Mustard Seed is thrilled to now be carrying Patric chocolate. We’re excited because it is not only delicious, but also happens to be made by a local company. Patric began after Alan “Patric” McClure spent a year in France, where he studied the chocolate making process. In 2006 he set up shop here in Columbia, Missouri, where he began crafting his delicious single-origin chocolates. At that time, Patric was the first of five companies to make craft chocolate in the US, and before that time, no such companies had opened their doors since the early 1900’s!
Patric chocolate, which had a total of 6 employees, has been making significant waves in the craft choclate world. Crystal, my resource from Patric, who is often referred to as the “Chocolate Lady”, was kind enough to share her insight on the company she works for. Crystal talked to me a little bit about what it’s like to work at Patric, noting that the comradery she shares with her co workers is the thing she enjoys most about working at Patric. She says employees often play poker over lunch breaks, spend time together outside of work and share a sincere passion for cooking, especially chocolate. With all of that positive energy floating around their shop, it’s easy to imagine why their chocolate is turning out so well.
However, not only is Patric chocolate turning out well, it’s winning awards, too. While their awards are too numerous to list here, Crystal shared the one she was most proud of was the 2011 Good Food Award. Crystal said, “Whereas we’ve been recognized by many different national publications over the past 5 years, the Good Food Award was given to us by our peers who recognized us as changing the face of craft food in the US. It is really humbling to be sent such a positive message by one’s own peers.” Here at Mustard Seed we can add our voice to the chorus of praise they’ve been receiving, and this blogger can say from personal experience that their chocolate is unique and delicious. If you’re looking for a small gift or a stocking stuffer for someone special, you should stop by and try a bar. We now have the iNibitable, PB and J OMG, Madagascar 75%, Cappuccino OMG, and Mint OMG in store.
To conclude this blog post, I want to share a final thought from Crystal that I think wraps things up better than I could: “My most fulfilling moments at Patric Chocolate are when I have the opportunity to introduce people to Patric Chocolate. Folks are always so surprised by the quality of our chocolate. I’m continually excited to come to work each and every day, as I know I’ll have another opportunity to introduce a new person to Patric Chocolate. Very often people refer to me as the “Chocolate Lady” and when they do, I know I’ve done my job. By word of mouth and our continued support from die-hard Patric Chocolate fans, our company continues to grow! I’m so excited to see where we’ll be in 5 or 10 years!”