Choffy owners Jason Vanderhoven, left, and Jason Sherwood go overtheir schedules at their warehouse.
A cup of ground roasted cacao on display at the Choffy warehousein Vancouver.
Business name: Choffy.
Owners: Jason Vanderhoven and Jason Sherwood.
Address: warehouse in Hazel Dell.
What the business does: Choffy is the originator of modern brewedchocolate, according to owners Jason Sherwood and Jason Vanderhoven.The company roasts and grinds 100 percent premium cacao (cocoa)beans in small artisan batches to create a rich, full-flavoreddrink. Sherwood and Vanderhoven said Choffy is richer and morerobust than hot chocolate but it brews just like coffee. But unlikecoffee, it supplies you with long-lasting energy without the crashand other negative effects of caffeine, they said. Choffy containsno sugar, dairy, or chemicals.
What steps are you taking to build your business as the economyrecovers: The company has gone from a handful of local fans tohaving a blossoming national customer and independent distributorbase, the owners said. They believe it is their opportunity andresponsibility to develop broad, deep personal skills within each oftheir direct sales distributors. This personal development caninclude everything from communication and sales skills, fiscalresponsibility, to healthier living.
Greatest challenge: The cacao market is in constant flux. As withmost commodities, cacao is subject to many external factors such asclimate change, government (in)stability and import/exportlegislation. These factors can affect everything from cacaoavailability, quality and not least of which, cost. As the companygrows, its internal resources will continue to be critical to theirsuccess, Sherwood said. The company is constantly seeking dedicated,trained personnel and they continue to develop internal trainingmaterials to staff skills.
What is your favorite part of the job: Sherwood says that withoutquestion the best part of his job is working with the people atChoffy headquarters to help teach, build, and support independentdistributors around the country. There is nothing more satisfyingthan seeing others loving the taste and health benefits of Choffy,he said.
What's ahead: The owners said they are working to bring newChoffy products to market. They expect to continue to expand theirdistributor numbers. Despite national economic confidence being low,they feel that the future is exceptionally bright.
Year established in Clark County: 2009.
Employees: Six full-time; part-time staff fluctuates.
Telephone: 360-334-7229.
Fax: 702-541-9934.
Email: info@drinkchoffy.com.
Website: http://drinkchoffy.com.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., phone calls.
