About Us
Craft Cacao is a platform for chocolate makers to manage their chocolate recipes and ingredients.
We fix broken systems, and in 2025 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.
"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."
Learn more at Chocolate Alchemy
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.
Our approach to building better tools
We spent years understanding how chocolate makers actually work. The tool fits your process.
No feature bloat or unnecessary complexity. Just recipe formulation done right.
Built with input from John Nanci at Chocolate Alchemy. Shaped by real makers' needs.
Integrates with the tools you already use. Your data stays yours, always exportable.
With bean availability in flux, quick recipe adaptation isn't optional - it's essential.
Complex calculations made simple. Because making chocolate is hard enough already.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Absolutely! Start by loading a recipe you like, then experiment with small changes. Craft Cacao shows you exactly what each change does to your chocolate. You'll understand why recipes work and gain confidence to create your own.
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No formulas to break, no cells to accidentally overwrite. Just enter your ingredients and see the results. We handle all the math - you focus on the chocolate. Plus, every recipe is saved and organized automatically.
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That's exactly why we built this. You'll see plain English explanations: 'This recipe has enough fat to flow properly' or 'Warning: may seize in melanger.' Learn by doing, with safety rails.
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Yes! Enter your recipe once, then scale it to any size - from test batches to production runs. All the ratios stay perfect, and we'll warn you if your melanger can't handle the volume.
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Yes, Craft Cacao is developed with input from John Nanci at Chocolate Alchemy. It's designed to make recipe formulation accessible to everyone - whether you've used his spreadsheet formulator or are starting fresh.