The Xocolate Bar — 2006

01 / The story

Chocolate was our medium.

What began in 2006 as an experiment in flavor and form grew into two decades of edible invention.

Founded by artists Malena Lopez-Maggi and Clive Brown, The Xocolate Bar made chocolate in Berkeley with a spirit of curiosity, irreverence, and care. We borrowed from sculpture, design, the Bay Area's many food cultures, and whatever happened to catch our imagination.

The “X” is pronounced sh—a nod to Malena's Latin American heritage. From a tiny factory storefront on Solano Avenue to Xocolate & Confections in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood, the work found its way into homes, celebrations, and nearly 400 independent boutiques around the country.

Artist-foundedBerkeley-made2006–2026

Original catalog page documenting the founders, stores, and chocolate practice

02 / The edible works

Hundreds of little worlds.

Every bonbon held an idea. A memory, a joke, a flavor from home, an impossible combination that somehow worked. We made hundreds of recipes, and each one had its own personality.

Bonbon flavor guide featuring many individual molded chocolates

The Bonbons

From ube and coconut rice to café de olla, tamarind mango, cardamom, and salted chile.

The OMG Bar and other chocolate confections in the 2025 catalog

The Bars

Our colorful inclusion bars, the beloved OMG Bar, and packaging designed to be as memorable as the chocolate inside.

Archival image of themed chocolate assortments; showpiece photographs to be added

Stories in a Box

The playful, unexpected side of Xocolate: showpieces, experiments, inside jokes, and edible mischief. From Portrait of My Ex to Bad Bunnies, with more stories to come.

Images reproduced from The Xocolate Bar's original 2025 gift catalog.

03 / The flavor archive

Unexpected combinations. Familiar feelings.

Our flavors traveled through memory and across cultures, finding common ground in chocolate.

HorchataUbeCoquitoPassionfruitCafé de ollaTamarind mangoCardamom coffeeRooibosCoconut riceSalted chile

Handmade bonbon assortments and gift packaging

04 / Collaborations, commissions & curiosities

Adventures in Chocolate.

Twenty years of following ideas wherever they led—from museum galleries and television studios to surprising collaborations and edible experiments.

Art & television

Julio Torres / HBO

Custom chocolate bars commissioned for Color Theories.

Creative commissions

Maker’s Mark

Original bonbon formulations developed for the whiskey maker.

Community & design

KQED

Co-created the KQED Holiday Craft Fair and made a custom Bay Area chocolate bar. Also joined KQED Live as an expert chocolate panelist.

In the news

Telemundo

Spoke about climate change and the cocoa crisis as a chocolate industry expert.

Museum commission

Asian Art Museum

Created custom Reina the Rhino chocolates for the museum.

Literature & celebration

Sandra Cisneros

Commissioned chocolates for a book launch.

Edible installation

Mills College Art Museum

A chocolate buffet created for the museum’s Centennial Celebration.

Playful experiments

Chocuterie & Faux Brie

A surreal confectionery project that reimagined charcuterie through chocolate and cacao-based materials.

Sharing the craft

Beyond the chocolate shop

Flavor-and-color programming at Chabot Space & Science Center, a moldmaking demonstration with the American Craft Council, and chocolate conversations at the Commonwealth Club.

A few honors along the way

2007Best in Show
SF International Chocolate Salon

2020Good Food Award
Cacao Fruit Jam

2023Best New Product
Faux Brie

2025#7 Best Chocolate Shop in the United States
USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards

Inclusion bars and their colorful packaging — Chocolate bars & package design

Gift assortments and rainbow bundle packaging — Gifts & collections

Original catalog page showing client relationships and speaking engagements — Collaborations & community

Original catalog back cover and graphic identity — The original graphic world

Project photographs and behind-the-scenes stories will be added as the archive grows.

In the spotlight

On screen & in print.

The Xocolate Bar's story reached beyond our shops—through television conversations, reporting, and the Bay Area food community. We're collecting the original clips and articles here.

Television

Telemundo

Malena discussed climate change and the cocoa crisis.

Live conversation

KQED Live

An expert conversation about chocolate.

Television

KRON4

A Bay Area television appearance from the Xocolate Bar years.

Press

Eater SF

Reporting on The Xocolate Bar and its place in the Bay Area food scene.

Press

Nosh / Berkeleyside

Local coverage of the shop, its people, and its creative chocolate.

More to come

The press archive

Original articles, interviews, and video links will be added as they are located and verified.

Titles and links will be added after the original coverage is verified.

05 / The people

The people behind the chocolate.

The Xocolate Bar was never the work of two people alone. Chocolatiers, artists, packers, shopkeepers, friends, collaborators, and customers all shaped what it became.

Behind every perfectly finished bonbon were practiced hands. Behind every gift was someone who wrapped it, arranged it, remembered a favorite flavor, or made a customer feel welcome.

This archive is for them, too.

“May joy, wonder, and kindness be our guiding lights.”— Malena Lopez-Maggi, farewell ceremony, July 4, 2026

We are gathering the photographs, letters, stories, and voices that tell this collective history. More will be added as the archive takes shape.

06 / July 4, 2026

Made by Many Hands.

A farewell filled with grief, gratitude, laughter, and love: the Burning of the Grievances, the Reading of the Love Letters, and Edible Milagros shared over sipping chocolate. This is where we will gather the words of the people who made The Xocolate Bar what it was—including the love letters from our staff.

See the memorial photographs ↗

Staff letters and individual memories will be added as they are selected and cleared for publication.

07 / Explore the archive

The stories continue.

The Xocolate Bar has closed, but the curiosity, creativity, and love of making that brought it to life continue in new forms.

Malena Lopez-Maggi now explores art, writing, and the magic of everyday encounters through little books, handmade writing objects, and invitations to write. The work changes shape; the spirit of discovery remains.

Make something small. Invite an encounter. See what unfolds.

Explore Malena’s art & writing ↗

From the Xocolate Bar archive

Photographs, packaging, voices, and memories from twenty years of making chocolate.

2025 gift catalogFlavors, packaging, and photography ↗Voices & messagesCustomer memories preserved in audio ↗Farewell photographsThe closing celebration ↗

Audio and personal correspondence are not embedded or quoted individually pending review and permissions.

A note for visitors: The Xocolate Bar closed in July 2026. This website is a historical and artistic archive, not an operating chocolate shop or online store.