Meet Tom Curcio of Kinship Chocolate in South, University Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Curcio.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tom. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After traveling on several mission trips to both Honduras and Guatemala, I realized something big was happening inside of myself. I began to fall in love with these cultures and started asking myself how I could affect or share in the lives of these beautiful people in Central America. As my relationships began to grow within the communities I was spending time with, I began to see ways in which we could share our resources, gifts and talents in order to better serve the people. As this realization came to life, I began talking with people in my community here as well as those in Central America and slowly but surely opportunities began to open up and relationships began to grow.

As a result I am currently in partnership with a chocolate maker in Antigua Guatemala and together we are working hard to bring the story of Guatemalan cacao and it’s producers to the U.S. As our business grows here we are committed to bringing a minimum of 10% of our profits back to farmers in order to advance production and quality . We are planning on supporting cacao farmers through enhanced research and development. In addition, I have established relationships with a couple of local schools around lake Atitlan in which we will be working with looking for ways to provide the necessary support in providing quality education to each child in the community.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has not been entirely smooth. The primary struggle has been and continues to be understanding the cultural differences in order to serve the community. We’ve struggled building trust between us and those we are working with, but have also experienced distrust within the communities.

I’ve also come to learn that immense patience is necessary when working in small communities in outlying areas of a different country. I’ve struggled internally to slow down and take things as they come and not look to an easy “Americanized” resolution to the community needs. Understanding the priorities of the community versus our priorities can be difficult and sometimes can be heartbreaking. Doing our best to educate while not condemning or being condescending has often proven difficult.

Please tell us about your business.
We are Kinship Chocolate. We specialize in single origin ethically sourced and sustainably produced chocolate. We specialize in handcrafted chocolate that maximizes the benefit to growing Guatemalan communities as well as providing a wonderful health benefit to our consumers in the U.S. We are most proud of our unpretentious approach to some of the best chocolate in the world. We also love the fact we are sourcing our cacao from it’s the place of origin “Mesoamerica” Our brand is built on a relationship born from a shared vision and passion from two people from different cultures and back rounds. Ours is a company built on “kinship”.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have been blessed to have so many people share on this Kinship Chocolate journey. My wife, family and community have played an instrumental role in our development. We have received incredible amounts of counsel, direction and support. We are constantly receiving input on how we can grow our brand, share our products and involve ourselves in our local communities.

My wife has jumped on board and works extremely hard to make our company what it is. My church community has opened the door for me to work closely with our partner in Guatemala. I now find myself the point person between our church community and our partner in Guatemala. As I became more involved in the community in Guatemala, it felt like the connections we made were set up ahead of time and divinely inspired.

Pricing:

• Our chocolate bars retail for $5 each for a 50g bar.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2781 S Jackson St Denver, CO 80210
• Website: kinshipchocolate.com
• Phone: 720-272-3878
• Email: tom@kinshipchocolate.com

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