Business X Design with CocoaTown
Join us at MODA for an evening of discovery, design, and deliciousness. At Business X Design with CocoaTown, you’ll meet the makers behind CocoaTown, an Alpharetta-based company whose accessible, thoughtfully engineered machines have helped launch bean-to-bar chocolate businesses in more than 100 countries.
Learn how CocoaTown’s design-driven tools—like roasters, winnowers, melangers, and grinders—are reshaping the craft chocolate industry, and see them in action during a live demonstration.
What to Expect:
- Arrive by 5:30 to immerse yourself in the exhibition BITTERSWEET: The Design of Chocolate, where you can reflect on the cultural narratives behind chocolate production.
- At 6 PM, MODA’s Exhibition Designer, Susan Sanders, will lead a conversation with CocoaTown about how they designed their chocolate-making machines, how these tools are transforming the craft chocolate industry, and why it matters that more cacao-growing communities can profit by making chocolate, not just growing the beans.
- After the discussion, enjoy a glass of wine or prosecco as CocoaTown demos the specialized machinery they developed to transform cacao into chocolate, which is being used across the globe.
- Enjoy a tasting curated by MODA, featuring three selections from local bean-to-bar chocolatiers, Xocolatl
- Connect with fellow chocolate enthusiasts, support local enterprises, and engage in meaningful conversations about the artistry, ethics, and impact of design in the chocolate-making process.
About Cocoatown:
CocoaTown, based just outside the city in Alpharetta, is one of the most influential—though you might not see their name on a chocolate bar. CocoaTown is a woman- and immigrant-owned company that builds the machines behind the craft chocolate movement. Their roasters, grinders, winnowers, and melangers are used in more than 100 countries, making it possible for small- and medium-sized chocolate makers to produce high-quality bars without industrial-scale equipment. The company started in an unexpected way. Founders Andal and Dr. M. Balu, a botanist and a chemist, began by importing wet grinders for South Indian cooking. But when customers began using the machines to grind cacao, they saw an opportunity—and adapted the equipment to meet the specific needs of chocolate makers. They provide training, education, and mentorship—especially to women and growers in cacao-producing countries. Their work empowers people to build businesses, create new products, and take part in reshaping the global chocolate supply chain.
Registration: $25 | $15 for MODA members
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Accessibility: Designers with different styles of learning or special needs are welcome in MODA public programs. We will be able to most effectively help everyone learn and enjoy this experience if we know about those needs in advance of the program. Please email miranda@museumofdesign.org with questions or information.
Cancellation Policy: MODA reserves the right to cancel a program if the minimum enrollment requirements are not met, but don't worry: should MODA have to cancel, we will gladly issue a full refund to all registrants. If you need to cancel your plans for any reason, we kindly request that you notify us at least 7 days prior to the event start. By doing so, we can process a refund for the ticket cost (minus a small $10 processing fee per class). Unfortunately, we cannot provide refunds for cancellations made less than 7 days before an event.
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