Patric Chocolate is a small-batch, bean-to-bar, craft-chocolate manufacturer based in Columbia, Missouri. Alan Patrick McClure, founder and head chocolate maker at Patric Chocolate, started the company in 2006. He sold his first chocolate bar, the 70% Sambirano Valley single-origin bar, in July 2007. Alan is also currently a doctoral candidate in Food Science at the University of Missouri, where he is conducting research in the Milton Bailey Flavor Chemistry Laboratory to better understand the unique bitterness and health benefits of cacao and chocolate. As of 2020, Patric Chocolate remains a small company with only two employees.
Chocolate Bars
Patric Chocolate bars are handcrafted from cocoa beans sourced directly from farms or cooperatives. Currently, the company's line includes more than twenty-five different bean-to-bar chocolate bars, each available several times per year on a rotating basis. Patric Chocolate works to manufacture high-quality craft chocolate from bean-to-bar while at the same time maintaining a focus on practices that emphasize sustainability, such as sourcing many certified organic ingredients, purchasing cacao for higher than conventional prices, and placing an emphasis on recycling and renewable energy use.
Awards and Features
As of 2020, Patric Chocolate has won a total of twenty-six Good Food Awards, more than any other entrant in any category, an achievement celebrated publicly at the 10th annual Good Food Awards ceremony.
2020 Winners: 67% Madagascar, 67% Piura Peru, Browned Butter Bar.
2019 Winners: 75% Madagascar, Triple Ginger.
2018 Winners: 67% Madagascar, 70% Signature Blend, The Salty Cow, Browned Butter Bar.
2017 Winners: Piura Dark Milk, Sweet & Sassy.
2016 Winners: Browned Butter Bar, Triple Ginger, Red Coconut Curry.
2015 Winners: 67% Madagascar, Black Licorice Bar, PBJ OMG, Red Coconut Curry.
2014 Winners: 70% Signature Blend, Mocha OMG, Mint CRUNCH.
In 2017, Zagat proclaimed that Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate "makes some of the best chocolate bars in the world" which "are in high demand." In December 2015, The New York Times conducted a taste test of chocolate bars made from scratch. Patric Chocolate's 67% Madagascar bar was placed in the #2 spot of only 8 bars chosen as "most impressive." In September 2013, Patric Chocolate won two of only seven awards given for bean-to-bar chocolate products at the Northwest Chocolate Festival, including a gold for the In-NIB-itable Bar in the inclusion category, and a Silver for the 67% Madagascar in the plain chocolate category. In October 2013, Patric Chocolate won six prizes in the Americas arm of the International Chocolate Awards: two golds and four silvers for the 67% Madagascar, 67% Piura, and Mocha OMG. In October 2013, Patric Chocolate won two prizes in the World Finals of the International Chocolate Awards for the 67% Madagascar and 67% Piura dark chocolate bars. Patric Chocolate was also featured in Forbes' list of10 Truly Artisanal Foods to Try Now and Food & Wine's article Taste's to Try: Best New American Chocolate
