My Trip to Raaka Chocolate Factory

I’ve always wanted to be a chocolatier. Amongst many of my lost callings-in-life (ballerina, movie star, celeb vegan chef animal trainer — the list goes enthusiastically on), this one was, at least, tempered a bit (choco pun intended!) with my trip to Raaka chocolate factory, conveniently located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0028
Clean, chocolatey and cacao everywhere, just the way I like it!

I’ll admit, I was first lured into seeking a class after receiving a Pulsd email touting a deal for an all-inclusive choco-making class with plenty of choco-tasting included (psst: sign up with my link to get $5 off your first Pulsd!). After booking the tour via email, me +3 headed over and were greeted by the sweet, though a bit lackluster, Raaka staff. There were bowls of chocolate circles in front of each pile of choco bars for anyone who wanted to take (ie: everyone), and no judgement was cast as to how many we ate. My kind of joint!

A quick note: the chocolate at Raaka is not on the sweet, creamy side. It’s really more of a bitter, slightly sweet and mostly dark bar with sophisticated tasting notes that go better with wine, not milk. Think more midnight and less milky way.

raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0023
I probably spent more than 10 minutes sampling all the flavors laid out on their table #noshameinmychocogame

The factory is decently sized, though in no way was it the size of, say, an airplane hangar. Everything was clean and food-grade-looking. The tour began with a quick summary of Raaka’s origins (Raaka means “raw” in Finnish), then we were escorted to another room, where we learned about cocoa beans and how beans are harvested, separated from their hard outer shells and the ground into cocoa paste, later to be tempered into smooth chocolate. We were made to watch a short video about the harvesting of cocoa, of which Raaka proudly does sustainably + ethically.

raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0031
A snap of the video we watched (around 15-20 mins long), probably the least interesting part of the tour.
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0040
A hollowed-out cacao pod with cacao seeds.
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0032
Cacao seeds.
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0039
Crankenstein, AKA a burr grinder used to separate the hard exoderm from the cacao nibs.
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0038
Nibs galore!
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0035
Detailed look at a ground cacao seed.
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0043
So. Many. SEEDS~
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0050
Ceiling-high machine used to process cacao pods. Apparently it *only* cost 20K (usually retails for 5x that!).
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0056
A tempering machine that turns cacao nibs and butter into smooth chocolate!
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0062
Why so sad, Mr. cacao barrel?
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0045
Our guide animatedly (not) talks about chocolate.

Obviously, I wasn’t expecting too much out of the chocolate class, but I didn’t think we were only going to fill out molds with chocolate and dump stuff on them. I guess I envisaged a more holistic process where we’d mix the cocoa butter, cocoa paste, sugar and flavorings in a bowl, but I can see how laborious that’d be for the staff. You get what you pay for!

raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0074
She fills our molds, the smooth way.
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0078
Caution: chocolate-making in progress!
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0092
Artisans at work!
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0100
Showing off our choco-wares
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0094
Simon takes a choc pic
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0125
Our little chocolate babies are ready to go!
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0127
Wrapped, reppin’ and calorie weapon!
raaka chocolate factory brooklyn vegan chao_0130
The baddest chocolatiers in the biz~

Overall, I did enjoy my time at Raaka but wouldn’t want to repeat the tour, it felt like a one-trick-pony. But for those looking for something else to do besides the ol’ movie, brunch or a museum, it’s worth a sleepy Saturday afternoon.