Onyx chocolate named national awards finalist

Rogers-based Onyx Coffee Lab has won numerous awards for its coffee and recently added chocolate to its accolades list.

Terroir Chocolate by Onyx is one of 25 chocolate category finalists in Good Food Awards 2024, a program of Good Food Foundation. Terroir’s Chai Milk Chocolate + Pink Peppercorn and 69% Madagascar Dark Chocolate were finalists among 428 U.S.-made products across 17 food and beverage categories.

“Selected from over 1,700 entries to the 14th annual Good Food Awards, these 428 products coming from 311 companies topped the blind tasting and passed vetting for category-specific sustainability standards,” according to the awards website. Competing in the elixirs category, Fayetteville-based Pink House Alchemy was a finalist for its simple syrup, pH Delight. It was the only other Arkansas finalist.

Winners will be announced April 29.

Preston Stewart, director of chocolate for Onyx, has been making chocolate for about 12 years and co-founded Bentonville-based Markham & Fitz. He joined Onyx in October 2020 and was responsible for bringing its chocolate production in-house, a feat accomplished in about 90 days. Previously, Onyx’s chocolate was produced by area manufacturers, including Markham & Fitz and Elm Springs-based Kyya Chocolate.

Onyx currently sells 17 chocolate items, including 13 bars. It makes about 1,000 chocolate bars weekly. Recently, the company introduced sipping chocolate and chocolate-covered items, including espresso beans, pistachios and cacao.

In July, Onyx released plans to open a downtown Springdale store, focused on chocolate. It’s planned for the former First Security Bank complex, undergoing a $3 million redevelopment. The new store will be home to Onyx’s chocolate factory after it relocates from its existing Rogers site.

The Springdale store will allow customers to view Onyx’s bean-to-bar chocolate production and learn about roasting cacao and developing single-origin chocolates. Onyx’s chocolate is available in-store and online at onyxcoffeelab.com as well as cafes and shops worldwide. Onyx has five area stores and about 200 employees.

C-SUITE ADDITION
Onyx recently announced the hiring of Michael Mahler as the company’s first chief technology officer. He’d been a consultant since 2018.

“We’re excited to officially bring Michael onto our team as a voice of guidance in all things technology,” said Jon Allen, co-founder of Onyx. “In a time when an increasing number of people are choosing to brew and savor specialty coffee in the comfort of their homes, our goal is to curate experiences that extend the same level of hospitality found in our cafes directly to your home. Michael will be instrumental in bringing that vision to reality.”

Mahler is a tech entrepreneur and maker. With nearly 12 years of experience in e-commerce, he has worked for a wide range of companies, including Lauren James, BLKBOX and Dorel Home.

In 2018, Mahler founded Candela, a boutique digital agency specializing in user-first experiences. He will continue working with Candela as an adviser.

Mahler received a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2016 and returned to complete his master’s degree in computer science in 2018.