12 scenic miles from Hudson Woods, across the Ashokan Reservoir, is a local chocolatier Fruition Chocolate. Fruition is a small-batch bean to bar workshop in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. They meticulously craft chocolate, slowly roasting and stone grinding select cocoa beans to create extraordinary flavors.
Bryan Graham founded Fruition Chocolate in 2011 after 15 years working as a baker, pastry chef and chocolatiere. The inspiration came in part from Bryan’s childhood memories of visiting his grandmother’s upstate New York farm. At the farm, Bryan learned how to pick perfectly ripe ingredients and how to transform them into pies, tarts, jams and jellies in the old world tradition only a grandmother can teach. To this day Fruition looks to the Hudson Valley for inspiration, “when we develop flavors for our confections, we really only have to look to the bounty of flavors grown in the Hudson Valley,” says Bryan.
Fruition is one of only a handful of small batch chocolate makers in the United States. They are now stocked in 40 locations across New York City and the Hudson Valley as well as shops in 16 other states. You can visit their workshop Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 11 AM - 5 PM, though if traveling a long distance they recommend calling ahead. When visiting Fruition, stop in on some our friends nearby, including Scandinavian Grace, Materia Designs and Saunderskill Market.
