Edition 12: An Epic Chocolate Quest

How to find impossible specialty products

Greetings, friends! And welcome to Caroline Finds It: my new weekly newsletter where I reply to submissions from YOU for objects and products you need recommendations for.

Travis in Smithville, TX sent me on a real scavenger hunt this week:

“I am trying to find Fervi Chocolate de Metate. On a recent cooking podcast, this chocolate was mentioned as a secret to really good mole. It supposedly contains ground almonds and/or peanuts as well as cinnamon. I have spent hours trying to find somewhere to order this online with no success. Most sources I have found mention it being brought back from Jerez on trips to Mexico. Can I have it magically arrive at my door or do I need to start packing my bags for a trip?”

Dear Travis,

Isn’t it amazing that there are still some things that can’t be found on the internet? This always makes me really happy, because it proves that there’s still a reason to go out and explore shops IRL, and also gives me a mission to complete. This seems like a really special product, and boy, was this one a mission to find! Let’s start from the beginning:

First, I did a quick Google search, and you’re right! There’s no easily visible shop online to buy this elusive product from. But! That doesn’t mean that it’s not to be found on the internet. Google actually makes it really hard to find super specialized products because these are the kinds of products that tend to be sold that smaller shops, which often don’t have the SEO power or ad budget to turn up on the first few pages. It’s an unfortunate conundrum, but search engines just aren’t designed to be small business friendly.

My second stop on the internet when a simple search doesn’t work is to check the Images tab, find the most accurate photos, and follow them back to their source until I find a good lead. There were only a handful of images that showed up here, and one took me to the Facebook page for Alta Baja Market in Santa Ana, who posted that they had Fervi Chocolate de Metate back in stock on May 16th. Their website doesn’t have many products listed, so I sent them an email.

As I waited for a reply, I did a little research to learn a little bit more about our elusive subject:

Fervi was founded in 1950 by J. Sabás Fernández in Jerez, Zacatecas, and is still a family-owned independent business, now in its 3rd generation. In addition to cocoa, it’s made with cinnamon, peanuts and sugar — entirely by hand! During the busiest times of year, their factory can produce up to 1,500 tablets of chocolate per week.

Here’s a link to a short video from the factory!

Oftentimes, the best strategy is to go straight to the source and get a list of stockists, but Fervi does not appear to have their own website, Instagram or Facebook page. I could tell that their phone number and address is on the packaging, but I don’t speak enough Spanish to try to call them, though my last resort would be to tag in a fluent friend to help me. My continued search took me to a few more articles, tweets and photos, all of which led me straight back to the same shop in Santa Ana.

My third step when searching for impossible products is to look for specialty shops in that category to see if they have it, or know where I might find it. To begin, I thought about familiar places in NYC, and the first place that came to mind is The Meadow, which is a really special salt and chocolate specialty shop on Mulberry Street in Nolita (and also in Portland, OR). I called on the phone and spoke to Eva, who was extremely helpful but informed me that they don’t have it in their system currently.

From there, I checked a few other specialty shops I know of: SOS Chefs, various Essex Market vendors, and a couple of smaller shops in my neighborhood. I also stopped by Kalustyans to find a sales associate I’ve overheard sharing knowledge about Mexican specialty foods, but alas, no luck there either.

On the walk home from my unsuccessful but thoroughly enjoyable chocolate expedition, I thought a lot about something I care deeply about:

While the internet is an unbelievably useful resource, and allows us to visit places all over the world without leaving our desks, I think it’s important that some things still require taking our curiosity offline. Otherwise, what would we have to look forward to when we’re out of our own environs? What fun would travel be? I, for one, love to plan trips around little things I care about or want to learn about, rather than big landmarks, or popular cities. Maybe your next vacation could be a mole adventure in Mexico? Go to the source for ingredients, find someone awesome to take a class from. These are the best ways to immerse yourself in a culture, anyway. One of my favorite trips of all time was a week in the highlands of Sri Lanka, where I stayed in a safari tent at a tea estate. Why? Simply because I love tea and had no idea how it grows, or about the nuances that make each tea different. The result of this epic journey was an immersive experience within a breathtaking landscape, a deep dive into a culture that was totally new to me, and a first-hand education I absolutely couldn’t have gotten on the internet.

The same goes for shopping. I worry that with all of the online shopping we’ve become accustomed to doing, we’re losing the desire to feel the magic of shopping — not just as a chore, but as a fun activity. Just like dining out vs. ordering in, it’s the experience of being in a specific place to experience a specific thing that makes it so good. While you can spend hours down a research rabbit hole online, isn’t it still more enjoyable and certainly more efficient to have a conversation with an expert? That’s exactly what specialty shops are for.

Here’s a little challenge for all my dear readers: keep a running list of anything that comes to mind that you need or want to buy for a week. Instead of going online to order them, research small businesses in your town or city and try to find all of them in person. Make a day of it! Treat it like a scavenger hunt! If you can’t find something, ask yourself: Do I really need it? Are my parameters for this item flexible (i.e. could it be substituted with something I can easily buy locally?)? If I do need to buy it online, can I buy it domestically, and from a small business?

This was an unexpected tangent (sorry, Travis!!), but my point is: we live in a world full of retailers who are experts and who put so much time into doing the work so we, as consumers, don’t have to. Go out and learn from them if you live in an area that affords you the luxury of having access to independent retailers! Or, prioritize going on an adventure to track down things on your hard-to-find list when you’re on the road! I bet you’ll be surprised by the things, stories and places you’ll discover in the process.

And now, back to our hunt:

When I arrived home from my walk, I checked my email once more before putting my phone away for the night, and there it was! A reply! A nice person from Alta Baja Market wrote back to inform me that yes, they do have the chocolate in stock for $15/bar, and that they can ship via USPS.

So, there we have it! All it took was a friendly email to the right person. If you’re in the Santa Ana area, pay Alta Baja Market a visit! They have scores of Mexican specialty products and a gorgeous menu of food and drinks. You can find more info on their website.

And to Travis: I hope you’ll share with us what comes from this! May your mole be as blissful as you’ve imagined it to be.

A quick note on contacting businesses with requests like this: in my shop we used to get a LOT of emails and calls from customers trying desperately to find something that we didn’t sell. If we knew where to find it, we’d gladly share our intel, or if it was a quick or interesting search, we’d do our best to help find it or give the info of someone to contact next. It’s typically best to do this via email, as comments and DMs tend to get buried on social media. Never hesitate to reach out to a business in search of information, but be sure to express your gratitude, and to consider supporting that business with a purchase in the future! It’s a lot of labor to field emails that don’t necessarily result in sales when you’re a small retail business in this economic climate!

QUICK ANSWERS:

Danielle in Boston: “As a person who drinks 2-3 cups of tea a day - I would appreciate your help with finding a tea kettle! The only ones that look nice/interesting/modern are usually electric for the counter. I’m looking for something functional and beautiful for my stovetop.”

Danielle, I am with you on this one! I also prefer a stovetop kettle over an electric one a burned through TWO Le Creuset kettles in the space of 5 years. The exterior enamel burned on one, and the handle broke irreparably and then MELTED on the other. Last year, I decided to really do my research and find something that would stand the test of time in my very active kitchen, and I landed on this classic Alessi 9093 kettle by Michael Graves. It looks great on my stove, boils super quickly, has a pleasant whistle and is easy to polish and keep clean. The thing about a lot of more current design-y kettles I’ve seen is that they aren’t actually made to survive regular use and still look good.

Chuck in Peekskill, NY: “I'm looking for well designed, tasteful, gender neutral lunchboxes for kids. My son is starting daycare in two weeks and needs an insulated lunchbox that will last him at least a few years, but most of what we are turning up seem crappy and gendered.”

My pick for you is a product I can 100% get behind, from a brand that has awesome give-back program (I participated in a couple of their bag drops back in 2016!). The State Bags Rodger Lunchbox comes in LOTS of color ways, patterns, and even a smaller snack size. I like their products because they are classic and simple enough that a kid won’t grow out them quickly, and you just can’t beat the quality. This silver one is so fun:

FAVORITE PRODUCT OF THE WEEK:

While we’re on the topic of kitchen things - Last week I was gifted a beautiful Hario Cold Brew Tea Bottle from a friend in Japan. It’s the exact dimensions of a wine bottle and has a little filter in the top to keep the tea leaves from pouring out. It’s stylish, easy to use and has really upped my at-home tea game. Like cold brewed coffee, cold brewed tea is less acidic and less bitter, so I find that it’s easier on my stomach in the morning. Put in 2 tablespoons of tea, fill with water, stick it in the fridge for at least 3 hours and voila! I’ve been using mine with loose lychee black tea, or earl grey and continuously refill it for a couple of days before composting the leaves and starting over. Prefer coffee? There’s a version for that, too!

Is there a product you’re looking for? Submit your request here. See you next Friday for fresh recommendations! xo Caroline

Thumbnail photo credit: LA Taco