Supporter Spotlight: Apalache Chocolate

Meet Matt Sibley

Husband, father, avid gardener, Emerging Chefs supporter, and artisan chocolatier.

A Roanoke native, Matt has always held a special place in his heart for chocolate, “I loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as a kid… [and] during some harder parts of my life…I would buy dark chocolate. I kept coming back to it, and then I was like, “I really should learn how to make this.”

But before Matt began his career as Harrisonburg’s beloved Willy Wonka, he was just like any other JMU college student, majoring in Spanish and working a part time job at a local Venezualan restaurant.

His love for food, culture, and Spanish only grew, leading him to pursue a Masters in Spanish, all the while making several trips to Mexico to learn about traditional chocolate making practices.

After teaching Spanish for 5 years and working as a Spanish interpreter, he decided it was time for a change: to make his chocolate making hobby into a career, and thus began Apalache Chocolate.

And Apalache Chocolate is special. Unlike most chocolate brands on the market, ethical production is at the heart of its mission, “The history of cacao production involves a lot of unethical labor and trade…Hershey's, Nestle, and other companies that produce chocolate at such a big scale have been using unethical labor and farming practices…[and] no one's holding them accountable.” The US’ insatiable demand for chocolate gives way to the use of these unethical practices, such as child labor, poor wages, inhumane working conditions, long hours, and monocropping, just to name a few.

That’s why at Apalache Chocolate each chocolate bar is hand crafted and packaged by Matt himself, made with ethically sourced cacao from organic, cooperative farms in Peru. Matt also sources ingredients for his specialty flavors from local businesses, such as lavender from White Oak Lavender Farm and maple syrup from Bruce’s Syrups and Candies.

Matt and Emerging Chefs

Matt has shared his unique gifts and perspectives with Emerging Chefs by graciously inviting students into his home to teach chocolate making workshops. Middle school and high school students were given the opportunity to roast, temper, and wrap their very own chocolate throughout the course of a two day field trip.

Matt and his daughter, Stella, teaching our Emerging Chefs students at his home factory during the Summer 2024 Intensive program

And although chocolate making is an unconventional skill to learn, Matt believes that these workshops teach so much more than just chocolate making, such as the lost art of slow living, “Talking about the idea of slowing down…I think that's the thing that we all need to to realize is that we need to have time for these things that maybe don't seem to fit in traditional school…I think stuff like cooking or music - things that are different kinds of activities - helps [kids] get through the school day”

In the future, Matt hopes to continue his involvement with Emerging Chefs by hosting more chocolate making workshops and maybe even teaching a few cooking classes in Spanish!

Where to Find Apalache Chocolate:

Harrisonburg Farmers Market:

April to November, Tuesdays & Saturdays, from 8 am to 1 pm

December to March,Saturdays, from 9 am to 1 pm

Friendly City Co-op

Sparrow's Floral Design

Corner Market Farm to Table

Apalache Chocolate Website

Instagram: @chocolate_apalache

Facebook: Apalache Chocolate

If you or someone you know would like to support Emerging Chefs in a similar way to Matt, ie. have a cooking skill or space you’d like to share, please email kristi@ontheroadcollaborative.com