Crafted in Vermont
About Us
From a Vermont dairy farm to handcrafted organic chocolates — made with love in Bristol since 1997.
Erlé LaBounty grew up on his grandfather’s dairy farm in Vermont, leaving that life at 16 to pursue his real passion: crafting chocolate. For over two decades, he’s been making old-world chocolate confections right here in Vermont, turning certified organic, fair trade, soy-free chocolate into truffles, burnt butter salted caramels, and chocolate bars ranging from classic to adventurous flavor pairings.
When Eliza La Rocca joined him in 2010—bringing experience from Florence’s specialty food markets and leading food and wine tours through Italy—Farmhouse Chocolates became a true partnership, built on shared values and complementary skills.
The Makers
Meet Erlé & Eliza
“We’re in this because we believe in honest-to-goodness chocolate that makes your day better. We believe in sustainable sourcing, small-batch integrity, and the simple pleasure of really good food.”
We produce everything ourselves in our Bristol factory, rejecting the industry standard of co-packing. We teach our employees the art of chocolate tempering, make our ganache from scratch with ingredients like local cream and fresh herbs, and craft every piece on-site.
When you buy from us, you’re supporting a Vermont business that is steadfastly committed to organic, Fair Trade, and locally sourced ingredients and to craftsmanship that means hands-on local jobs.
— Erlé & Eliza
1997
Year Founded
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Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Soy Free Chocolate Couvertures
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Retail Partners
Every Piece
Real Food Crafted by People
What We Stand For
Our Values
Source Sustainably, Always
Our chocolate is USDA certified organic, grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, as well as certified Fair Trade, and contains no added emulsifiers, including soy. We flavor with whole foods like sea-harvested Alaska Pure Sea Salt, organic fresh citrus zest, and local Vermont cream. Every ingredient meets our standards — because what goes in matters just as much as what comes out.
Trade Fairly, Period
We source Fair Trade and Direct Trade chocolate, ensuring farmers receive fair compensation and communities thrive. Quality chocolate starts with ethical sourcing — period.
Keep It Pure
All our chocolates are soy-free. We use cocoa butter — never soy lecithin — as our emulsifier. We’re proud to eliminate food allergens where we can and keep our recipes pure and simple.
The Craft
How We Make Our Chocolates
Source & Select
We start with certified organic, fair trade, soy-free chocolate — carefully selected for quality and ethical origin. Our heavy cream comes from Monument Farms Dairy and our butter from Cabot, both right here in Vermont. Inclusions/flavorings we use include organic, freeze dried strawberries from the Pacific Northwest, sustainably harvested Alaska Pure Sea Salt, organic fresh or dried herbs, and locally roasted organic coffee.
Blend & Create
We blend our carefully sourced chocolate couverture to create unique flavor profiles you won’t find anywhere else. Every recipe is developed in-house to get exactly the taste we’re after.
Temper by Hand
Every batch is tempered in our Bristol workshop. This gives our chocolate its signature snap and glossy finish — even with our table-top tempering machines and larger enrober, this is a finicky process that combines precision, instinct, and experience.
Mold, Enrobe & Finish
Ganache for our truffles is made from scratch with local cream and dreamy infusions like local maple syrup or fresh rosemary steeped with grapefruit zest; then (after 28 years of hand rolling and dipping!) precision-molded into neat squares and run through our small enrober…between batches of our made from scratch ever so luscious caramels! Bars are created with a careful eye, a small scale, and polycarbonate molds, with all inclusions sprinkled on by hand. While we’re always seeking to improve in efficiency, our process is still very much finished by hand.
Pack & Ship with Care
Sustainable, recyclable packaging designed to protect every piece. Temperature-controlled shipping (via biodegradable insulation and ice packs) so your chocolates arrive as perfect as when they left.
A tiny Vermont chocolate maker with a big conscience and an even bigger flavor profile.
Vermont Living Magazine
Come Visit Our Workshop
We'd love to welcome you to our small Bristol factory. Stop by to see how we make our chocolates, sample our latest creations, and meet the team behind every piece.
For detailed allergy information, click here.
25B Mountain View Street, Bristol, VT 05443