The Makers is a photo project started by photographer Jennifer Causey. Interested in all the handmade and artisan products being made in Brooklyn, Causey began documenting them. Each photo series and interview celebrates a handcrafted product, from fragrances to chocolate, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmen at work.

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What better to do with the world’s steepest street, Baldwin Street in Dunedin New Zealand, than organise a jaffa roll – where numbered balls of chocolate coated with a hard sugary outer are sent flying down in a moving wall of red and orange. The fastest jaffas finish the 79% gradient street in around 15 seconds, raising money for local charities.

It’s true. Xavier Mor’s packaging does look a bit like cough drops. But Ricola’s got nothing on these chocolate beauties. Hailing from Barcelona, this ‘designer chocolate‘ is the quintessential marriage of superb chocolate making meets graphic arts.

The packaging – especially the cough drop-like ‘blister’ collection – is a fun way to eat these sweets, which plays on the chocolatier’s aim to experiment with new flavor combinations, textures, and colors. Take their dark chocolate covered raspberries. Here, tiny, tart dried raspberries are dipped in creamy, almost bitter dark chocolate. The result is a tangy meets sweet bite that, while sort of resembling a chocolate covered raisin, is infinitely more interesting. Almonds covered in dark and white chocolate too are not overly saccharine – or salty, as can be the case with some nut and coco combinations – but a nice match of artisanal chocolate and tasty Marcona almonds. Fruits and nuts find their way into most of this Spanish chocolatier’s collections, considered by many to be among the best in the world. Having lived in Switzerland for 6 years, I can’t say I agree, but the delightful sweets plus packaging makes Xavier Mor an ultimate treat.

Delectable chocolate. Such is the Mayan and Nahuatl English translation of the word Ki-xocolatl. It’s also — not coincidentally, of course — the name of a stellar bean-to-bar Mexican-based chocolate collection. The result of years of partnership between a Belgian husband and wife chocolatier team, and Mexican cocoa producers hailing from Chiapas and Tabasco, Ki’xocolatl is a solid marriage of top notch Mexican ingredients and a dash of European techniques.

These organic, gluten-free sweetsare lovingly created using cocoa beans native to Mexico’s tropical jungles and deep groves, blended with local sugar cane and organic vanilla straight from Veracruz. With flavors such as dark chocolate with pink pepper; semi-bitter chocolate with chili and spice; and milk chocolate with cocoa seed ‘criollo tostado’, the collection strongly — and beautifully — reflects Mayan and Mexican traditions. So too does the packaging, with bright colors and indigenous-inspired illustrations.

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Merida, Mexico, stop by Ki’Xocolatl’s boutique to indulge in Mayan beverages and heaps of tantalizing cocoa products. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for these spicy sweets at your local coffee shop where you may just happily stumble upon a few bars as I did.

It started easily enough; A musician and his wife wanted things other than typical band merchandise to sell at his gigs. The result, Nunu: handmade chocolate confections made from single origin Santander cocoa beans. While the line includes golden soft caramel butterflies and Earl Grey ganache flowers, it would appear that the chocolates best suited to show sales are the five chocolates infused with liquor. Mezcal and Absinthe are just two of the choices so get ready to show your ID for a wristband to delicious hangoverville.

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Don’t let its looks fool you. Though it’s rocking a chocolate bar exterior, these chunks of dark goodness are made of entirely single origin coffee. Yup, the world’s first ‘coffee bar’ lets you experience java like you’ve never experienced it before.

Aptly named Ka-Pow!, this caffeine-in-a-bar is made from the beans of Portland’s finest local roasters. Choose from Stumptown Coffee Roaster’s Costa Rica Verde Alto, or Heart Roaster’s Brazil Sao Benedito, amongst a handful of others. So the next time you’re feeling a bit lethargic, unwrap yourself a coffee bar.

Over the years chocolate has evolved from mass-produced baking tablets in kitchens where dark chocolate was virtually unheard of, to a distinguished product coveted for its incredible complexity. However, today’s attitude towards chocolate has not so much evolved as it has returned to its pagan roots when it was revered as a wondrous, even medicinal, ingredient. Enter Soma Chocolatemaker in Toronto’s uber-hip Distillery District where you can ‘eat, drink and worship chocolate’.

At Soma, chocolate has been put on a pedestal and is explored in its deepest, darkest, and earthiest varieties. Here, the origins of chocolate are truly celebrated with their assortment of sumptuous drinking chocolate, such as their famous chili-spiced Mayan hot chocolate, or the ‘dark side of the mug’, a pure blend of fruity dark chocolate melted right into your cup. They also serve an Italian classic known as Bicerin — a small shot of melted dark chocolate, espresso, and whipped cream. A selection of these intoxicating beverages may be enjoyed in-house amongst the hub of their micro-chocolate factory or as take-home mixes to be brewed as the perfect morning pick-me-up or evening nightcap.

Delicaseys Chocolates boasts simple packaging, handmade labels, and natural sweets made of quality chocolates, fruits, and nuts. Together, innovative combinations of fresh flavors steep dark chocolate to produce harmonious, artisanal treats.

Tasmanian pepper berries and caramel; plums spiked with brandy; sweet shredded coconut; and crisp caramelized ginger are all infused with rich, dark chocolate, among other unique flavors. These Sydney-based chocolates are sold online and throughout Australia to an increasingly loyal following. One bite and it’s easy to know why.

We’ve already posted about the ambrosial and visually impressive Bean to Bar Chocolate from Williamsburg’s finest: Mast Brothers. However, it seems that we’ve overlooked one of the forefathers to this Movement – and it’s none other than the Mad-Austrian-Chocolatier himself: Josef Zotter.

Since the early 1990′s, Zotter has been crafting Organic, Fair Trade, Bean-To-Bar Chocolate while the visual artist, Andreas H. Gratze, remains responsible for the illustrations found on the packaging and chocolate molds. That’s over 150 flavors so far! The product, fortunately, is as good as (if not better than) the design. There’s velvety chocolate that turns to liquid when entering a hot beverage; A Hand Scooped Line imparted with flavors such as Celeriac, Truffle, and Port Wine (Incredible!); The time honored Labooko single origin bars; And the mischievous Chocoshots. Now if that’s not a shot we all want our doctor to order.

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Just about everything is better with chocolate, right? Well how about ramen noodles, French toast, or lime-flavored tortilla chips? You still with us? The folks over at Komforte Chockolate who dreamed up these, um, slightly odd flavors are all about combining chocolate with familiar comfort foods to pry you out of your plain chocolate bar rut.

And what’s not to like? All of the little company’s chocolates are made in small batches of ‘artisan quality’ natural ingredients, and the flavors promise that perfect marriage of salty and sweet. So go ahead, give it a try – and maybe take a step outside your chocolate comfort zone.

Whilst strolling through Greenpoint the other night, I came across a shop selling Liddabit candies. I just had to have the Beer & Pretzel Caramels and the Honeycomb Candy. The Beer & Pretzel treats are complex, with the beer adding a heartiness missing from typical salted caramels, and the Honeycomb Candy tasted much like a Crunchie bar found in the UK. Liddabit candies contain local and seasonal ingredients and you can purchase these and other heavenly sweets through their site, as well as at The Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene. The PB&J candy bar is next on my list to try.

Honestly, Honest Chocolate seems more straight out of Los Angeles than South Africa. This is, after all, raw, organic, vegan chocolate. But indeed, these sweets are made by ‘a man, an apron, and a beard’, chilling in Cape Town.

Made from raw (unroasted) organic cacao, organic Blue Agave nectar, organic virgin coconut oil, and organic vanilla pods, these hard on the outside, soft center bonbons promise to be full of intense, chocolatey goodness. The cacao is bioethically sourced and the chocolates hand made by the company’s creator. It’s an honest, simple story, just like the bonbons themselves.

From a small Madrid-based boutique chocolatier comes the fantastic ChocoLate Orgániko. Made of 100% organic chocolate sourced in the Caribbean, the brand boasts too many cool sweets to list. But, we’ll still try. There’s green anise, fleur de sel, olive oil, and Ethiopian coffee beautifully paired with rich, deep dark chocolate.

There’s also a white chocolate collection which sees this sweet variety matched with lemon and red pepper or honey and almonds, among other tantalizing flavors. Bon bons, cocoas, and a whole plethora of mixed collections are also on their list, all creatively fused with inventive ingredients and sublime natural chocolate. And then there is the design. Like the purity of ChocoLate Orgániko, the design too is minimalist though its simplicity still shouts. The graphic packaging is full of bright colors and rad typeface that is hard to miss. But with chocolate this good, you won’t want to anyway.

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Ok, so a week’s supply of American-made Salazon organic chocolate recently arrived in my mailbox, and it’s salty-sweet taste dynamic has had my eyes rolling around my head ever since. Who would have thought that chocolate could be so tempting. I mean, really? Now, I’ll take mine with an extra strong cup of Joe, thank you.

Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and syrup: the perfect lazy weekend breakfast. The combination of creamy morsels of sweet chocolate mixed with salty, fatty bacon topped off with sticky syrup is seriously outrageous and surprisingly addictive. And now, thanks to the cheeky folks at Vosges Haut Chocolat, you can indulge in this scrumptious delight all week long.

Luckily, a whole series of bacon and chocolate treats, from candy bars to truffles, have been dreamed up by this Chicago-based luxury chocolatier. Applewood smoked bacon and Alderwood smoked salt are combined with velvety, melt in your mouth dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or toffee. There’s even a chocolate chip and bacon dotted buttermilk pancake mix, supreme for those sluggish mornings. Don’t fret though if salty-sweet isn’t your cuppa. Vosges’ also does a fabulous spicy and sweet mash up with their Red Fire series where chocolate, cinnamon, chillies, and toffee become one. ¡Híjole!

Artisanal designer chocolate is the new black in the foodie world. As with cupcakes and street food, it’s having its moment. The result is an abundance of cool concept chocolate boutiques and cleverly wrapped coco bars. And like many trendy designs, some of the most innovative takes on this sweet favorite are coming out of Spain. One such visionary is Pancracio.

The creation of one-time designer Pedro Alvarez, Pancracio produces high-quality chocolates using a modern concept fitted into super simple black and white packaging. Intense, rich, and creamy bars, truffles, and bits range from chocolate truffles with brandy dipped in cocoa to candied lemons enrobed in white chocolate. There is even chocolate vodka and fusilli pasta made with cocoa. Between the stellar presentation and the range of flavors, Pancracio is surely a knock-out leader in the cool design chocolate world.

What do you get when the head of a creative agency obsessed with chocolate, conceptualizes, designs, and opens his very own chocolate boutique-cum-cafe? In the case of Singapore’s Chocolate Research Facility, the answer is an exotic wonderland of dripping chocolate from the walls, tables resembling chunks of chocolate, and a plethora of chic, stylish stacks of eclectically packaged bars. Designed by Chris Lee and his Singaporean-based design firm, Asylum, the Chocolate Research Facility is an inspired shop with over 100 flavors of tasty chocolate from honey melon and cassis to longan and pumpkin seeds. The fun packaging is full of quirky subtleties too, like identifiable clues that hint at flavors, such as a blurry photograph to suggest alcohol content. Together, the creativity of the concept, combined with scrumptious chocolate dolled up in clever packaging, is not only generating a lot of adrenalin-filled chocolate buzz in Singapore, but around the world, too.

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Founded by former NASA technologists, San Francisco-based Tcho is one of the few — and tastiest — bean-to-bar chocolate companies in the US. With inspiration from the founders’ professional pasts, Tcho re-imagined how chocolate is made and marketed. Here, customers became creators, as the company encouraged user feedback while developing the product, much like software developers engage beta testers.

After 1,026 iterations, Tcho’s first chocolate, Beta, was released. But the history of Tcho goes beyond tasters; it’s also one of sourcing and design. The Tcho team scoured the world for the best flavors, personally choosing their cacao from Ghana, Madagascar, and Peru and obsessively conducting trials until peak taste was achieved. And rather than focusing the attention on percentage or origin like many high-end competitors, Tcho highlighted the inherent flavors in the chocolate.

The result is four elite, distinct dark chocolate bars — Chocolatey, Fruity, Nutty, and Citrus — identified by their dominant characteristic and taste. The packaging too is nothing short of brilliant. Designed by Berlin-based Spiekermann Partners, the design echos the innovation of the chocolate contained within, branded with algorithmic guilloche patterns to reflect its forward-looking philosophy for a new generation of chocolate enthusiasts. Numerous awards, accolades, and honors later, it’s clear that Tcho works on every level. Just try it yourself. [photos via Laughing Squid]

DL & Co create wonderful home decorations and stationary that sit somewhere between Victorian, Goth and Rock’n’Roll. In short, they are super stylish. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, and with my sweet tooth firmly on the incline, Death By Chocolate makes the perfect present. You can purchase it from Unica Home.