Lisa and I often say that Beatrice Wood is our North Star, but Ojai is our muse. Beato’s avant garde spirit guides us; while the beauty of our valley inspires us. The Happy Valley Bar, the first bar that we developed, is pure Ojai. We titled it after the original name of Besant Hill, the school whose grounds Beatrice lived on. The orange flavored chocolate is an homage to the fruit whose groves dominate our landscape. The “pixie dust,” generously sprinkled on the back of the bar, is crushed dehydrated pixie tangerine rinds bought from local farms. The artwork is an illustration from the cookbook California Herb Cookery written by Alan Hooker, the original owner of Ojai’s famous Ranch House Restaurant. We gave ourselves the challenge of packaging the essence of our hometown, and we hear that we knocked it out of the park.
Stay tuned,
Heather
Co-Founder of Beato Chocolates