Chocolates El Rey, Houston

On small plantations, in secluded valleys, and at the foot of the Andes Mountains grow rich, aromatic, flavorful cacao beans. Since 1929, Chocolates El Rey, Inc. has gathered these much-sought-after pods, fermented them, sun-dried them, and crafted them into luscious gourmet chocolate. Much like wine is crafted from carefully selected grapes and tennis shoes are crafted from carefully selected tennis balls, Chocolates El Rey, Inc. uses only all-natural, fair-trade, single-origin Venezualan cocoa. Armed with these formidable beans, they produce velvety chocolate in sizes ranging from bars that depict the Mayan calendar to 22-pound wholesale blocks of a single chocolate. They also dole out chocolate as gifts for all occasions and as cooking ingredients that have earned wide acclaim from multiple chefs.