After cocoa beans are drum roasted, the beans are cracked open and the nibs are separated from the hull through a process called winnowing.

R.C. Gartrell still remembers a cup of coffee he tasted in 1993.

It shaped the trajectory of his career, as he went on to start a handful of coffee roasting companies one of which was Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Portland.

Gartrell has since sold his ownership in the roasters and he and his wife, Amanda, are roasting beans for an entirely different end product. Chocolate.

The Gartrells are the chocolate makers behind Seahorse Chocolate, a single-origin craft chocolate studio in Bend, which drum roasts its cocoa beans in small batches to highlight the flavors in each varietal.

During R.C.’s world travels for the coffee industry, cocoa farms caught his attention, and he developed an interest in the difference between coffee and cocoa. Similar to coffee beans, cocoa beans are sourced from farms within 20 degrees above and below the equator, also known as the “cocoa belt.”

Many of the bars Seahorse sells are named for the countries from which the beans originate, such as Peru, Belize, Vietnam, Dominican Republic and Indonesia. A few of its products mix beans from multiple origins, such as Left of the Dial with cherry notes from a blend of beans from Africa and Latin America, and A.M. Gold with a taste of nougat from cocoas of Pan-Asia and the Caribbean.

“I wanted to take specific farms and the terroir and the water and the land and the soil and everything that goes along with that and show the differences,” Gartrell said. “I still approach it just like coffee, but it acts differently. It takes longer.”

With the exclusion of one product, the company’s chocolates are made with just two ingredients — cocoa and sugar. Dark Milk is the exception, made for a friend of Gartrell’s who is not a fan of dark chocolate. It includes coconut milk and is still vegan, like its counterparts.

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The chocolate-making process

Seahorse bars are designed to be eaten as a flight, allowing the consumer to appreciate the subtle distinctions of each variety. Aside from the cocoa bean’s origin, the only differing factor between the bars is the roast profile, which affects the density of the cocoa and the moisture and fat content of the bar.

The cocoa trees of Seahorse’s partnership farms typically fruit and flour three to four times a year. And although these harvests originate from the same farm, each can taste drastically different, Gartrell said.

The beans tend to absorb the flavors of neighboring crops. The Dominican Republic bar is grown from beans located on a 1,000-acre bird sanctuary that may only be accessed by boat, Gartrell said. It also produces bananas, guava and macadamia nuts, flavors which are subtly infused in the chocolate.

Seahorse drum roasts the raw beans, then cracks them open, separating the nibs from the outer casing (the hull), a process referred to as winnowing. The nibs are stone ground for three days in a conch, allowing them to develop a nuanced flavor and velvety texture.

It isn’t until after the three-day process that Gartrell knows how the resulting batch will taste.

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Where can I find Seahorse Chocolate?

Seahorse Chocolate may be found in Bend at Newport Avenue Market, Market of Choice, Lone Pine Coffee Roasters and Backporch Coffee Roasters, or through the store locator online at seahorsechocolate.com. Tours of the chocolate roastery may also be booked through Adventure Tours Bend.

And for those wondering how the company’s name was chosen, it has little to do with seahorses. Gartrell came home one day and his youngest son was watching a YouTube video about seahorses.

“I like names that have nothing to do with the product,” he said.