Have you ever been sitting on a bench, pondering life and thinking about how it’d be nice to have a Forrest Gump moment with the stranger next to you?  It would be pretty hard to do without a box of chocolates, and really, not just any old box will do!  If that bench happens to be in North West Arkansas, you should definitely head to Kyya Chocolate for the perfect thought-inducing box of tasty, melt-in-your-mouth treats.

On this episode of Naturally NWA, I’m taking you inside this locally owned bean-to-bar chocolate company for an up-close look at how great tasting chocolate can also support a worthwhile humanitarian cause.

Kyya Chocolate was founded by Rick and his wife Cindy 7 years ago.  As parents of four adopted children, their passion for adoption and orphan care led them to serve on the board of directors for a small non-profit organization.  On a trip to a Ugandan orphanage to see their hard work in action, Rick realized that much more needed to be done to help.  They decided to make use of one of Uganda’s natural resources: the cocoa bean.

Delicious bars of Kyya Chocolate are ready to be packaged!

What started as a small operation in their home kitchen has now morphed into two locations, sourcing their cacao from 26 countries and reinvesting 10% of their profits back into those places.  Similar to coffee and wine, each country’s chocolate has its own subtly distinct flavor.  Starting with just 7 flavors all those years ago, Kyya Chocolate now boasts 155 bars that range from milk and white chocolate to intensely dark.

A super cool feature of Kyya Chocolate is their customizable packages and bars, perfect for anyone who wants to advertise their business in the most decadent and delicious way.  They also offer a Valentine’s Day Bundle inspired by Cindy’s favorite movie, the 1942 classic Holiday Inn.  Every year, a new theme of 4 flavors is rolled out; their customer’s favorite flavors are kept on permanently and added to Kyya’s growing collection of chocolate bars. 

Want to snag this year’s limited edition bundle?  For just $30, you’ll get a bar of White Chocolate Raspberry, Haitian 50% Dark with Strawberries, 62% Vivid Dark Champagne Infused Chocolate and Kyya’s original Love Bar, Dark Chocolate with Caramel Notes.  Not only is it a great way to let that special person in your life know you appreciate them, every purchase supports a worthwhile cause, both here in Rick and Cindy’s homegrown business and abroad in the communities they work with.  It’s a win-win!

To find all of their retail locations, you can head to their website at https://www.kyyachocolate.com/ or check out their Facebook Page for more details.  And if you just want to look at delicious pictures of chocolate, their Instagram is worth a look too!  Supporting local business is part of what makes North West Arkansas such a great community to be a part of, and we hope you enjoy checking out all that this great local chocolate shop has to offer.