Mast Brothers
An American artisanal chocolate company associated with the popularization of bean-to-bar chocolate and distinctive package design.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Mast Brothers is an American artisanal chocolate company founded in Brooklyn in 2007 by brothers Rick and Michael Mast, who came from Primghar, Iowa. The company became closely associated with the rise of craft and bean-to-bar chocolate in the United States. Its model emphasized controlling the production process from cocoa-bean sourcing and roasting through grinding, refining, tempering, and packaging, rather than simply buying finished chocolate and forming it into retail products. Mast Brothers also built a strong visual identity around illustrated and patterned wrappers, helping position chocolate as a design-led premium food product as well as a confection. The company received substantial attention for bringing craft chocolate into more mainstream American awareness. Its early Brooklyn presence in Williamsburg combined production, retail, and public-facing storytelling, while later facilities in Los Angeles and London extended the same factory-and-shop concept to other markets. Mast Brothers also used unusual production and retail experiences to differentiate itself, including chocolate made in-store, hot-chocolate preparations, collaborations with cultural and hospitality organizations, and a chocolate beer produced with roasted cacao, cane sugar, water, and nitrogen carbonation. A notable early initiative took place in 2011, when the company chartered the three-masted schooner Black Seal to transport approximately 20 tons of cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic to Brooklyn. The arrival at Red Hook was presented as a highly visible expression of the company's direct relationship with cacao origins and artisanal production. Mast Brothers later opened a Los Angeles factory in 2016 and operated a commercial bean-to-bar factory and retail location in London's Shoreditch district. Both locations were subsequently closed, as was the original Williamsburg shop in 2019; the company later opened Mast Market in Mount Kisco, New York. Mast Brothers' reputation was also affected by criticism of its early production claims. In 2015, journalists and food commentators questioned whether the company had consistently produced chocolate from cocoa beans during its formative years. The company acknowledged that it had used couverture chocolate from the French supplier Valrhona during some early experimentation, while maintaining that this practice ended in 2009 and that early products had not been falsely labeled as bean-to-bar. The dispute became an important point of discussion in the craft-chocolate sector because the brand's identity and premium positioning were strongly tied to the transparency and authenticity of its production process. Its documented product range has included dark and milk chocolate bars in multiple sizes, flavored bars using ingredients such as sea salt, mint, olive oil, almond butter, goat milk, sheep milk, vanilla, maple, and coffee, as well as signature dark and milk varieties. The company has also produced confections, shaved-chocolate hot chocolate, brewed hot chocolate, and collaborative products with organizations including The Paris Review and Ace Hotel. In addition to commercial recognition, the brothers' 2013 cookbook received a 2014 IACP award for single-subject work and was a finalist for a James Beard photography award. Mast Brothers remains best understood as a craft-food brand whose influence comes from the combination of bean-to-bar manufacturing, experiential retail, packaging design, and cultural collaborations, alongside a public debate over the accuracy of its early artisanal claims.
History
Mast Brothers was established in Brooklyn in 2007 by Iowa-born brothers Rick and Michael Mast. The business emerged during the expansion of the American craft-food movement, when independent producers increasingly emphasized ingredient sourcing, small-batch processing, and direct control over manufacturing. Mast Brothers applied that approach to chocolate and became particularly visible because it combined a public production environment with highly recognizable wrapper designs. The brand helped make bean-to-bar chocolate more familiar to mainstream American consumers, although its prominence also made its production claims subject to unusually close scrutiny. The company's early identity centered on making chocolate in Brooklyn and presenting the process as an integrated craft activity. In May 2011, Mast Brothers chartered the three-masted schooner Black Seal for a voyage from Cape Cod to the Dominican Republic to collect cocoa beans. Roughly 20 tons of beans were unloaded at Brooklyn's Red Hook waterfront on June 14. The event reinforced the company's narrative of direct connection with cacao origins and attracted attention beyond the specialty-food trade. Mast Brothers operated a shop and production site in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, inside a former spice-factory building. Customers could purchase bars and confections while observing aspects of the manufacturing process. The company also developed beverages and hospitality-oriented products, including hot chocolate made by steaming shaved chocolate with milk, siphon-brewed hot chocolate, and a house-produced chocolate beer using roasted cacao, cane sugar, water, and nitrogen carbonation. It collaborated with cultural and hospitality organizations, including The Paris Review and Ace Hotel, broadening its identity beyond conventional packaged confectionery. In 2013, Rick and Michael Mast published Mast Brothers: A Family Cookbook through Little, Brown & Company, with a foreword by Thomas Keller. The book later won a 2014 IACP award in the single-subject category and became a finalist for a James Beard photography award. These recognitions reflected the brand's overlap with food culture, publishing, design, and chef-led gastronomy. The company's public image became contested in 2015. Slate criticized Mast Brothers' position within the artisanal chocolate community, while food blogger Scott Craig questioned whether the company had always made chocolate directly from cocoa beans as its marketing suggested. The brothers acknowledged that they had used couverture supplied by Valrhona during some early experiments. They stated that this practice ended in 2009 and argued that their early products had not been presented falsely as bean-to-bar chocolate. The controversy raised broader questions about transparency, authenticity, and the meaning of bean-to-bar labeling in the developing craft-chocolate industry. Mast Brothers expanded geographically despite the controversy. In May 2016 it opened a 6,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles's Arts District, described as the first bean-to-bar chocolate factory in Los Angeles. The company also operated a London factory and retail location on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, where visitors could see chocolate production and buy products. In 2017 it announced the closure of the Los Angeles retail space and the London location; the London site was permanently closed by early 2018. The Williamsburg store closed in 2019. Later that year, Mast Market opened in Mount Kisco, New York, indicating a shift away from the company's earlier network of prominent factory-retail destinations. Across its documented history, Mast Brothers has remained associated with premium chocolate bars, origin-focused production, design-forward packaging, experiential stores, and collaborations. Its legacy is therefore mixed but significant: it contributed to the visibility of American craft chocolate while also illustrating the reputational risks faced by brands whose marketing depends heavily on claims of artisanal authenticity.
- 2019
Williamsburg shop closed and Mast Market opened
[1]The original Williamsburg shop closed, followed by the opening of Mast Market in Mount Kisco, New York.
- 2017
Los Angeles and London retail locations slated for closure
[1]The company announced the closure of its Los Angeles retail space and London location.
- 2016
Los Angeles factory opened
[1]Mast Brothers opened a 6,000-square-foot bean-to-bar factory in Los Angeles's Arts District.
- 2015
Early production practices disputed
[1]Commentators questioned the company's early bean-to-bar claims; Mast Brothers acknowledged limited early use of couverture and said it ended in 2009.
- 2014
Cookbook received food-media recognition
[1]The cookbook won an IACP award for single-subject work and was a finalist for a James Beard photography award.
- 2013
Mast Brothers cookbook published
[1]The brothers published Mast Brothers: A Family Cookbook with Little, Brown & Company and a foreword by Thomas Keller.
- 2011
Cocoa beans arrived in Brooklyn by schooner
[1]The three-masted Black Seal delivered approximately 20 tons of cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic to Red Hook.
- 2007
Mast Brothers founded in Brooklyn
[1]Rick and Michael Mast founded the artisanal chocolate company in Brooklyn, New York.
Products and positioning
Premium craft-food and bean-to-bar chocolate brand combining small-scale chocolate making, origin-focused sourcing, distinctive packaging, experiential retail, and cultural collaborations.
Chocolate bars · 2016
2016 Collection chocolate bars
The documented 2016 Collection comprised twelve bars offered in three sizes. Six were dark chocolate varieties, including Sea Salt, Mint, Olive Oil, Almond Butter, and the signature Dark bar. Six were milk chocolate varieties, including Goat Milk, Sheep Milk, Vanilla, Maple, Coffee, and the signature Milk bar. The collection expressed Mast Brothers' strategy of combining a core chocolate format with ingredient-led flavor variations and strong package design.
Confectionery
Chocolate confections
In addition to packaged bars, Mast Brothers produced assorted chocolate confections at its Brooklyn and London locations. These products supported the brand's factory-retail model by giving visitors access to items made in or associated with the local production environment.
Chocolate beverage
Hot chocolate
The company offered hot chocolate prepared by steaming shaved chocolate with milk, as well as a brewed preparation made using a siphon. These formats turned the brand's chocolate-making expertise into an immediate café-style experience in its retail locations.
Chocolate beverage
Chocolate beer
Mast Brothers produced a house chocolate beer using roasted cacao, cane sugar, and water, with nitrogen used for carbonation. The product illustrated the company's interest in extending cacao into unconventional beverage formats.
Book · 2013
Mast Brothers: A Family Cookbook
Written by Rick and Michael Mast and published by Little, Brown & Company, the cookbook connected the brand to home cooking, food writing, and culinary culture. It included a foreword by chef Thomas Keller and received major food-media recognition after publication.
Controversies
2015
Controversy over early bean-to-bar claims
Commentators alleged that Mast Brothers had used pre-made Valrhona couverture during its early years rather than consistently making chocolate from cocoa beans. The company acknowledged using some couverture during experimentation, said the practice ended in 2009, and denied that early products had been misrepresented as bean-to-bar offerings.
Marketing campaigns
- 20162016 Collection
United States · United Kingdom · International
The company introduced a twelve-bar collection spanning dark and milk chocolate, with flavor variations such as sea salt, mint, olive oil, maple, coffee, and different dairy ingredients.
Outcome. The collection expanded the brand's core bar range and was associated with its design-led presentation.
- 2011Black Seal cocoa-bean voyage
United States
Mast Brothers chartered the schooner Black Seal to bring cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic to Brooklyn. The highly visible shipment functioned as a brand and sourcing story centered on direct origin relationships and artisanal production.
Outcome. The beans were unloaded at Red Hook and the voyage became one of the company's most distinctive public expressions of its craft identity.
Brand decisions
2019
Shifted from Williamsburg retail to Mast MarketStrategyBackground
The original Williamsburg shop represented the company's early Brooklyn factory-retail model.
Action taken
The Williamsburg location closed, and Mast Market opened later that year in Mount Kisco, New York.
Aftermath
The change marked a move away from the original flagship retail site toward a different New York-area format.
2017
Closed or announced closure of overseas and Los Angeles retail sitesStrategyBackground
The company's geographic expansion included a Los Angeles site and a London factory-retail location, but both markets were subsequently rationalized.
Action taken
Mast Brothers announced the closure of its Los Angeles retail space and London location.
Aftermath
The London retail site was permanently closed by early 2018.
2016
Opened a Los Angeles production facilityStrategyBackground
Mast Brothers sought to extend its factory-and-retail model beyond Brooklyn while maintaining direct control over chocolate production.
Action taken
The company opened a 6,000-square-foot bean-to-bar factory in Los Angeles's Arts District.
Aftermath
The Los Angeles retail space was later slated for closure in 2017.
Recent events
- 2019
Mast Brothers closed its Williamsburg shop and opened Mast Market[1]
Other
The company's original Brooklyn shop in Williamsburg closed, and Mast Market subsequently opened in Mount Kisco, New York.
- 2017
Mast Brothers announced closures of London and Los Angeles retail spaces[1]
Other
The company announced the closure of its Los Angeles retail space and its London location. The London site had combined a commercial factory with customer-facing retail in Shoreditch.
- 2016
Mast Brothers opened a Los Angeles bean-to-bar factory[1]
Product launch
The company opened a 6,000-square-foot factory in Los Angeles's Arts District, described as the city's first bean-to-bar chocolate factory.
- 2015
Mast Brothers faced criticism from craft-chocolate commentators[1]
Other
A Slate article criticized the company's relationship with parts of the artisanal chocolate community and reported that some boutique retailers avoided carrying its products.
- 2011
Mast Brothers transported cocoa beans to Brooklyn by sailing vessel[1]
Other
The company chartered the three-masted schooner Black Seal to carry approximately 20 tons of cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic to Red Hook, Brooklyn. The unloading was described as the first commercial cargo arrival by sailing ship in New York since 1939.
Sources1 sources
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