Small Business Success Story: Ritual Chocolate

For Ritual Chocolate cofounders Anna Seear and Robbie Stout, running a chocolate company has always been about the process of crafting exquisite chocolate. Their foray into chocolate making began in 2010 in a 400-square-foot studio apartment, where they roasted cacao beans in a converted rotisserie oven and jerry-rigged PVC pipes to winnow the shells from the cocoa beans.

Today, Ritual Chocolate’s Utah-made, bean-to-bar chocolates are sold in more than 500 specialty stores around the country, as well as in the company’s two café locations.

In 2020, Ritual Chocolate opened a new factory and café in Heber City, while also quadrupling the size of its original Park City location.

Here, Robbie Stout shares what makes Ritual Chocolate unique and how it has emerged stronger than ever from the challenges of the pandemic.

What do you want people to know about your small business?

Ritual Chocolate is made locally here in Utah. We don’t outsource anything except the printing of the packaging; That’s why we call it bean-to-bar. We take the product from the raw cacao bean to the finished chocolate bar.

We’ve been around long enough to make a name for ourselves. We’re now recognized globally for our high-quality chocolate and dark chocolate. Our products are sold in more than 500 stores around the country, including Whole Foods.

Locally, people can come visit us as at either of our two locations. The Park City location has a great café and bakery. Our factory location in Heber also has a café, where we serve chocolate drinks, coffee and pastries. We organize tastings and tours as well — that’s something people can interact with locally.

What separates your small business from your competitors?

Our specific process is unlike any other chocolate maker. One of our pieces of equipment, a conche, is from Switzerland and was built in 1915. It’s the original design, which has a way of processing chocolate that’s a lot gentler than modern machinery. We were able to buy the machine used and completely refurbish it.

We’re craft, we’re based in Utah, and we’re proud of that. We have this commitment to nature, whether it’s for our own non-motorized outdoor recreation or supporting the environmental well-being of the land where our cacao comes from. We source from small farms in Belize, Madagascar, Peru and Ecuador. These are family farms that work closely with the environment and are really low impact compared to other types of crops.

How can people help support your small business?

Really, it’s about being open to trying the chocolate and sharing it with friends and family. It can be really fun to host a chocolate tasting at home with friends or join an event at our Heber factory and try different chocolate flavors side by side.

And around the holidays, when you’re buying sweets anyway and it’s time to buy Christmas gifts, think about buying local and buying a high-quality product that the recipient will appreciate.

When chocolate is cheap, it’s a guarantee that somebody along the supply chain, most likely the farmer, is being abused. There’s no way to make cheap chocolate sustainable; it’s an economic impossibility — someone is suffering if the chocolate is cheap.

How has Zions Bank supported you in your journey?

Before our company moved from Colorado to Utah, we worked with another bank. Even though we were a profitable business, they were never willing to give us loans or a credit card.

When we came to Utah in 2015, we applied for a credit card and loans through Zions Bank. That was hugely helpful. We’d never had loans. It allowed us to buy our own equipment, which we had been renting before.

Our relationship with Park City branch manager Debbie Bump has been invaluable. Debbie knows our business at a personal level and it’s really nice and easy to call and get help with whatever issues we’re having. There’s that real relationship there. We’re not an anonymous customer like you might have with a national bank. I can call and say, “Hey Debbie, its Robbie,” and she understands our business and is ready to help.

Debbie acted quickly when the pandemic hit and our business was literally saved by an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and a Paycheck Protection Program loan, which were both processed through Zions Bank.

How have you adapted to meet the challenges of the last few years?

Our online sales increased during the pandemic, which really helped. We had to close our Park City café for two months and we had a six-month drought in wholesale orders.

The wholesale side recovered eventually, and because Utah ended up being a popular pandemic destination where people could spend time outside, the cafes have done well. As badly as we got hurt during the pandemic, we came out of it stronger, smarter, and leaner. We’re still getting through some challenges, but we’re doing OK.

Looking to start or grow your own small business? Zions Bank offers online business tools including business templates, columns, videos and financial calculators. Our Business Resource Centers in Salt Lake City and Boise provide 1-on-1 counseling and group training for entrepreneurs.

Zions Bank’s team of relationship managers can help you find the right SBA loan¹ for your business. Apply for a business loan online anytime or visit a local Zions Bank branch to learn more about starting or growing your small business.

1. SBA loans subject to credit approval and SBA approval. Terms and conditions apply. See a banker for details.