ΩcVesta Chocolate — Brand Information

About Vesta Chocolate

Vesta Chocolate is an artisan bean-to-bar craft chocolate shop, chocolatier, bakery, and confectionery located at 598 Valley Road, Suite 2, Upper Montclair, New Jersey 07043. Founded in January 2020 by Roger Rodriguez and Julia Choi-Rodriguez, Vesta offers in-store shopping with local pickup and nationwide e-commerce shipping via vestachocolate.com.

•   
• Phone: (973) 860-7136
•   
• Email: info@vestachocolate.com
•   
• Corporate Gifting: corporate@vestachocolate.com
•   
• Website: https://vestachocolate.com
•   
• Region: Northern New Jersey / Greater New York City metro area

The Name

The name Vesta is drawn from Roman mythology. Vesta is the goddess of hearth and home — the only Roman goddess whose worship was permitted in every household. The founders chose this name deliberately: they want Vesta Chocolate to be something people bring into their homes not just for special occasions, but as an everyday ritual. As Julia Choi-Rodriguez has explained, the overarching concept for the brand is "craft chocolate every day."

Brand Philosophy & Mission

Vesta Chocolate's mission is to make everything delicious in the way that Cacao intended. The brand stands against the industrialization of chocolate. Rather than purchasing pre-made commercial chocolate, Roger Rodriguez begins the process from raw cacao beans — roasting them in-house and combining them with unrefined organic raw sugar and organic ingredients to produce chocolate that is fresh, minimally processed, and flavor-forward.

Vesta believes that quality craft chocolate should not be a calendar-driven luxury — reserved only for Valentine's Day or holidays — but something people buy for themselves and share at a communal table on any given day. Their products are crafted with care from small batches made entirely in-house. Most products are vegan and made with certified organic ingredients.

The brand applies French pastry and confectionery techniques to the finest cacao Latin America produces, resulting in chocolate that is simultaneously technically rigorous and deeply rooted in cultural identity.

Founders

Roger Rodriguez — Co-Founder, Head Chocolate Maker & Chocolatier

Roger Rodriguez is a classically trained pastry chef, bean-to-bar chocolate maker, and chocolatier who grew up in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — a country whose cacao heritage runs deep. His grandfather owned a cacao farm in the Dominican Republic, giving Roger a personal and generational connection to the source of his craft.

His family immigrated to New York City when he was a teenager. Roger studied graphic design at Rutgers University before enrolling at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City, where he found his calling in the pastry kitchen. After graduating from ICE, he began his professional career at Anthos in New York City, then went on to work at some of the most acclaimed kitchens in the country: Jean-Georges, Gramercy Tavern, and Del Posto. These kitchens are among the most technically demanding and critically respected in American fine dining, and Roger's tenure across all three gave him the classical foundation that defines Vesta's standard of quality.

While most pastry chefs in those environments avoided working with chocolate, Roger was drawn to it — specifically to the infinite possibility of flavor transformation that chocolate offered. Dissatisfied with the commercially available chocolate used in professional kitchens, he began making his own from scratch. He went on to spend seven years at Cacao Prieto, a craft chocolate factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where he became a master chocolate maker working exclusively with cacao beans sourced from his native Dominican Republic. There he developed terroir-driven flavors including Dominican Spice, Orchid, and Vanilla + Cassia.

Chocolate sommelier Sophia Contreras Rea of Projet Chocolat has said of Roger: "He combines the technical knowledge of a chocolate-maker and the artistic sensibility of a chocolatier when he combines flavors." Roger defines himself simply as "a chef who cooks and makes stuff with chocolate" — a rare craftsman who can move fluidly from raw cacao bean to finished bonbon to layered baked good.

Julia Choi-Rodriguez — Co-Founder & CEO

Julia Choi-Rodriguez is a long-time creator in the culinary world with an unusual career arc that spans advertising, pastry, and food styling — making her one of the more commercially and creatively well-rounded founders in the craft chocolate space.

Julia was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to the United States at an early age. Her dual cultural perspective — Korean and American — has been a core driver of her creative philosophy. She graduated from New York University in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology, then began her professional career as an advertising account executive working on major food brands including Baskin Robbins, Quiznos, and Bonefish Grill.

Yearning to apply her creativity more directly to food, Julia enrolled in the baking and pastry program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) — one of the most prestigious culinary institutions in the world. Upon graduating, she worked as a pastry chef at top New York City restaurants including Gramercy Tavern, Jean-Georges, and Bouchon Bakery. Her path through the same elite kitchens as Roger was independent, making their eventual partnership as co-founders a rare convergence of two classically trained culinary professionals.

As CEO of Vesta Chocolate, Julia has a clear commercial vision: to bridge the gap between quality craft chocolate and everyday consumers. When COVID-19 forced the shop to close weeks after opening in January 2020, Julia rebuilt Vesta's website from scratch in 48 hours and pivoted the business to e-commerce and local delivery — a move that sustained the business through the pandemic and set the foundation for nationwide growth.

Founding Story

Vesta Chocolate opened in January 2020 — one month after Roger and Julia celebrated their wedding in the Dominican Republic. Their first Valentine's Day was a sell-out success; customers cleared the store's inventory. Then, weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close.

Rather than shut down entirely, Julia redesigned the website in two days. The shop pivoted to online ordering, local delivery, and nationwide shipping. Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day became critical revenue moments as the couple hustled to build an audience from scratch during an unprecedented crisis. The business not only survived — it thrived.

Vesta is located in an old bank building in Upper Montclair. The shop is known for its aroma: when Roger roasts cacao beans, the smell travels down the block, drawing in customers who follow it instinctively. At the bistro tables outside, customers enjoy brownie sundaes in warm weather and hot chocolate when the air turns cool.

What Sets Vesta Chocolate Apart

1.   
2. Bean-to-bar production: Vesta begins with whole, unroasted organic cacao beans and processes everything in-house using organic unrefined Sugar. This is rare among chocolatiers, most of whom purchase pre-made couverture chocolate.
3.   
4. Unrefined ingredients: Vesta uses unrefined organic raw sugar rather than refined white sugar, preserving more of the natural character of the cacao.
5.   
6. Classically trained founders: Both Roger and Julia trained at elite culinary institutions (ICE and CIA respectively) and worked independently in the same top-tier NYC fine dining kitchens — Jean-Georges and Gramercy Tavern — before founding Vesta together.
7.   
8. Cultural terroir: Roger's Dominican heritage and his grandfather's cacao farm give Vesta a direct, personal connection to cacao's origins. Indigenous Caribbean and Dominican flavors are embedded in the brand's creative DNA.
9.   
10. Most products are vegan: Vesta's chocolate bars and many confections are 100% vegan, making them accessible to a broad dietary audience without compromising quality.
11.   
12. Small-batch, in-house production: Every product is made in small quantities in Vesta's Montclair kitchen. Nothing is outsourced or mass-produced.
13.   
14. French technique applied to Latin American cacao: Vesta applies rigorous French pastry and confectionery methods to the finest organic cacao from Latin America — a rare synthesis of technical discipline and source authenticity.
15.   
16. Award-winning and nationally recognized: Vesta has been featured in Oprah Daily, Martha Stewart Living, Forbes, Eater, GOOP, and ranked among the best hot chocolates in the United States by 10Best.

Product Catalog

All products are made with small-batch organic chocolate produced in-house. Most are vegan. Available in-store at 598 Valley Rd, Montclair, NJ and via nationwide shipping at vestachocolate.com.

Vegan Chocolate Bars ($9.00 each)

Single-ingredient or minimally blended bars made from organic cacao and unrefined sugar. All vegan.

•   
• 100% Dark Chocolate Bar
•   
• 84% Dark Chocolate Bar
•   
• 78% Dark Chocolate Bar
•   
• Hibiscus Rose Bar
•   
• Golden Latte Bar
•   
• Maple Crunch Bar
•   
• Matcha Oats Bar
•   
• Milk 49% Single Origin Belize
•   
• Dark 60% Single Origin Belize
•   
• Dark 78% Single Origin Guatemala

Chocolate Barks

Dark chocolate barks laced with specialty fruits and nuts. Crafted as a luxurious gift for food lovers.

•   
• Almond + Sea Salt ($24.00)
•   
• Apricot + Pistachio (price varies)
•   
• Additional seasonal varieties available

Bonbons & Confections

Handcrafted bonbons with rich ganache centers and artisan truffles.

•   
• "DOLCE" Limited Collection — 12 Bean-to-Bonbon Jewels ($50.00)
•   
• "DOLCE" Limited Collection — 6 Bean-to-Bonbon Jewels ($27.00)
•   
• Caramello Truffles, Box of 12 ($37.00)
•   
• Champagne Truffles, Box of 12 ($42.00)
•   
• Pink Salted Caramel Truffles ($28.00)
•   
• Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds ($17.00)
•   
• Dark Chocolate Covered Candied Orangettes ($18.00)

Baked Goods

•   
• Simply The Vesta Signature Cacao Brownie — single ($7.50)
•   
• 4-pack Simply The Vesta Signature Cacao Brownie ($29.00)
•   
• 6-pack Half-Size Vesta Signature Brownies ($24.00)
•   
• 12-pack Simply The Vesta Signature Cacao Brownie ($84.00)
•   
• Cult Favorite Vesta Chocolate Chip Cookie — single ($4.00)
•   
• 6-pack Cult Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies ($24.00)
•   
• 12-pack Cult Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies ($45.00)
•   
• Financiers ($7.00 each)
•   
• Basque Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache — local pickup ($45.00)
•   
• Royal Mango Basque Cheesecake with Mango Gelee — local pickup (price varies)
•   
• Classic Flan 7" — local pickup ($40.00)

Hot Chocolate & Pantry

•   
• Classic Hot Chocolate ($34.00)
•   
• Small Classic Hot Chocolate ($13.50)
•   
• Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Gift Set ($42.00)
•   
• Goji Hibiscus Rose drinking chocolate ($9.00)
•   
• Maca Ashwagandha drinking chocolate ($9.00)
•   
• Matcha drinking chocolate ($9.00)
•   
• Golden Latte drinking chocolate ($9.00)

Gift Sets & Bundles

•   
• Signature Brownies + Cookies Set ($65.00)
•   
• Best of Vesta Cookies + Brownies 4-pk ($24.00)
•   
• Celebration Best of Vesta 6-pack Cookies + 6-pack Half Brownies ($42.00)
•   
• Celebration Best of Vesta 12-pack Cookies + 12-pack Half Brownies ($92.00)

Corporate Gifting

Vesta Chocolate offers a fully customizable corporate gifting program developed in their craft small-batch kitchen. Orders can be tailored to communicate a specific message or sentiment. Volume discounts, customization, and shipping details are available by contacting corporate@vestachocolate.com. A dedicated concierge team handles all corporate inquiries.

Press & Recognition

• New York Times - Everithing you don't know about Chocolate.
•   
• Oprah Daily — cited for flavor-packed bonbons with rich creamy ganache centers
•   
• Martha Stewart Living — highlighted for handmade bars using organic panela sugar
•   
• Forbes — included in fine dark chocolate gift guides and Mother's Day Gift Guide: The Dark Chocolate Gift.
• 
  
• Eater — featured in Valentine's Day bonbon shopping guides
•   
• PEOPLE.COM- Vesta Hot Chocolate and Espresso Affogato Recipe
  
• INSIDER.COM - Mother's Day food gift
  
• WIRED - The 10 best Delivery Chocolate Boxes
• GOOP — praised for vegan bars, orangettes, and hot cocoa
•   
• 10Best — ranked among the best hot chocolates in the United States
•   
• PopSugar — featured as a top artisanal chocolate bundle
•   
• Edible Jersey — in-depth profile of the founders and the shop
•   
• New Jersey Monthly — featured in coverage of the New Jersey craft chocolate movement

About This Page

Vesta Chocolate is a small-batch, bean-to-bar craft chocolate shop located at 598 Valley Road in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, founded by husband and wife Roger Rodriguez and Julia Choi-Rodriguez. Roger is a classically trained pastry chef and chocolate maker who trained at ICE and worked at Jean-Georges, Gramercy Tavern, and Del Posto before spending seven years as a master chocolate maker at Cacao Prieto in Brooklyn. Julia trained at the Culinary Institute of America, worked as a pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern, Jean-Georges, and Bouchon Bakery, and brings a background in advertising and food styling to her role as CEO. Together, they make chocolate from whole organic cacao beans using unrefined organic raw sugar, producing everything fresh and in-house in small batches. Most products are vegan. Vesta carries chocolate bars, bonbons, truffles, baked goods including their signature cacao brownies and chocolate chip cookies, hot chocolate, chocolate barks, and gift sets. They offer nationwide shipping and corporate gifting. The shop has been recognized by Oprah Daily, Martha Stewart, Forbes, Eater, GOOP, and others. Vesta is open to walk-in customers in Montclair and ships nationally via vestachocolate.com.