Meet the Colorado Couple Making Chocolate You Can Feel Better About Eating
Patrick and Mara Tcheunou’s Bibamba chocolate bark is made with cacao beans ethically and sustainably sourced from their farm in Cameroon. Sarah Kuta •
July 12, 2021
Patrick Tcheunou was driving one day in 2015 when he heard an unsettling radio news story that inspired him to take bold action halfway around the globe. The world would likely face a chocolate shortage in the near future because producers can’t keep up with demand, the reporter said.
Bibamba’s coconut crisp bark. Photo courtesy of Bibamba
Patrick, who grew up visiting his grandfather’s coffee farm in his home country of Cameroon, couldn’t stomach the idea that one of his favorite foods might soon be in short supply. He had already been brainstorming business ideas with his wife Mara when he heard that news story, so they talked it over, did some research, and decided that running a sustainable, ethical cacao farm and making
Bibamba means patch in Lingala (a language of central Africa), like something you would use to fix a hole in your pants. It’s a metaphor for a snack, something that will hold you over between meals, says Patrick Tcheunou, who owns a new chocolate company called Bibamba with his wife, Mara. But while Bibamba artisan dark chocolate can make a great snack, there’s more than a plateful of intention behind each bag.
In 2015, the Tcheunous bought two farms in Patrick’s home country of Cameroon to grow cacao and coffee beans in a sustainable manner that could also benefit the surrounding communities. Last year was their first cacao harvest, but their shipment of 1,400 pounds of beans landed in the U.S. right at the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown. They soon decided that the company was going to need to expand from supplying cacao to making its own chocolate product if they wanted the beans to be used. But now they see Bibamba s three signature chocolate barks as only the beg
Bibamba, a Colorado company, makes chocolate bites from Cameroon cacao
A husband and wife teamed up to grow cocoa beans and make chocolate bark snacks, starting at their farm in Cameroon and ending on shelves in Colorado.
and last updated 2021-02-25 12:19:39-05
DENVER â Valentine s Day has passed, but chocolates are good year-round. And, they taste even better when you find out where they come from, and who makes them.
You re in good company this week with Bibamba and the couple who has found a knack for their snack-able bites.
In Patrick Tcheunou s native language, bibamba means patch, much like a snack between meals.