Meet Eric
At Ritual, every bar begins with cacao.
But sometimes, it begins with a person.
This month, we are sharing something especially meaningful. A limited release bar created by Eric, our Lead Chocolate Maker and longest standing team member. Quiet, steady, and deeply dedicated to his craft, Eric has been at the heart of our factory for years, guiding chocolate through every step of the process with care.
If you have ever visited our space, you have likely seen him. Focused, thoughtful, always making sure something is in motion. Roasting, winnowing, refining, tempering. For Eric, chocolate is not just a product but a process he has come to understand deeply over time.
From First Job to Craft
Eric first joined Ritual in 2019 as a high school student in Park City. What started as one of his first jobs quickly became something more.
“I have always liked chocolate,” he shared, “but once I started working with it, I realized how much skill goes into it. That is what kept me interested.”
After some time away, he returned in 2021 when the factory moved to Heber, and he has been here ever since. Growing alongside the craft, learning each stage of the bean to bar process, and becoming an essential part of our team.
Today, Eric balances his time between the factory and his studies in cybersecurity, bringing the same focus and discipline to both.
A Full Circle Process
What Eric loves most about chocolate is something many people never see.
“The whole process,” he says. “Being able to watch it go from bean to bar.”
It is easy to think of chocolate as something simple and sweet, but there is actually a lot that goes into each bar, from roasting and cracking to grinding and refining, with every step shaping the final flavor.
“It is not as easy as people might think,” Eric says. “At least, I did not know before I started.”
That understanding, earned through repetition, patience, and care, is what makes this bar so special.
Inspired by a Simple Idea
When it came time to create his own bar, Eric kept it simple.
He started with something familiar. A matcha latte.
“I like matcha lattes, so I thought it would be cool to turn that into a chocolate bar.”
From there, the idea evolved. A creamy white chocolate base to carry the earthy matcha, finished with dried strawberries for contrast and brightness.
“We mostly do dark chocolate, so I wanted to switch it up,” he explains. “And strawberries just felt like a good topping.”
A Moment to Savor
After talking with Eric, you c
an tell this bar is exactly what he wanted it to be. Simple, a little different, and really balanced.
When you try it, you first get that smooth, creamy white chocolate. Then the matcha comes through with that earthy flavor, and the strawberries add just the right amount of sweetness at the end.
It is not overly complicated, but it works. And that is kind of the point.
More Than Just a Bar
We made just under 200 of these bars with most of them going out in this month’s Ritual Club Box, and a small number available at the café and online.
Talking to Eric, what stood out most was how much time he has spent learning the process. Day in and day out, working through each step, getting better at it, and really understanding what goes into making good chocolate.
This bar feels like a reflection of that.
When we asked him when he enjoys chocolate the most, his answer was simple.
“I enjoy it most when I am relaxing. When I can actually sit down and enjoy it.”
An Invitation
That is kind of how we think this bar should be enjoyed too.
Nothing rushed. Nothing complicated.
Just take a moment, try a piece, and actually pay attention to it.
Buy the bar here or find it in our cafe!
