Chocolate Dispensary

It’s summer 2023. Inspired by LA’s vibrant sidewalk vendor-scene of hot dog, fruit, and ice cream carts, Dale wonders aloud if we can do that… but with chocolate. A random date night soon after, we found ourselves at the legendary Jitlada, and over Pad Thai and green curry, The Chocolate Dispensary – name, tagline, the play on cannabis language, tasting café, etc – downloaded to us both. Within a few weeks, we had a deck and business plan, and on May 15th, 2024, we got the keys to our space. We opened the retail shop three weeks later, and our café debuted in December 2024.We currently carry about 850 products from 100 or so craft chocolate makers and chocolatiers from around the globe. Kala speaks with as many of them as she possibly can to ensure the transparency of the supply chain. Our café serves pour-over coffee (including decaf!), French drinking chocolate, 100% cacao, hot (and iced!) chocolate, daily tasting plates, cacao cold brew, gelato, and pastries. We also host maker tastings in store and private events both at our shop and offsite.