Our Story

 

I love chocolate. I grew up in Vermont in the kitchen with my mom. She created the most amazing wedding cakes and decandent chocolate desserts. I always admired her work and knew someday my path would lead me back towards the kitchen. Graduating from the University of Vermont with an Art and English degree, I pursued a career in designing and building timber frame homes. After marrying my college sweetheart, Steph, I built our home overlooking the beautiful Lamoille River valley in Cambridge, Vermont. Steph’s 4th generation family farm, the Boyden Farm, sits nestled in the valley and is home to Vermont’s first registered winery, Boyden Valley Winery.

 

After building our home, I decided it was time to embark on a new artistic journey. With Boyden Valley Winery just down the road, the gears began to turn. Wine & chocolate. I took courses at the Academy of Chocolate in Montreal and in 2014 began, STiR Chocolates. I’m back in the kitchen, the “chocolate lab” as I call it, and feel at home making artisan chocolates using the finest Belgian chocolate infused with many local Vermont ingredients.

 

Why the name STiR Chocolates?

 

I’ll begin with a bit about how chocolates are made. You stir. You stir a lot. It takes about an hour for the chocolate to temper to the proper temperature. I currently stir the chocolate the entire duration of the tempering process. Reminds me of a whitewater kayaking trip I took years ago to China. Watching the Tibetan monks spin the prayer wheel focusing their mind and spirit. It’s therapeutic. That’s one reason for the name but it goes beyond that for me. It’s about family. From my mom’s kitchen, the Boyden Family farm and my immediate family. We are (S)teph, (T)eo, (i)la, and (R)euben. I am the chocolatier, Steph is our graphic designer, and our two children, Ila and Reuben, inspire us in more ways than you can imagine! We are known for creating a positive STiR wherever we go!

 

 

 

Enjoy,

Matteo “Teo” Campbell

Founder/Chocolatier

STiR Chocolates