Vosges Chocolates

 Vosges Haut Chocolate
Katrina Markoff
Chicago, IL
Chocolatier

Vosges Haut-Chocolat’s intriguing chocolate creations are made with the finest ingredients from around the world, sourced by Founder and Chocolatier Katrina Markoff. Three days following her graduation from Vanderbilt University, Katrina moved to Paris to pursue her dream of studying the culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu. Using her palate as her guide, she then embarked on a world tour that began with an apprenticeship in Spain under the direction of Ferran Adrià and continued east through Southeast Asia and Australia. The purple house of Vosges Haut-Chocolat and the concept of Travel the World through Chocolate™ were inspired by her journeys. Katrina’s fusion of indigenous spices, flowers, roots, herbs and liqueurs with premium chocolate creates a sensory experience that nurtures awareness of and appreciation for the world’s diverse cultures.

Katrina is the recipient of numerous accolades including Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40, the Bon Appétit Food Artisan of the Year Award, and being named “THE innovator in chocolate to lead the US through the next 30 years” by Food & Wine Magazine. She was also honored as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by OPEN American Express and Entrepreneur Magazine. Most recently, Vosges Haut-Chocolat was named one of the 10 Best Chocolatiers in the World by National Geographic.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat's latest endeavor is the construction of a Platinum LEED-certified green manufacturing and chocolate lifestyle house in Chicago, another step in expanding Katrina's mission of spreading Peace, Love, and Chocolate®.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat is a certified organic manufacturing facility that operates on 100% renewable energy. Under its Green Purchasing Oath, the chocolatier selects ingredients with sustainable merit and uses packaging made of 100% post-consumer recycled material for its chocolate bars and purple boxes. Learn more about our Green Initiatives.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat sources chocolate from carefully selected suppliers, many of whom are organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified. We also recently planted our first crop of cacao in Belize, which will allow us to oversee the entire value chain, from root to bar – learn more here. All of our chocolate is processed in our production facility in Chicago, IL. We believe that protecting human rights is the shared responsibility of all parties in the cocoa value chain and we expect our suppliers and business partners to champion and uphold fair labor standards and policies. Vosges Haut-Chocolat is working towards becoming wholly Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance Certified, a goal we aim to accomplish by 2014.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat is thrilled to be certified as a women’s business enterprise through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s largest third party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the U.S. Vosges Haut-Chocolat is also a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).