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River-Sea's Origin Story

Origin Story

And Coco the Sloth

Krissee and Mariano D'Aguiar started making chocolate in 2017 while visiting family in Northern Brazil where they realized that the delicious food could be a connecting bridge between their life in DC and their community in Brazil. They saw the capability to provide income opportunities, in an eco-friendly way that doesn’t require cutting down the rainforest, but leaves plant canopy and wildlife to thrive. 

From the moment they made their first batch of chocolate, they recognized this as their mission; a mission to wrap their heart around.

Krissee's mom was born a premie in Romania at a time when they gave chocolate to premature babies as a first food. Her grandfather traded his stamp collection to an illegal smuggler bringing Swiss chocolate across the border in order to feed her mom. So Krissee wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for chocolate.

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Founders

Founders

Mariano Specialty: Import and Export Logistics and Finance, Fermentation and Farm Outreach

Krissee Specialty: Bean to Bar Chocolate Making, Graduate of Ecole Chocolat - Professional School of Chocolate Arts

Why "River-Sea"?

Our chocolate journey started where the

Amazon River meets the Atlantic Sea

Love and reverence for the ascending and ebbing tide

Crashing into the downstream flow of the river.

The river so wide

It looks like the sea

Saltwater and freshwater meet chaotically

Bringing vibrance, nourishment, and harmony.

Most of the world's cacao

grows in coastal jungle areas influenced by the daily flow of the tide. 

The rhythm of a producer's life synchronizes with

the waves and moon, not the hands of a clock.

 

What People Write About Us

Check Out the River-Sea YouTube Video Playlist Here.

Chocolate Critic and Chocolate Blogger reviews of our chocolate:

 

Articles/Videos about our business:

 

Articles about our Sustainable shipping project:

  • Tres Hombres - Cargo Under Sail Video 4/23/2019

  • El Informador: Santa Marta is the Pioneer in Sustainable Export (in Spanish)  "In the facilities of the Port of Santa Marta, the Dutch-flagged sailboat Tres Hombres yesterday loaded 14 ton of cocoa and six of coffee harvested in the Sierra Nevada, products destined for the United States and Europe. With the operation, the capital of Magdalena is consolidated as the first city in the country that exports in a friendly way with the environment, at least during the modern era." 3/13/2019

  • Nice article on the scientific platform N+1: Colombia will export cacao and coffee using a CO2-free ship. (in Spanish) 3/4/2019

Articles About Us

Jobs

Live the chocolate life

Do You Love Chocolate?

We hire aspiring people who want to help grow our brand. Whether you are a chocolate lover, chocolate addict, or interested in business, sustainability or culinary arts. We're looking for people who want to impact the local community and further our culture. Working at a small business allows you to be a part of a family and team. Be excited to exercise skills in organization, public speaking, customer care, art, design, and technology. Apply through this form:

Apply Here
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Jobs
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