See You at the Market

June 24, 2010

 See You At The Market

It’s time. Finally, mid- June is here, rescuing us from a steady diet of tasty but all too familiar root vegetables. Time for strawberries and asparagus, for fresh mozzarella and goat cheese, for arugula, beet greens, mizuna… and yeah, stone ground chocolate too.

At Taza, this is one of our favorite months, because it’s when the farmers’ market season kicks into gear. We get to load up the cargo trikes, the trailer and the Chococycle with our wares and bring them straight to our customers in vibrant, open air marketplaces. It’s a joyful affirmation of the simple supply chain that’s one of Taza’s core values: “from the farm to us to you.”

Kari Ording with Tasty Treats from Taza

This year we’ll be hitting 15 local markets each week – Davis Square, Harvard Square (3 times a week!), Harvard University, Kendall Square, Cambridgeport, Prospect Street, Central Square, Arlington, Lexington, Winchester, Belmont, Boston University, Newburyport, and our “home market”, Union Square. As we haul the tents and coolers out of storage, we’ve been thinking about why we love the markets so much.

Connecting with gifted local growers like the folks from Allandale Farm reminds us how lucky we are to partner with cacao growers like Hilario Rosario of the La Red Guaconejo Co-op in the Dominican Republic. Their expertise and sweat equity bring us the bright, nuanced cocoa beans that make Taza Chocolate sing, and their success as growers is vital to the health of their community, as our own local farmers’ success is to ours. Vending alongside fellow local food artisans like our friends and tent-mates Fiore di Nonno (amazing handmade fresh mozzarella, if you haven’t tried it) inspires us to redouble our commitment to making the most mind-blowingly good chocolate possible. And nothing makes us happier than being face to face with our chocolate’s “end users”. What could be more gratifying than hearing firsthand the wows and the oh-my-gods, answering questions about Oaxacan mill stones and ethical trade, and getting chocolate-smeared thumbs-ups from little kids with mouthfuls of Vanilla Bean Mexicano?

We hope you’ll come out to the markets and support your local farmers and producers, meet up with your neighbors, and stock up on fresh, delicious food that nourishes both you and your community. Be sure to say hi to our intrepid 2010 Taza Farmers’ Market team: Joe, Bryn, Amanda, Sarah, Kari, and the Houghton family, who bring the chocolate to market in 90° heat, 60° drizzle, and hopefully lots of idyllic sunny, 78° days in between.

Click here for a complete schedule of farmers’ markets where you can find Taza Chocolate. For a list of all Massachusetts markets, visit the Mass Farmers Markets website. And if you need a gift for someone who love markets, our Farmers’ Market Fundraiser Gift Bag includes a $20 donation to the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets, along with plenty of delicious Taza Chocolate.