About Us
Craft Cacao is an iPad app for chocolate makers to manage their chocolate recipes and ingredients.
We fix broken systems, and in 2026 complex spreadsheets feel broken
After years of watching chocolate makers struggle with Excel formulas, lost recipes, and manual calculations, we decided to build the tool that should have existed all along. Craft Cacao is what happens when a systems-focused studio embeds itself in the chocolate community.
“We don't replace your chocolate-making expertise. We eliminate the spreadsheet wrestling so you can focus on what matters.”
Built on the foundation of the Chocolate Alchemy Formulator
For over a decade, the Chocolate Alchemy Formulator has been the go-to tool for chocolate makers learning recipe formulation. Created by John Nanci, it democratized chocolate making by making complex calculations accessible.
But as the chocolate making community grew and evolved, so did their needs. Makers wanted to save recipes, scale easily, work on mobile devices, and quickly adapt to changing bean availability. Spreadsheets, for all their power, have limitations.
That's where I come in. You might know me as ruzz from the Chocolate Alchemy community — John calls me his “number two.” After years of being the tech lead for Chocolate Alchemy and seeing makers struggle with the spreadsheet firsthand, I decided to build something better.
Craft Cacao is the next evolution — built with John's guidance to ensure it serves real makers' needs while maintaining the mathematical integrity that made the original formulator trusted by thousands.
Learn more at Chocolate Alchemy
“The formulator has helped thousands learn chocolate making, but not everyone speaks Excel. When Ruzz suggested building a modern web version that could save recipes and work on phones, I knew it was time. This is the natural evolution of what we started.”
Why chocolate makers need better tools now
The chocolate industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Bean availability is in chaos. Shipping costs have tripled. Your go-to beans might disappear overnight. In this environment, the ability to quickly reformulate recipes isn't just nice to have — it's survival.
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Our approach to building better tools
Built for Real Workflows
We spent years understanding how chocolate makers actually work. The tool fits your process.
Focused on What Matters
No feature bloat or unnecessary complexity. Just recipe formulation done right.
Community-Driven Development
Built with input from John Nanci at Chocolate Alchemy. Shaped by real makers' needs.
Independent but Connected
Integrates with the tools you already use. Your data stays yours, always exportable.
Solving Today's Challenges
With bean availability in flux, quick recipe adaptation isn't optional — it's essential.
Simplicity First
Complex calculations made simple. Because making chocolate is hard enough already.
Frequently Asked Questions
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iPad first. Testing starts on iPad. iPhone comes next, then a desktop app. Your account and recipes carry across as each one arrives.
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Join the early access list and fill out our short questionnaire. Your answers help us match people to suitable rounds of testing. We'll email you if you're selected. Signing up doesn't guarantee an invitation.
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Absolutely. Start with a recipe you like, then drag the ratios around. Cocoa and fat update with every change, so you see exactly what you're doing to your chocolate.
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No formulas to break, no cells to accidentally overwrite. The total stays locked at 100%, so changing one ingredient never quietly breaks the rest. We handle the math, you focus on the chocolate.
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You'll see cocoa and fat for the finished recipe as you work, in plain English, alongside the range most published recipes sit in — around 35–55% total fat for dark, 40–55% once there's milk in it. Craft Cacao tells you where your recipe lands against that range and what to adjust. It's a starting point drawn from published chocolate-making experience, not a promise about your batch or your equipment.
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It tells you where your recipe sits against the ranges most published recipes use, and what to change to move it. Low-fat batches have been reported as harder to refine and gritty. We're passing on chocolate-making experience, not certifying your batch or your machine — your own test batches are still the real answer.
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Yes. Pick a preset or slide anywhere from 50 g to 50 kg, in grams, kilos, ounces or pounds. The ratios stay exactly the same.
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Yes. Craft Cacao is developed with input from John Nanci at Chocolate Alchemy, whether you've used his spreadsheet formulator or are starting fresh.