Casa de Chocolates

About the offering

Casa de Chocolates is a small family-run chocolateria that is on a mission to uplift cacao’s indigenous roots. Using local, organic, and ethically sourced ingredients, they make one-of-a-kind renowned artisanal chocolates that celebrate Latin America’s rich flavor diversity. Our Story Casa de Chocolates began 11 years ago, under the guidance of our mentors, Arcelia and Amelia. As two best friends working part-time while navigating undergrad at UC Berkeley, we found more than a job, we discovered our passion and purpose. What started as a way to make ends meet evolved into a vision for the future. Through years of mentorship, we learned firsthand what it takes to cultivate and sustain a successful, values-driven small business. When the pandemic tested the strength of the business, Amelia made a courageous choice in 2021 to pass the torch to its very first employees—us. In November 2022, we officially became the owners. Now, with over a decade of heritage in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood, we’re ready for our next chapter. Our demand has outgrown our current space to the point we’ve had to turn down opportunities. We aim to create a new production space and retail storefront that will improve efficiency and production capacity while maintaining the essence of a small batch confectionery. With a loyal customer base and over 10 years of community trust, we are positioned to significantly scale both revenue and impact. As we expand, our mission remains clear: to honor the Mesoamerican origins of cacao, to mentor and uplift our team, and to provide excellent jobs in our community. This next phase is more than growth, it’s legacy-building. Use of Funds We will use the funds for working capital for the buildout of our second location and to purchase equipment. $188,000 (94.0%) - Working capital- new location buildout and equipment $12,000 (6.0%) - SMBX Funding Success Fee Our Business Plan Our growth strategy includes: Prioritizing securing 15 new wholesale partnerships both in CA and nationally in the next 18 months. Increasing public presence by attending more local events to showcase our products. Strengthening our strategy to attract more corporate accounts for gifting needs, we currently have done corporate and nonprofit gifts /events for Pixar, Microsoft, DigiNest and more. Refreshing our packaging to be more sustainable and eco-conscious

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