Fayetteville chocolate maker Hello Cocoa changes name to Markham & Fitz
by October 4, 2017 9:44 am 1,922 views
The Fayetteville-based chocolate company formerly known as Hello Cocoa has changed its name to Markham & Fitz.
The change was prompted by a trademark issue and was unveiled ahead of Markham & Fitz’s opening in the 8th Street Market in downtown Bentonville, set for December.
The new name is pulled from the names of co-founder Preston Stewart’s son, Markham, and co-founder Lauren Blanco’s dog, Fitz, according to a newsletter from the company, in business since 2014.
Markham & Fitz will introduce the new branding at an event Oct. 16, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Hello Cocoa, 4170 W. Martin Luther King Blvd., Suite 2, in Fayetteville.
The company also will introduce “improvements to current flavors” and “a sneak peek of recipes to come at our new location in Bentonville,” according to the newsletter.
New flavors include sea salt almond and caramelized pecan, and Markham & Fitz is planning to bring in peppermint hot chocolate and peppermint bark for the holidays this year.
It sources its cocoa beans in Uganda, Venezuela, the Dominican Republican and Bolivia, and it recently added Haiti to the list.
Markham & Fitz will relocate its headquarters to a planned 1,400-square-foot space under construction now in the 8th Street Market.
The bean-to-bar chocolate maker has manufacturing and retail elements at its Fayetteville store. Both will be present at the new location, and it will add a chocolate café/bar concept.
The 8th Street Market is ultimately planned to be a 70,000-square-foot facility. The main tenant, Northwest Arkansas’ Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, and also Bentonville-based Bike Rack Brewing Co., opened earlier this year.
Yeyo’s Mexican Grill, a food truck in downtown Bentonville, will open its first brick-and-mortar location in the 8th Street Market, with an expected opening around Thanksgiving, according to a representative of the company.