Patric Chocolate is a bean-to-bar, craft-chocolate manufacturer and chocolate consulting firm founded in 2006 by Alan Patrick McClure (born November, 1978). McClure remains owner and head of chocolate research and development at Patric Chocolate, as well as consultant to the food and beverage industry through Patric Food & Beverage Development.
After founding Patric Chocolate, McClure sold his first chocolate, the 70% Sambirano Valley single-origin bar, in July 2007.[1] The company grew over the next eight years, managing to remain in operation during the Great Recession, and expanded the availability of its products through increased production, distribution, and online sales.[1] After years of growth and accolades, founder Alan McClure made the decision to return to graduate school, while continuing to operate Patric Chocolate, to improve the scientific foundation of the company's research & development approach.[2] Thus, in 2014 McClure began his study in the sciences, including chocolate science, flavor chemistry and sensory analysis, and in September 2020 successfully defended his chocolate-focused doctoral research, earning him a PhD in Food Science from the University of Missouri, where he conducted research in the Milton Bailey Flavor Chemistry Laboratory and in conjunction with the Sensory Evaluation Center[3] of Penn State. McClure's research made use of analytical flavor chemistry, sensory analysis, experimental design, and current methods of statistical learning and data visualization, to better understand the unique bitterness of chocolate, how it changes with cacao roasting, and its relationship to chocolate consumer perceptions and preferences. Upon graduation, McClure announced the expansion of the craft-food consulting component of Patric Chocolate in to include other fermentation-based foods, ingredient and product development.[1] This new division, Patric Food & Beverage Development,[4] is focused on food and beverage product development, product and process optimization, and science-based technical solutions.[5]
Chocolate bars and other products
Patric Chocolate bars are handcrafted from cocoa beans sourced directly from farms or cooperatives. Over the years, the company's line has included more than thirty different bean-to-bar chocolate bars, a variety of house-made confections, chocolate beverages, chocolate bakery items, and many other chocolate products. Patric Chocolate has always crafted its premium chocolate from bean-to-bar while incorporating many practices over time that emphasize sustainability, such as sourcing mostly certified organic ingredients, purchasing cacao for higher than conventional prices, and placing an emphasis on recycling and renewable energy use.[6]
Awards and features
As of 2021, Patric Chocolate has won a total of twenty-six Good Food Awards, more than any other entrant in any category, an achievement first celebrated publicly at the 10th annual Good Food Awards ceremony in 2020.[7] This decade-long winning streak led to McClure's swift announcement of the retirement of Patric Chocolate from the awards in order to allow for more collaborative and less competitive relationships with other chocolate and food companies.[1] Patric Chocolate's Good Food Award wins (below) remain a record:
2020 Winners: 67% Madagascar, 67% Piura Peru, Browned Butter Bar.
2019 Winners: 75% Madagascar, Triple Ginger.
2018 Winners: 67% Madagascar, 70% Signature Blend, The Salty Cow, Browned Butter Bar.
2017 Winners: Piura Dark Milk, Sweet & Sassy.
2016 Winners: Browned Butter Bar, Triple Ginger, Red Coconut Curry.
2015 Winners: 67% Madagascar, Black Licorice Bar, PBJ OMG, Red Coconut Curry.
2014 Winners: 70% Signature Blend, Mocha OMG, Mint CRUNCH.
In 2017, Zagat proclaimed that Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate "makes some of the best chocolate bars in the world" which "are in high demand."[8]
In December 2015, The New York Times conducted a taste test of chocolate bars made from scratch. Patric Chocolate's 67% Madagascar bar was placed in the #2 spot of only 8 bars chosen as "most impressive."[9]
In September 2013, Patric Chocolate won two of only seven awards given for bean-to-bar chocolate products at the Northwest Chocolate Festival, including a gold for the In-NIB-itable Bar in the inclusion category, and a Silver for the 67% Madagascar in the plain chocolate category.[10]
In October 2013, Patric Chocolate won six prizes in the Americas arm of the International Chocolate Awards: two golds and four silvers for the 67% Madagascar, 67% Piura, and Mocha OMG.[11]
In October 2013, Patric Chocolate won two prizes in the World Finals of the International Chocolate Awards for the 67% Madagascar and 67% Piura dark chocolate bars.[12]
Patric Chocolate was also featured Food & Wine's article Taste's to Try: Best New American Chocolate[13]
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring in other foods. The cacao tree has been used as a source of food for at least 5,300 years, starting with the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador. Later, Mesoamerican civilizations consumed cacao beverages, of which one, chocolate, was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.
Milk chocolate is a form of solid chocolate containing cocoa, sugar and milk. It is the most consumed type of chocolate, and is used in a wide diversity of bars, tablets and other confectionery products. Milk chocolate contains smaller amounts of cocoa solids than dark chocolates do, and contains milk solids. While its taste has been key to its popularity, milk chocolate was historically promoted as a healthy food, particularly for children.
Butterfinger is a candy bar manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero. It consists of a layered crisp peanut butter core covered in a "chocolatey" coating. It was invented by Otto Schnering of the Curtiss Candy Company in 1923. A popularity contest chose the name.
Jolly Rancher is an American brand of sweet hard candy, gummies, jelly beans, lollipops, and sour bites, and a line of soda put out by Elizabeth Beverage Company in 2004. Originally created in Colorado in the 1950s, the Jolly Rancher brand has been owned by The Hershey Company since 1996.
Conching is a process used in the manufacture of chocolate whereby a surface scraping mixer and agitator, known as a conche, evenly distributes cocoa butter within chocolate and may act as a "polisher" of the particles. It also promotes flavor development through frictional heat, release of volatiles and acids, and oxidation. The name arises from the shape of the vessels initially used which resembled conch shells.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is an American coffee chain founded in 1963. It is owned and operated by International Coffee & Tea, LLC, which has its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, California.
A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectioneries from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. They are pastry chefs or confectioners who specialize in chocolate and making chocolate candies. Chocolatiers work artisanally with ready-made chocolate mass and are therefore distinct from industrial chocolate makers; in the chocolate industry they are sometimes referred to derisively as "melters".
CocoaVia is a brand name for a daily cocoa extract supplement. The name CocoaVia is a registered trademark of Mars Inc..
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans mixed with fat and powdered sugar to produce a solid confectionery. There are several types of chocolate, classified primarily according to the proportion of cocoa and fat content used in a particular formulation.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chocolate:
Amano Artisan Chocolate is an American bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer based in Orem, Utah.
Crunch is a chocolate bar made of milk chocolate and crisped rice first introduced in 1938. It is produced globally by Nestlé with the exception of the United States, where it is produced under license by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero.
Beyond Good, formerly known as Madécasse, is a Brooklyn-based chocolate and vanilla company. It was established in 2006 by Brett Beach and Tim McCollum. The company sells a range of single-origin chocolate bars and vanilla products sourced from the island of Madagascar. All of their cocoa is certified direct trade and is sourced directly from Malagasy and Ugandan cocoa farmers. For several years, Beyond Good worked with a local chocolate producer in Antananarivo before moving its production facility to Madagascar and Europe.
Dark chocolate is a form of chocolate made of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Without added sweetener, dark chocolate is known as bitter chocolate or unsweetened chocolate. Dark chocolate, above white and milk chocolate, is valued for claimed, albeit unsupported health benefits and for being a sophisticated choice of chocolate. Like milk and white chocolate, dark chocolate is used to make chocolate bars and as a coating for confectionery.
The chocolate industry in the Philippines developed after the introduction of the cocoa tree to Philippine agriculture. The growing of cacao or cocoa boasts a long history stretching from the colonial times. Originating from Mesoamerican forests, cacao was first introduced by the Spanish colonizers four centuries ago. Since then the Philippine cocoa industry has been the primary producer of cocoa beans in Southeast Asia. There are many areas of production of cacao in the Philippines, owing to soil and climate. The chocolate industry is currently on a small to medium scale.
Ruby chocolate is a style or distinct variety of chocolate that is pink or purple in colour. Barry Callebaut, a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company, introduced it as a distinct product on 5 September 2017 after beginning development of their product in 2004. It has a pink color, and Barry Callebaut says it is a fourth natural type of chocolate. Some other industry experts have said that some cacao pods are naturally pink or purple in colour, and thus pink chocolate has been available before.
Gabriel Kreuther is a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Manhattan named after its chef and owner, Gabriel Kreuther. It specializes in modern Alsatian food with other French, German, and American influences.
Rogue Chocolatier was an American bean-to-bar chocolate maker founded and almost entirely operated by Colin Gasko. Started in 2007, Rogue used cocoa beans from locations not typically used in chocolate production, and through an unusually long and meticulous production process, created small quantities of chocolate bars for retail. Across the business's lifespan, it operated out of Minnesota and Massachusetts.
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