Today we’d like to introduce you to Kala Maxym.
Hi Kala, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The Chocolate Dispensary & Tasting Room is curating the largest collection of craft chocolate in Southern California, perhaps over time, even in the entire country! We wanted a tasting room, modeled on the experience of wine tasting. There’s no giggle-weed here, just chocolate, but we liked the play on words (“We dispense chocolate”) as well as the notion that chocolate can heal and bring joy to those who consume it.
Our values are rooted in the ethics and sustainability of cacao so we talk with all the chocolate makers and chocolatiers (they’re different, you know) whose products we carry and make sure that their sourcing and business practices align with ours.
The path hasn’t been easy but Dale and I both felt, from the very beginning, that this was a concept that would work. We felt it in our bones, and we have often said that we haven’t had one moment of doubt that The Chocolate Dispensary is going to thrive. We know that Los Angeles is ready and eager for something like this, and that our messaging and vibe are right at home in the Echo Park neighborhood.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overcoming the mainstream understanding of the word “dispensary” was a challenge early on but people have internalized the fact that we’re dispensing chocolate (and also, the word “dispensary” doesn’t actually inherently have anything to with weed!) The response to our shop and tasting room has been really positive so far! We know that there will be bumps in the road – certainly the city bureaucracy is a challenge – but we’ve persisted and overcome all the obstacles we’ve faced so far.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are known for our huge selection of craft chocolate as well as our friendly and knowledgeable staff. It’s actually part of the job to taste the chocolates that we sell, so our staff is well-versed both in the flavor profiles and the stories of all our makers. We’re also becoming known for our French Drinking Chocolate and our 100% cacao drinks, as well as our delicious hot chocolate and pour-over coffee (including decaf). We’re so proud that we have received so many 5-star reviews on Google and Yelp, and we know LA chocolate lovers and novices alike are catching on fast to what we are doing!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I think luck played a huge role in our landing the space we’re in right now. We know that the space was widely sought after but our concept resonated with the building owners, and they worked with us to get us into the space. I also think that we’ve been really lucky in the people we’ve met, largely through them visiting the store or talking about us. That’s how we ended up at the top of LAist’s list of places to buy chocolate on Valentine’s Day and also mentioned on NPR!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chocolatedispensary.com
- Instagram: chocolatedispensary
Image Credits
Matt Cali Photography
Tall Tangerine
