Chocolate Maker

It’s easy to mistake Aura Fajardo Quintero’s shop as a small jewelry store. Shelves filled with fancy packages line the walls. Shimmery objects are displayed in glass cases. But all the treasure in this shop is made of chocolate!

Fajardo Quintero started Aura’s Chocolate Bar in September 2017. She first made her treats in a shared kitchen. Since then, she’s opened her own storefront in Cranston, Rhode Island. Now she makes about 20,000 chocolate confections by hand every year.

It’s easy to mistake Aura Fajardo Quintero’s shop as a small jewelry store. Shelves filled with fancy packages line the walls. Shimmery objects are displayed in glass cases. But all the treasure in this shop is made of chocolate! 

Fajardo Quintero started Aura’s Chocolate Bar in September 2017. She first made her treats in a shared kitchen. Since then, she’s opened her own store. It’s located in Cranston, Rhode Island. Now she makes about 20,000 chocolate treats by hand every year.

Fajardo Quintero was born in Venezuela. Growing up, she loved the fruity, nutty taste of Venezuelan chocolate.

After she went to college in Providence, Rhode Island, she had a chance to make her own. Fajardo Quintero fell in love with the chocolate-making process. “I think it chose me instead of the other way around,” she says.

Fajardo Quintero was born in Venezuela. She loved the taste of Venezuelan chocolate. This type of chocolate tastes fruity and nutty.

She went to college in Providence, Rhode Island. There, she tried making her own chocolate. She fell in love with the process. “I think it chose me instead of the other way around,” she says.

To make a chocolate bar, Fajardo Quintero first melts chocolate in a tempering machine. It controls the chocolate’s temperature and stirs it constantly. She then carefully cools the melted chocolate to between 86° and 89° Fahrenheit, depending on whether she’s working with white, dark, or milk chocolate. Finally, she pours it into molds, where it cools and hardens. If she does it right, the chocolate will shine and snap when broken. About 20 minutes later, the bars are ready to sell!

Fajardo Quintero has designed more than 100 unique chocolate treats for her shop. She mixes up popular Rhode Island flavors like coffee milk and caramel. She also experiments with global flavors like matcha and lemon lavender honey. She uses chocolate seeds called cacao from Venezuela as the base for most of her treats.

To make a chocolate bar, Fajardo Quintero first melts chocolate in a tempering machine. This machine controls the chocolate’s temperature. It also stirs the chocolate constantly. She then cools the melted chocolate. The chocolate must be cooled to between 86° and 89° Fahrenheit. The temperature depends on whether the chocolate is white, dark, or milk. Finally, Fajardo Quintero pours it into molds. The chocolate hardens. If she does everything right, the chocolate will shine and snap when broken. About 20 minutes later, the bars are ready to sell!

Fajardo Quintero has designed more than 100 unique chocolate treats for her shop. She creates popular Rhode Island flavors like coffee milk and caramel. She also experiments with global flavors like matcha and lemon lavender honey. She uses chocolate seeds called cacao from Venezuela in most of her treats.

“I'm truly proud of the cacao produced in the country I was born,” Fajardo Quintero says. “I intend to share that chocolate love with the world. This love shines through my confections and echoes the world of my ancestors.”

“I'm truly proud of the cacao produced in the country I was born,” Fajardo Quintero says. “I intend to share that chocolate love with the world. This love shines through my confections. It echoes the world of my ancestors.”

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