When Jens Knoop and his team at Knoops Chocolate started looking into expanding in the U.S., Utah kept popping up.
As he did more research into the U.S. market, Utah seemed like the likely choice for the first expansion into America for the gourmet drinking chocolate shop.
“I think it’s just going to be a big chocolate party,” Knoop told the Deseret News.
There are currently 30 storefronts located in the United Kingdom and in Europe. It’s the world’s largest drinking chocolate library, with 21 chocolates ranging from 28% white to 100% dark.
When customers come in to order drinking chocolate, they get to customize the experience to their own taste — starting with the cacao percentage and then deciding which temperature and texture they would like to have for their drinking chocolate.
“If you have what I call a beginner’s mind and you just come in and you let us guide you through all these choices, we will make sure that you will get the best chocolate drink,” Knoop said.
A lifetime of loving chocolate
Knoop said he could “talk chocolate all day long, relentlessly.”
He’s such a fan of chocolate that he even wears a cacao bean as a necklace that he received as a gift from one of the farmers he works with in Venezuela.
Some of his earliest memories revolve around chocolate. Growing up in Germany, his grandmother would present chocolate to him as a reward on a little plastic tray, making the experience of tasting chocolate ceremonial and special.
“There was a big ceremony around it,” Knoop said. “So I really appreciated it, and I felt the importance of chocolate.”
The beginning of Knoops Chocolate
Around 2012, Knoop was searching for a good hot chocolate in London and his search for quality kept coming up short. He decided that his dream of working with chocolate for a living could become a reality in this niche market, so he started contacting farmers and looking into how to open a drinking chocolate business.
Then in 2013, Knoops Chocolate was established in the town of Rye, England, sourcing chocolate from all over the world.
“With us you get into the store and you can create your own personalized drink for whatever you would like at that moment, whatever your dietary requirements are, or what the occasion is, if you’re with friends or with family,” Knoop said.
Knoop works directly with farmers to source the chocolate and said he knows exactly where the cacao is coming from.
“There are minimal ingredients in the chocolate, and that just speaks for the quality of the chocolate itself,” Knoop said. “So there’s a strong emphasis on — you can taste the quality, you can taste the heritage, you can taste the pride of the cacao farmers, and my pride as well that I was able to connect farmers with the customers.”
The add-ins for the chocolate are all sustainably sourced, and Knoops Chocolate adds local flavors to local stores. For example, Utah’s location is the only place where you can add in PBFit peanut butter powder to a drink.
“It’s a nod to the local culture as well — as an appreciation and thank you that we have been invited to join the area,” Knoop said.
What I ordered
I sampled a few different levels, textures and temperatures when I attended a media event before the opening. And I have to admit, each was unique and delicious in its own way.
Here are the ones I tried:
- 43% hot chocolate with sea salt: This milk chocolate is a robust and creamy blend. The sea salt adds a nice touch at the end to cut off the richness of the chocolate.
- 54% iced chocolate with cinnamon: This award-winning bestseller is known for a delicate and rounded flavor profile. It’s hearty and smooth with a rich cocoa taste.
- 80% milkshake with orange zest: This one reminded me of Christmas. I was a little wary about the percentage, but the zest cuts through the darkness of the chocolate, making for an overall pleasant taste.
- 34% iced chocolate with PBFit and cinnamon: This peanut-butter-y blend is a nice nod to local flavors and provides a sweet, rich and creamy drink.
- 28% milkshake with pumpkin spice: I ordered this one to go, and it lived up to my expectations. It’s sweet and spicy in the best way. I’ve been craving it again ever since.
Storefront information
- Address: 907 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
- Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Price: $
