Mast Brothers mount a comeback

Late in 2015 we reported on a controversy surrounding Mast Brothers chocolate, in which they were accused of misleading consumers about their “bean-to-bar” products. After the debacle, the brothers Mast kept a low profile, but continued to work on growing their successful chocolate company.  

In a recent interview with Fortune Magazine, the brothers says that the story, while harmful, was really a case of “fake news” and that almost every allegation in the exposé was false. “Basic facts got lost in all of this,” Rick Mast told the magazine. “We always have made our chocolate from bean to bar, ourselves, in house.” 

Thanks to an angel investor, the company has recently opened a large facility in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard. They are closing down their Los Angeles and London operations to focus on this location and the wholesale market, where their product has done well. Upscale retailers like Whole Foods and Dean & Deluca are carrying the company’s chocolate bars. Mast Brothers has introduced smaller, one ounce bars that retail for $3 instead of the $7-8 pricetag that the full-size bars commanded. They hope the new bars will entice leery consumers to try their product.