BEAN TO BAR
Karla McNeil-Rueda, cofounder of
Cru Chocolate, studied her craft at the
Chocolate Institute of Latin America and the
Caribbean in Cuba. She sources Cru’s cacao
from Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican
Republic and Haiti. “We work a lot with
heirloom varietals, which are varietals that
have been passed down from generations,”
says McNeil-Rueda, a Hondouras-native
who grew up in a family of coffee and
sugarcane farmers. Each batch of chocolate
bars Cru makes has its own unique flavor,
McNeil-Rueda says, which depends on the
cacao’s country of origin, the varietals of the
beans and the nuanced craftsmanship of its
makers. McNeil-Rueda uses taste — rather
than specific measures — to guide her as
she works.
PHOTO: KEN JAMES
CAPTION: SENA CHRISTIAN
March 2019 | comstocksmag.com
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