A prolific Arkansas baker is branching out into the chocolate-making business. Ashton Woodward of Arkansas Fresh Bakery says his new Cocoa Rouge chocolate line will be available in Little Rock retail locations around Halloween. Cocoa Rouge will become one of the only chocolate companies making sweets in the state of Arkansas.
Cocoa Rouge is a line of Belgian chocolates, a style of chocolate-making that uses more milk chocolate than the cream and butter found in darker French chocolates. Woodward says he prefers the slightly sweeter chocolates as opposed to the deeper and bitter flavors of dark chocolate. Woodward says he will only sell assortments to start.
“It really stands as a symbol for the highest quality chocolates in the world,” says Woodward. “We want to do numerous other products, but where my interest is for Cocoa Rouge is the assortments.”
Because of the low temperatures required for chocolate making (typically 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit), there are very few chocolate companies in the South. Woodward had to set apart some space at his baking facility that stays cool and maintains a low humidity at all times. Woodward has invested in his facility with top-of-the-line equipment capable of producing thousands of pounds of chocolate at a time.
Woodward isn’t saying what specific retailers will be selling Cocoa Rouge, though he says more than a dozen of his current customers have expressed interest in carrying the new chocolate line. Woodward says he is also working with some new clients and wants to have Cocoa Rouge in more than 20 retail locations before the end of the year.
Cocoa Rouge chocolates are made in the same facility where Woodward bakes bread for more than four-dozen Little Rock eateries. Arkansas Fresh creates bread, buns and rolls for places like Big Orange, The Pantry, Hillcrest Artisan Meats, The Main Cheese and many other restaurants. He is also opening his own restaurant, Arkansas Fresh Café, in Bryant before the end of the year.
To hear a full interview with Woodward on Cocoa Rouge and Arkansas Fresh, and for more on the upcoming Bryant restaurant, visit our partner site Little Rock Foodcast.