THE CHOCOLATE LAB AT JHOUSE GREENWICH

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Specialty Chocolate, Coffee and Tea with a Conscience
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Cafe Latte And Biscotti




Chocolate Lab
Located just inside the newly opened JHouse Greenwich hotel’s lobby, the Chocolate Lab is a unique chocolate shop and café, featuring house made chocolates, gelati and pastries, as well as fair trade tea and coffee drinks. The inspiration for the Chocolate Lab was drawn from Executive Chef François Kwaku-Dongo’s upbringing on his grandparents’ cocoa farm in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, where he grew up living off the bounty of the land. His philosophy of using the highest quality seasonal ingredients and letting the flavors speak for themselves carries through to the artisanal chocolates, coffee and tea at the Chocolate Lab. Pastry Chef Didier Berlioz brings his signature nous in the art of balancing texture with sweetness and structure to all of his desserts and confections. The Chocolate Lab uses only fair trade, seasonal chocolate, sourced from three ethical vendors: Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company, Grand-Place® Group and Cacao Prieto. All three businesses are vertically integrated in the harvesting and production of cocoa beans, enabling them to control the quality of the cocoa, from the farm to the finished product. Each supplier represents a different type of cocoa bean, each from a different part of the world.



Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company is a single source chocolate company, using only beans from small family farmers in Ghana. The sale of Omanhene chocolate results in higher revenues and consequently higher wages for both workers at the chocolate factory and for local cocoa farmers. The company gives 95 percent of proceeds back to factory workers and family farmers.



Grand-Place® is a unique multicultural company that works hand in hand with small farms to produce single origin chocolate from Vietnam, an emerging player in cocoa bean production. Single Origin Vietnam is not only a very special chocolate; it is also an environmental friendly product. From the growing of cocoa to the chocolate manufacturing everything is made in Vietnam! This allows the company’s chocolate to have a very low carbon impact on the environment.



Cacao Prieto produces 100 percent organic bean-to-bar chocolate made fresh daily from the finest, single origin Dominican Cacao. All Cacao Prieto products are sourced from organic cocoa beans from the company’s self-sustainable, family farm and organic sugars from the Dominican Republic. From pods to beans; from bars to bon bons; from hard science to the ethereal joy of tasting high quality chocolate, Cacao Prieto’s trailblazing methods link the best of the New and Old Worlds to re-define the manufacture, the processing and, of course, the pleasures of chocolate.



Specialty coffee and tea is aligned with The JHouse Greenwich’s culinary objectives. The Chocolate Lab has selected two vendors, Barismo and In Pursuit of Tea, which consistently deliver outstanding product and seasonal harvest direct from origin. Source transparency makes it difficult to hide poor quality and rewards small producers for quality. Like producers of wine, cheeses and chocolates, many smaller coffee and tea purveyors have begun pursuing this objective with a passion.




The Chocolate Lab sources its coffee from Boston, Mass. based micro-roaster Barismo, which cultivates direct trade relationships with farmers to obtain quality coffee beans and ensure farmers are paid for it. From seed to cup, transparency distribution and traceability improve the quality of coffee.



The Chocolate Lab also offers single source loose-leaf teas from In Pursuit of Tea. Each year, In Pursuit of Tea and its suppliers spend time in each of the finest tea-growing regions in order to understand that year's tea characteristics and to bring back the best. The company buys full leaf and organically grown teas when possible, often purchased from small farms or collectives. As an environmentally conscious business In Pursuit of Tea supports and donates to organizations that promote sustainable and organic agriculture.



The Chocolate Lab is open seven days a week, from 6:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.



For more information about the Chocolate Lab, visit www.choc-lab.com.



About The JHouse Greenwich: An innovative escape, located in the heart of Greenwich, Connecticut, The JHouse Greenwich hotel is a dream destination for travelers looking to indulge in the highest level of luxury. In combination with its chic, contemporary décor, this boutique hotel offers guests a home away from home, featuring world-class amenities, fine dining and modern, plush comforts. The JHouse Greenwich’s impeccable attention to detail is apparent not only in the luxury and comfort afforded to guests, but also in its green initiatives.


For more information about The JHouse Greenwich, visit www.jhousegreenwich.com



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