Videri Chocolate Factory's new Wintry Flavors & Vegan Truffles this Holiday season

New Wintery Flavors & Vegan Truffles for Thanksgiving, Christmas & Valentine’s

Peppermint Bars, S’mores & Flagship Four return by popular demand

[Raleigh, NC – October 17, 2014] – When Videri Chocolate Factory opened, rave reviews for its sustainably-made bean-to-bar chocolate soon followed – from The New York Times, Southern Living, TastingTable, Travel + Leisure and Departures – and in 2014, Videri earned the coveted “Good Food Award” for its first single origin chocolate bar: 90% Dark Chocolate Ecuador Camino Verde.

Owner and chocolate maker Sam Ratto opened Videri Chocolate Factory in 2011 in downtown Raleigh, NC with his wife, Starr, with a distinct and ambitious mission: to handcraft exceptional organic chocolate.

Holidays are no exception. This year, Ratto introduces new flavors and vegan truffles. Videri’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Pack – Pumpkin, Coffee, and White Chocolate-Chai truffles – is available this fall, through Thanksgiving. In December, look for Raspberry, Orange-Buttercream, Coffee and Pear-Mint. Lemon and Lavender vegan confections are available now through Valentine’s Day, and additional vegan flavors are introduced regularly. Videri is also offering their first-ever 16-piece Valentine’s box in 2015, including French Martini and other seasonal flavors ($40). Six-piece boxes of any combination of truffles are available for $16.99, and individual confections are $2.50/each.

Videri’s popular Peppermint Bars ($9.99) will return for the 2014 holiday season (available Black Friday through Valentine’s Day) as well as their Flagship Four Gift Box – featuring 50% Dark Milk, 70% Classic Dark, Sea Salt, and Pink Peppercorn Bars (4 bars/$19.99) – and their S’mores Pack ($21.00).

Videri’s focus – and Ratto’s expertise – is to make chocolate in the purest form possible. Ratto sources, hand-sorts, winnows, roasts, grinds, and tempers all of Videri’s chocolate – using nothing more than organic sugar and cocoa butter. (No soy lecithin, xanthan gum, emulsifiers or artificial flavorings are used, ever). All Videri chocolate is nut-free and gluten-free, with some vegan - or dairy-free - confections available as well.

In addition to Videri’s signature chocolate bars, Videri always offers 16 seasonal chocolate confections filled with handmade caramel and ganache – all created using Videri’s house-made chocolate. Lemonade and Blueberry confections were offered in the summertime, and a vegan Apple-Cinnamon is available this fall.

True to his mission of creating delicious chocolate using little more than the cocoa bean itself, Ratto introduced his first single origin chocolate bar (90% Dark Chocolate Ecuador Camino Verde) in 2013. Featuring 90% cocoa and just a pinch of organic cane sugar, this bar highlights Ratto’s talent at revealing the true character and rich flavor of a specific cocoa bean. Ratto is on a never-ending quest to find and source superior cocoa beans – which Ratto hand-selects and hand-crafts into rich, delicious chocolate with an unmistakable sense of place.

Videri has no shortage of fans. Its small-batch chocolate is a fixture in Pastry Chef Andrew Ullom’s desserts at Poole’s Diner and Joule, and this winter, Videri will begin offering Ullom’s pastries made with Videri Chocolate in their cafe. Videri cocoa nibs are used in several Chocolate Stout beers brewed in North Carolina – by the much sought-after Ponysaurus, Deep River Brewing Co. and Trophy Brewing; neighboring Crank Arm Brewing always features one on tap. Videri chocolate can also be found tucked into S’mores, providing the sweet spot of Wild Yonder’s wildly popular campfires.

Chocolate finds its way into Videri’s own coffee bar as well, alongside Stumptown Coffee. Guests can tap into the bean-to-bar experience with Videri’s Sipping Chocolate, made from 70% Dark Chocolate, heavy cream and simple syrup, as well as both Hot and Iced Mochas, which combine that same dark chocolate with espresso. Even nutty cocoa “tea” is available, as well as Videri’s Hot Shot, made with Benny T's Vesta hot sauce and sipping chocolate.
Videri Chocolate Factory – housed in the historic Depot building in downtown Raleigh – is designed to educate customers about sustainably made chocolate; the full bean-to-bar chocolate making experience is on display for self-guided tours.

Indulging in Videri Chocolate is easy. Visit the store and select from a variety of chocolates - including baking chocolate and cocoa nibs. Take a self-guided tour, then enjoy chocolates and coffee in their café or outdoor patio. Videri’s flagship chocolate bars are also carried in area Whole Foods Market’s and at select specialty stores nationwide; chocolate bars and confections are shipped nationally through their web site (www.viderichocolatefactory.com).

Stay tuned. In 2015, Videri will announce their next single origin chocolate bar and expansion of their production facility to meet growing demand. Imagine the bean-to-bar bliss to follow.

Follow Videri Chocolate Factory on Twitter & Instagram @VideriChocolate; www.viderichocolatefactory.com;
Media inquiries, contact Jennifer.NobleKelly@gmail.com