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Save Marsatta: The Chocolate Factory
That Love Built
This isn’t just chocolate. It’s our family.
22 years. 5 kids. One factory. One fight.
For more than two decades, Marsatta Chocolate has been our family’s passion. We started small, with just a dream, a tempering machine, and a belief that good chocolate can change lives.
And it has. Our bean to bar craft has reached thousands. Customers love our chocolate. We have been featured, celebrated, and supported.
But behind the scenes, we have been fighting a battle most never saw coming. That includes us.
How It All Began
I never planned on becoming a chocolate maker. Back in 2000, I was rollerblading near the beach, Newport Beach when I met a girl from Minnesota named Naomi. She was just ahead of me. I caught up to her and we started talking. I told her I had once worked as a chocolatier in Canada. The moment the word “chocolate” came out of my mouth, it planted a seed — in her heart and in mine.
By 2003, I had already started Marsatta Chocolate first myself and then she jumped on board when I couldn’t handle all of our orders. It was a big ask because she was well involved
in her career as a therapist for autistic children. But she didn’t hesitate as she believed in me in my dream. In 2004 our first child Emma was born. She was could definitely be coined a chocolate baby because she has been through everyone of our journeys past and present. In 2007 we shifted everything after a prominent chef told me I could never make my own chocolate. Well, you know when someone tells you you can’t do something what does the human spirit automatically think of? Yup, you guessed it going the other way. So we began making chocolate directly from the cacao bean in Redondo Beach, California. We became Los Angeles’s first bean to bar chocolate makers, one of only a handful in the entire country. Nobody knew about us back then. We just kept going, growing slowly and organically, guided by taste, integrity, and family.
The Hard Truth: We Trusted the Wrong Person
It was during the height of the COVID pandemic, around 2020, when everything felt uncertain. A group visited our factory. They tasted our chocolate and fell in love. After a few visits, they asked me, “What’s your vision?” I answered honestly:
“I want the whole world to know about our chocolate.”
They said they could help make that happen. It finally felt like the dream might take off.
But that plan never came to life.
The group eventually narrowed down to one person. He had an MBA from Oxford. A Canadian. I trusted him.
He promised to help us grow, later to bring in sales and investors, to make Marsatta more profitable. But he failed miserably.
While my wife and I showed up every single day….crafting chocolate, raising five kids, and keeping the factory going he focused mostly on his own ventures.
My wife worked two full years without receiving a single paycheck.
I was only paid enough to cover rent until even that started falling behind.
He told us the company was profitable and continued to try and convince us of his fact. Maybe it could have been, with the right plan and follow-through. But that was never delivered.
Now, for the second year in a row, we are homeless. We close down both of our stores, one that really shouldn’t have opened in the first place.
And yet, we still show up at the factory every day. Still making chocolate. Still doing the work.
A Dad First
When I saw how little was coming in, I took a part-time job at Costco. Later, I picked up shifts at Chick-fil-A. I needed to keep food on the table and give my kids a shot to stay in hockey.
I never stopped making chocolate. I just worked more.
And what did our “partner” say when he found out?
“You’re not taking Marsatta Chocolate seriously.”
We lost two vehicles. We moved everything into storage. We raised our kids in hotel rooms.
But we never gave up. Not on each other. Not on the chocolate. Not on the dream.
Why This Matters Now
We are entering the busiest, most important season for chocolate makers. The fourth quarter is where everything happens. This is when we normally catch up, expand, and connect with the world.
Instead of riding the momentum, we are stuck trying to survive. We need help to get back on track ~ and now is the moment to act.
Where the Donations Will Go
Stable housing for our family
Our daughter Emma is dealing with health issues, and hotel living is not the right environment for her or her siblings.
Opening our new chocolate factory
The space is built. The dream is real. We just need help turning the key, finishing the setup, and making it fully operational.
Paying back rent and securing our lease
We want to take over the lease on the space where we’ve worked so hard. Once we do, we can focus on production and growth.
The People Who Believe in Us
We have always said, “Let the chocolate speak for itself.”
It has. We’ve made chocolate for Microsoft, Google, Cisco, and others. We’ve worked with Hollywood events, the Gamble House, the Rose Bowl, and Los Angeles businesses who care about real flavor.
Even Godiva reached out to ask how we make our 100 percent single-ingredient bar. That tells you something.
We don’t need approval but it is nice when the world notices the love and integrity behind what we do.
Our Long-Term Vision
I want to build a chocolate factory with glass walls, so people can see what we do in real time ~ from the roasting to the wrapping. No tricks. No shortcuts. No delays.
I want a tasting room where people can experience real chocolate and learn about origin, texture, and nuance. I want school children and chocolate-loving adults to walk through and understand how we take a raw bean and turn it into something beautiful.
This isn’t about mass production. It’s about connection, education, and flavor.
We started this company from a garage. We’ve built something few have. We just need a chance to make it sustainable again.
Why We Need You
We’re not asking for charity. We’re asking for a shot at rebuilding for our family, for our chocolate, and for the people who love both.
Heck, we’ve never said no to any 501 3c’s that have come our way…. we’ve always supported the community and now we need the community more than ever before.
If you’ve ever supported a small business...
If you’ve ever rooted for someone who refuses to quit...
If you’ve ever believed in bold, beautiful chocolate that tells a story...
Please help us save Marsatta.
Thank You
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Every donation. Every share. Every encouraging word.
It helps us hold on to this dream.
We’re not giving up. Not now. Not ever.
~Chef Jeffray & the Marsatta Chocolate Family
Organizer
