit the company's website.
The retail store will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon beginning Sept. 25.
