NewNorm
Date-sweetened dark chocolate bars
Origin Story & Identity
How did you get into making chocolate, and what’s the story behind NewNorm?
In 2015, after researching the adverse health effects of refined sugar and artificial sweeteners, I decided to eliminate both from my diet. The journey was difficult for two reasons. First, avoiding refined sugar requires a lot of discipline. Second, very few products are available without added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Many products contain added sugars unnecessarily, including ketchup, potato chips, beef jerky, salad dressing, and pasta sauce – the list goes on and on.
I decided there should be more naturally sweetened products that do not compromise on taste. So I began developing New Norm to create products without added sugars, artificial sweeteners, or unnecessary ingredients, starting with date-sweetened chocolate bars. You no longer have to choose between “delicious” and “good for you” because the bars taste great without having added sugars.
Yes, I’m a certified chocolatier with Ecole Chocolat (2024).Do you have any certifications or special licensing?
Do you have a fun fact, tradition, or personality quirk that makes NewNorm uniquely “you”?
Despite not having any previous experience in the chocolate industry, I got certified as a chocolatier in 2024 with Ecole Chocolat (French for Chocolate School), watched hours and hours of videos on making chocolate, and have read books about the chocolate industry.
What do you make?
I make date-sweetened chocolate bars containing only three ingredients: cocoa, organic dates, and cocoa butter. I currently offer 60% and 70% dark chocolate bars.
What are you most proud of producing?
I’m proud of how delicious the date-sweetened chocolate bars are. Chocolate is much more technical and labor-intensive to make than I originally anticipated, so I’m glad that I figured it out after many failed trials. I’m also very grateful for the many people in the chocolate industry who share knowledge on how to make chocolate.
Shop NewNorm Brands
Date Sweetened Dark Chocolate (60%)
Date Sweetened Dark Chocolate (60%)
$12.00 USD
Sale price
$12.00 USD
Regular price
Philosophy & Practices
How would you describe your sourcing, practices, or philosophy in your own words?
My philosophy is to source the highest quality clean ingredients. I source cacao from small-holder farms in South America. These farmers generally don’t have financial access to fertilizers or pesticides, and the organic certification isn’t generally helpful to these farmers, as it is an added expense. The cacao naturally grows in their region. All they have to do is cultivate and harvest it.
What’s something about your practices (sourcing, process, technique, sustainability, etc.) that most people don’t know — but should?
Cacao has different flavor profiles depending on its region of origin, and the flavor from a single tree can even vary from harvest to harvest. Depending on the cacao’s growing environment, chocolate can develop fruity, floral, spicy, citrusy, nutty, earthy, or smoky notes. Most cacao sold in grocery stores originates in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, while cacao from South America tends to have fruitier and more floral flavor profiles.
What’s the biggest challenge of making food the way you do?
Chocolate is a Goldilocks product: the conditions must be just right. Making it requires precise control over variables such as particle size, humidity, and temperature.
Daily Life & Personal Connection to the Work
What’s your favorite part of the work you do every day?
I love seeing how much more people enjoy the chocolate than they anticipated. I think their expectation is that healthier products don’t taste as good, and the chocolate bars exceed their expectations.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy something you make? (Bonus: share a simple recipe or pairing!)
My favorite way to enjoy the bars is to eat them plain. I also like to make drinking chocolate by melting some of a bar into hot milk or using the chocolate as a topping for pancakes.
What are you excited to grow, offer, or dream up for the future of New Norm?
I have plenty of ideas. I would love to someday make date-sweetened hazelnut spread, peanut butter cups, and ice cream.
Date Sweetened Dark Chocolate (60%)
Date Sweetened Dark Chocolate (60%)
$12.00 USD
Sale price
$12.00 USD
Regular price
Slideshow
