Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Jaber.
Vivian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I always knew that someday I wanted to have my own business. I just didn’t know it would be now, or that it would be chocolate!
I got let go from my corporate job back in January, and while I was searching for a new job, I started picking up new hobbies. One of them was exploring the kitchen and testing recipes. This was also around the time that I became more aware of all the ingredients being put into our food, skincare, laundry detergent, honestly, the list is endless.
As a lover of sweet treats, I often found myself making healthier alternatives for my family using whole food ingredients rather than a bunch of sugar, dyes, and artificial ingredients.
I remember one day I wanted a piece of chocolate, so I opened our cabinet and grabbed a bar. I looked at the ingredients label, opened the trash can, and tossed them all out. You’d be surprised how many chocolate brands have sugar as their number one ingredient, and how many don’t even use cacao butter, which is one of the key ingredients in chocolate.
Anyway, I still wanted that piece of chocolate.
So, I ordered a chocolate bar mold, cacao butter, and cacao powder, and got to cooking. Boy, was I humbled. Who knew making chocolate was basically a whole chemistry project? Ratios matter. Temperature is literally everything. Stirring, tempering, molding, there are so many crucial steps that go into getting that perfect snappy bar.
Once I got my first batch done, I started learning more about the process, the science behind it, failing and trying again, and testing new recipes. And I absolutely fell in love with it.
I realized I could handcraft real chocolate and bite-sized filled chocolates using cacao butter, cacao powder, and other whole-food ingredients. It was something I really wanted not just for myself, but for other people too.
I wanted to create something that was delicious, nutrient-dense, and satisfying, because that’s what chocolate is and what I believe it should be. I wanted people to be able to crave chocolate and enjoy something indulgent without feeling like they had to compromise on the ingredients.
And from all of that, Cacao Eclipse was born.
We started getting into pop-up shops, markets, festivals, and other events, and we’re still working on growing the brand and reaching more people.
It’s been a little over two months, but it’s already been an epic ride. I’m so grateful for how far Cacao Eclipse has come in such a short amount of time, and I can’t wait to see where we go next.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s definitely been challenging. I mean, trying to balance everything all at once was very tough, and honestly, it still is sometimes. Between reaching out to businesses for collaborations, scheduling events, tracking inventory, managing finances, creating content and managing social media, packaging, and actually making the chocolate, I’ve found myself wondering how I can divide Vivian up to handle everything at once.
Another major struggle was learning how to perfect the chocolate every time. Chocolate is an extremely temperature-sensitive food, and not knowing anything about making it definitely didn’t help when I first started. I made so many batches that didn’t work, and I had absolutely no clue why.
Making it completely from scratch made it even more challenging because there wasn’t a whole lot of information online about the specific process I was trying to figure out. The majority of chocolatiers work with couverture chocolate, which is already made and then melted and tempered. I was making my chocolate from the ground up, starting with cacao butter and cacao powder, so I really had to figure a lot of it out myself.
There were many stressful days, many failures, lots of trial and error, and probably an unhealthy amount of research. But eventually, I was able to figure out the technique and get to a point where I could consistently make the chocolate I wanted.
I will say, it’s been very humbling and very rewarding at the same time. I’ve felt discouraged countless times. Not being able to sell as much as I’d hoped, trying to get more exposure, or reaching out about collaborations and not hearing back can be hard.
But then I’ll get a message from someone who tried the chocolate and completely loved it, and that in itself is beyond rewarding. Those are the moments that remind me why I started this in the first place.
I think there are always going to be bumps along the way. It was never meant to be a completely smooth road. And honestly, if all it were was a smooth road, then what would there be to learn, appreciate, and grow from?
As you know, we’re big fans of Cacao Eclipse. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Cacao Eclipse is a luxury, handcrafted chocolate brand based in the Lehigh Valley. We make chocolate bars and bite-sized filled chocolates in small batches, completely from scratch, using organic cold pressed cacao butter, cacao powder, and other whole-food ingredients.
What sets us apart is what we leave out. You won’t find seed oils, refined sugar, artificial flavors or sweeteners, preservatives, or unnecessary fillers in our chocolate. I wanted to create something that felt luxurious and indulgent, but was also made with ingredients I could feel good about eating.
We offer a variety of classic, unique, and seasonal flavors, and we’re always experimenting with new combinations. I’m most proud that even as we grow, Cacao Eclipse has stayed true to the original vision I had when I made that first chocolate bar in my kitchen.
We’re still very new, but we’ve already started getting into markets, festivals, pop-ups, and collaborations throughout the Lehigh Valley. I’m excited to continue growing the brand and introducing more people to our chocolate.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are so many ways to work with or support Cacao Eclipse! We’re always open to collaborations with local businesses, wellness studios, cafés, wineries, creators, event hosts, and other small businesses. We love finding creative ways to bring chocolate into different spaces, whether that’s through events, tastings, gift boxes, or collaborations.
People can also support us simply by shopping with us, coming out to our pop-ups and markets, sharing our business with friends and family, or following along on social media. We’re a small business, so every order, share, collaboration, and kind word really does make a difference.
If you’re interested in working together, I’m always happy to hear an idea and see what we can create!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cacaoeclipse/
