Troy resident’s passions lead to chocolate company
TROY, N.Y. » New local company Primo Botánica is aiming to change the chocolate market with its craft cacao-based products.
Primo Botánica, founded last September by Troy resident Oliver William, produces freshly roasted chocolate made from single origin cacao, unrefined sweeteners and ingredients harvested in upstate New York.
The cacao is sourced from Peru, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Madagascar, Costa Rica and Ecuador - then turned into chocolate right in the Capital Region.
The chocolate bars Primo Botánica sells are currently produced from a commercial kitchen in Castleton. The process includes roasting, winnowing, grinding the cacao, then mixing, tempering and lastly molding the chocolate bars - a two-day endeavor from start to finish.
William, the chocolate-maker, always had an interest in agriculture, anthropology, travel, cooking, and natural foods. So when searching for a career path, he found himself starting a chocolate company combining these passions. “Chocolate-making kind of brings all of those things together for me,” he said.
With an emphasis on the health benefits of chocolate, Primo Botánica uses high percentages of cacao in all of the bars.
In addition to the regular chocolate bars, Primo Botánica will soon start offering inclusion bars and some other cacao-based products other than chocolate.
Right now William is Primo Botánica’s only official employee, but he runs the business with a huge amount of collaboration from the members of The Basswood, a residential community in Troy’s Mt. Ida neighborhood focused on sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Since Primo Botánica’s debut, it’s been partnering with many fellow local food-based and other businesses.
“The idea is to be connected to the local food industry but also the global food industry in a sustainable way,” William said.
One way Primo Botánica does this is through pop up events like its upcoming appearance at Argyle Gallery for Troy Night Out, from 6 to 9 p.m. this Friday. William will offer samples of chocolate and cold brew cacao at the 46 Fourth St. gallery during the downtown district-wide monthly festival. In the future, William hopes to expand Primo Botánica’s presence throughout the Capital Region and beyond, while in particular becoming part of the economic expansion of the Mt. Ida district in Troy.
Primo Botánica’s mission also includes a significant education component. “My ultimate goal is for Primo Botánica to be a hub for the northeast chocolate industry,” William said. “I would like to be responsible for
the sourcing of high quality single origin cacao and provide the education and the equipment for homescale producers to be able to make their own chocolate at home.”
To do this, William has started teaching bean-tobar chocolate-making workshops in the area, showing people that chocolate-making can be done affordably at home.
Making and selling chocolate isn’t William’s main motive, he said. “It’s my way of getting the message out there.”
Like homebrewing has become popular for beerlovers, William envisions craft chocolate-making becoming a common at-home activity for chocolate enthusiasts, with Primo Botánica serving as a resource for education, ingredients and machinery.
Primo Botánica is now available for purchase online at the company’s web- site as well as in several local retail locations including Honest Weight Food Co-op, Steuben St. Market and both Stacks Espresso Bar locations in Albany, Blue Bird Home Decor in Troy, Ace Hardware in Brunswick and Putnam Market in Saratoga Springs.
Additionally, Primo Botánica can be found at the Schenectady Greenmarket and, beginning this summer, the Delmar Farmers Market.
More information on Primo Botánica is available online at www.primobotanica.com or www.facebook.com/PrimoBotanica. The company is also on Instagram @primobotanica. chocolate. Contact Primo Botánica directly by calling (518) 712-9495.