About Neo Cocoa
Neo Cocoa is the stuff truffle dreams are made of. In its young life, San Francisco Bay Area-based truffle maker Neo Cocoa has received praise and acclaim in the San Francisco Chronicle and 7x7 Magazine.
Neo Cocoa also has some serious metal to back up the praise: It recently received first place in the “Best Truffle” category at the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon – the San Francisco chocolate event of the year! Neo also took home the second place award in the “Best Traditional Chocolates” category, shared the second place award in the “Top Artisan Chocolatier,” “Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience” and “Best in Salon” categories, and shared the “New Product Award.”
Christine Doerr, founder and CEO of Neo Cocoa, personally chooses every locally made, premium ingredient that goes into her truffles (think Guittard chocolate and Straus Family Creamery cream). Neo Cocoa truffles are “naked” confections—made from ganache only (no enrobing)—to allow consumers to get to the heart of the truffle experience without having to navigate around the hard outer shell common to most commercially available truffles.
“I prefer to work with dark chocolate because it matches the delicate but complex flavors that I strive to capture,” Doerr explains, and it appears that she’s struck the perfect chocolate chord. According to 7x7 magazine, Neo Cocoa truffles “are subtle and sophisticated in a world of overly floral, spicy and sweet and often just plain weird” chocolates.
Neo Cocoa offers five truffle experiences in which to indulge: Almond Butter & Smoked Salt, Crushed Bittersweet Nib, Freshly Zested Lime, Toasted Coconut and Warm Ginger Root.
About Christine
Christine began her chocolaty journey way back in the 1980’s working her first job at a retail chocolate shop called Cocolat which inspired her to attend to the California Culinary Academy. She completed her internship at the Cocolat bakery in Berkeley and graduated from the CCA in 1990. From there, she worked in many bakeries and restaurants as a pastry chef for more than 10 years. She decided to go back to school to get her BFA in Graphic Design. She worked as designer for 6 years until the kitchen, partially chocolate, called her back.
For years, like many young food entrepreneurs, Christine had always made her truffles for friends and family. “I'm an avid chocolate truffle taster and have the hips to prove it!” But she never found the type of truffles she wanted on the market. So she thought this was the perfect opportunity to make her own line of truffles. Neo Cocoa truffles have no hard chocolate shell - not even the thinnest shell like the traditional French truffle. It's just the creamy ganache "heart" of a truffle. “I love how the ganache immediately melts in your mouth.”
Christine started professionally making the truffles in early 2008 and was fortunate enough to be accepted into the in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District.
Currently Christine participates in chocolate events and is a founding member of a local chocolate women's’ group. She sells at the La Cocina booth at the Ferry Plaza on Saturdays, many local specialty stores, as well as, from her online store.
