Kyya Chocolate Planning to Expand Space, Add Products

Rick Boosey, chief operating officer of Elm Springs-based Kyya Chocolate, just walked away from a lucrative sales position at Dell computers to focus full time on his cocoa startup.

He said the timing was right. In the midst of trying to reach 200 retail outlets by the end of the year, Boosey said he has already outgrown his facility at 337 N. Elm St., and is looking for a much larger space.

Already in partnership with some of the bigger craft brands in Northwest Arkansas — including Onyx Coffee Labs, Arsaga’s, Pressroom, and Core Brewing — Boosey is hoping to sell enough exotic chocolate to become a force in the industry.

“We’re not trying to grow a mom and pop,” he said. “I want to do something special.”

He and wife Cindy formed the company in 2013, and reorganized it last year. The company employs four chocolatiers. Kyya makes an assortment of chocolates from beans procured from around the world. But at least for now, the company is founded on cocoa from four places, the Dominican Republic, Uganda, Ecuador, and Madagascar.

While Kyya has always made a chocolate bar, more recently, the company is becoming known for a new product — chocolate syrup. Kyya is also in the process of learning how to produce cocoa powder and bonbons, and looks to add both to its retail line.

To source the beans, Boosey said he personally travels to countries in Africa and South America. In the near future, he plans on visiting Haiti, South Sudan and India. His goal is to make chocolate the likes of which no one has ever tasted.

“It’s like ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ but instead of antiquities, we look for chocolate,” he said.