The Roaring Fork Valley’s newest sweet shop created buzz amongst locals immediately, and it didn’t take long for Hollywood and the Aspen crowd to discover Mark Burrows’ humble Carbondale hive. Opened in January 2023, Pollinator is a second life for Burrows. He’s worked in many careers throughout the years — computer repair, audiovisual production, photographer and a few others.

“I started experimenting with making chocolate in the summer of 2019,” explains Burrows. “By Christmas of that year I was producing enough to sell and it sold well enough that I saw a future in it. Then COVID came along and shut everything down.” The coronavirus turned out to be a blessing for Burrows as it allowed him to stay home for almost two years, studying and spending many hours in webinars and reading.

Within a year of opening, Pollinator Chocolate was being enjoyed by a global audience. This past winter they did a 1,000-piece chocolate order for a Chanel pop-up in Aspen. The same season they were tasked with creating a 500-piece custom bonbon flavor using Kendal Jenner’s 818 Tequila. “I tried to do a margarita chocolate for that event. It didn’t work because it turns out 818 is vanilla-flavored tequila. Instead, I found that a dark chocolate and zesty orange paired much better with that tequila. We added a little flaky salt and called it the 818 Tequila Sunrise.”

Burrows’ chocolate tasting room, Cocoa Club by Pollinator Chocolate, showcases the work of chocolatier Jewel Lerato, who also transitioned to the sweeter career after two decades in the dental field. “It’s definitely ironic and way more fun,” exclaims Lerato. “I have always been an artist at heart, and I have found joy in embracing the art of chocolate.” The headquarters in Carbondale is where Lerato creates artisanal chocolates inspired by nature’s bounty. Pollinator is the alchemy of fine cacao and botanical flavors like the pistachio raspberry rose bonbon, the balsamic fig and wild orange bonbon, and the blackberry lavender oat milk bonbon.

The St. Regis Aspen serves Pollinator Chocolate and so does the recent James Beard and Michelin star award-winning Bosq Restaurant in Aspen. They even serve a spruce tip chocolate truffle which was created exclusively for the eatery.

Pollinator makes sure to showcase every nuance of the edible delight. “We have hot chocolate in the winter and cold chocolate in the summer including chocolate soda with housemade syrups — we do it all throughout the year,” adds Burrows.

Pollinator also boasts free internet, a coffee bar featuring Broadcast Coffee from Seattle and fun offerings throughout the year such as a gift-wrapping station during holidays. There are also beers on tap, wines and sommelier tastings with chocolate, pastries from Sifted Measures including doughnuts and cinnamon rolls and gluten-free options from Sunshine & Moons Bakery.

Pollinator Chocolate creates chocolate for various holidays and events, with shipping available to most U.S. locations and convenient ordering from their website at pollinatorchocolate.com.

Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Pollinator Chocolate — Carbondale's Confectionary + Cocoa Club