He grew up eating chocolate in Germany, and now makes it out of his own factory in eastern Idaho
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BIZ BUZZ
IDAHO FALLS
Local man makes commercial, European-style chocolate from bean to bar
IDAHO FALLS – Christian Becker came to eastern Idaho as a foreign exchange student from Germany three decades ago, and now he makes chocolate out of a factory at his Bonneville County home.
The 48-year-old Idaho Falls man owns Thor’s Chocolate, a small shop off 65th South, that makes commercial quality bean-to-bar chocolate. It uses cocoa beans from overseas and has the capacity to make a batch of about 800 bars in two days. He makes a variety of flavors, including milk, dark, raspberry cream and keto. See what it’s like in the video above.
The shop’s name comes from the Germanic and Nordic god of lightning and thunder, the sky and agriculture, and has nothing to do with the Marvel character, Becker says.
Becker tells EastIdahoNews.com it’s a name he felt he could “have a lot of fun with.”
“It’s a catchy thing,” he says. “It seemed like a larger-than-life, comic book (name) that was interesting and you could poke fun at.”
The idea for the factory is something he’s been kicking around for about 30 years, but it’s only in the last three years that he started getting serious about it.
He launched the business in June and has acquired a lot of interest from people in the community. One of his regular customers is a Rigby woman who provides bean-to-bar chocolate for customers in the form of a class that provides a unique tasting experience.
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“I have a few people who are buying from me now. They’ve been along for the ride. For the last two years, I’ve made chocolate and handed it out to family and friends, people at work and in the neighborhood,” says Becker.
Many of his co-workers at Mountain View Hospital love his chocolate. Though Becker’s original intent was to make chocolate as a hobby, many have encouraged him to start selling it.
“Enough people were saying, ‘I want a whole stack of these.’ I said I could bring them one or two here and there and they’d say, ‘I want a whole pallet. Seriously! And I’m willing to pay for it.’ It exceeded what I could do, and they said, ‘You need to sell it.’ So that was the impetus for (what it’s become),” Becker says.
Becker grew up eating a lot of chocolate in Germany. German and other European chocolate is a premier product for people all over the world, and when Becker got to the U.S., he noticed something was different about Hershey’s and other American brands.
“The Europeans tend to be smoother, they tend to have somewhat of a different flavor profile. They tend to spend more time refining,” Becker says. “The chocolate I make is very much in the European tradition. I spend a lot of time on processing to really mill the chocolate.”
Becker isn’t planning to quit his day job anytime soon. His goal going forward is to have a recognizable brand in the community. His priority is for it to be a fun side venture that he does with his family, but if it becomes something bigger, it wouldn’t hurt his feelings.
Anything beyond that is icing on the cake, he says.
“If it’s not fun anymore, then I’m probably not doing it,” says Becker.
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BIZ BITS
Pocatello bank hosting Halloween event
POCATELLO – Bank of Idaho will host the Pocatello Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours monthly mixer at 1230 Yellowstone Avenue.
It’s happening Thursday, Oct. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Prizes will be given for the best and most creative costume. The Bank of Idaho Pocatello branch will have tricks, treats, finger food and drinks on hand.
“It’s been our tradition to embrace the Halloween holiday and really celebrate everyone’s creative spirit,” Bank of Idaho Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Newgard says. “We love the Pocatello community and hosting with the chamber each Halloween is the perfect way to bring the business community together for a fun evening.”
Pocatello dentist earns prestigious award
POCATELLO – Dr. Bryce R. Larsen, a dentist at Larsen Dental & Implant Care in Pocatello, earned his Diplomate status within the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
Larsen was presented with the award during an event in Dallas last month.
The awarding of Diplomate status is the highest honor a professional society such as the ICOI can bestow on a dental professional involved in oral implantology. Active members are encouraged to achieve it though their efforts in education, research and actual clinical experience.
Advanced Credential Committee interviews and testing are required. All Diplomates of the ICOI may choose to list a designate “D.I.C.O.I.” after their names.
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Owners of popular Pocatello restaurant launch new public transportation venture
Alpine Animal Hospital starts animal urgent care in Pocatello
Popular Preston 50’s-style drive-in set to reopen after 18 years
New Museum of Idaho exhibit will have live animals on display for the next 7 months
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