Cao Chocolates Article

My Article

Cao Artisan is a chocolate shop based in Lynchburg, VA. Owners, Carl and Mary Matice have been perfecting their skill since early 2010.

The Process

The delicate art of making chocolate from bean to bar: harvesting, fermenting, drying, cracking, grinding, conching and tempering. The process is one of passion and commitment. Not only does it give joy to the consumers of the final product, but the producers as well. 

It is a process that takes weeks, but in the end the results are sweet and savory.

The Inspiration

Mary and Carl Matice’s passion for this unique art form started on an ordinary evening back in 2010 after watching the movie Chocolat. The two decided to read and research everything they could about chocolate making. With an enormous amount of support from family and friends, the Matices’ have been able to make all of their dreams come true. 

What started as a marital hobby, turned into something bigger than they could have imagined. Four years later, the couple introduced their shop Cao Artisan Chocolates to the beautifully historic downtown Lynchburg, Virginia. 

“We have come a long way and I am proud of where we ended up. We choose Lynchburg because of the students. We wanted to serve them,” Mary Matice said. 

The Visual

When the customer first walks in, their eyes fall upon a large countertop displaying an assortment of chocolate cakes, brownies and truffles that come with individual little gift boxes. Behind a glass counter, one can see the final steps of the “bean to bar” process as the liquid chocolate spins around in the round ceramic bowls. Off to the side, there are sandy white shelves that hold the famous to die for Cao Artisan Chocolate Bars. Tucked away in the right corner there are cappuccino machines and fine Italian Gelato.  

To the unusual eye: The shop blooms with creativity and inspiration. A starving appetite for chocolate and for creativity fills building 908 on Main Street. Up the stairs and on the balcony, the walls hold framed drawings from children in different elementary schools. Down the stairs a tall oak shelving unit holds the handiwork of various aspiring artists around Lynchburg. Each of those creations can be admired and sold. 

The Chase

Genuine advice is scarce these days. For Mary Matice, there is a sense of authenticity and unpretentious admiration for passing on noteworthy guidance to anyone looking to follow their creative desires. 

“Find your creativity and do it well,” Matice said. “Everybody is selling to the cheap these days. Make your product and make it the very best that it can be.”

The Catch

The ancient proverb that first inspired this positive attitude in both Mary and her husband can be found in Proverbs 22:29:

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” 

To be afraid to follow your dreams and to live your life creatively is a sorrow unlike any other. Find your passion and put your heart and soul into it, for you won’t just improve your own happiness, but the happiness and well being of others as well.