Award-Winning Chocolate Maker Calls Sudbury Barn Home

SUDBURY, MA — One of the most decorated chocolate makers in the world is operating out of a 225-year-old barn in Sudbury.

Goodnow Farms Chocolate, founded in 2016 by Monica and Tom Rogan, who said their business has won more international awards than any other U.S. chocolate maker, including eight consecutive Good Food Awards and a record six Specialty Food Awards in a single year. The Rogans, who left careers in real estate and television to pursue their passion, make all their chocolate on site in Sudbury.

"People think of chocolate as a candy, but it's a food," co-founder Tom Rogan said, adding that he and his wife source cacao beans directly from farmers in Latin America, press their own cocoa butter and hand-wrap each bar.

"We go down to origin, we find cacao beans in different regions of Central and South America," Rogan said. "They have different flavors, and that's important because the cacao beans, just like wine grapes, have different genetics and different flavors."

The bars are priced from $16 to $20 on Goodnow Farm's website, but you can also find their bars in stores, including one right in Sudbury at Duck Soup Market, located at the Mill Village Shopping Center.

"We're really trying to get people to think differently about chocolate to realize where it comes from," said Rogan. "We are at a premium price point... because we are paying farmers a fair prices, because the process we undergo to draw out flavors is really time and labor intensive."

The company has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, and The New York Times, but many locals don't realize that a world-renowned chocolate operation is right in town. The Rogans hope to make a stronger connection with local businesses in Sudbury.

Goodnow Farms hosts public chocolate factory tours on Thursdays at noon in the spring and fall, and later this month, they'll open their historic barn for a Haunted Barn Party on Oct. 24 and 25. Advanced tickets are required for both events and can be found here.

See Also:

• Where To Pick Pumpkins Near Sudbury This Fall
• Transportation Fair In Sudbury This October
• Sudbury School Ranked Among Best Public High Schools In MA, See The New Analysis