After 25 years working in education and mental health, Dan Bieser traded the classroom for the chocolate industry, launching Tabal Chocolate in 2012 after a life-changing trip to Toronto introduced him to the “bean-to-bar” craft.
Today, Tabal stands out in Milwaukee’s food scene for its hands-on approach: sourcing cacao directly from farmers in Peru, Colombia, and Costa Rica while building relationships that honor both people and the planet.
How did Tabal Chocolate get its start? What is your background?
In 2012, I was invited by a friend to go to Toronto to learn how to make chocolate while we were on spring break from my job as a High School administrator. My background includes 25 total years as a guidance counsellor, mental health therapist, and administrator at the K-12 levels.
While there, we learned about the bean to bar chocolate making process and horizontal trade with the cacao farmers.
I needed to destress my life and find a joy-filled-journey of world travel, creativity, and culinary exploration through chocolate. Most of all I wanted to return to my Jesuit values of social justice and building relationships (“Tabal”) with the amazing and talented cacao farmers of the world.
Have you faced any major challenges with growing your business or any triumph stories?
Founded in 2012, this summer Tabal celebrated its 13th anniversary.
For four and a half years we grew the business above Amaranth Bakery who generously served as our business incubator. In 2018, we moved into our current location at 7515 Harwood Ave. Wauwatosa after an extensive renovation of the property.
Shortly there after construction began in front of our building for the new pocket park and rerouting of the roads. It was like a pioneer village with dirt roads and sidewalks for several years.
With strong support from our community we weathered the construction. Then came COVID which caused us to close our doors for a while and work hard to keep the business alive.
What is Tabal Chocolate, and why did you feel it would be a good fit in the Milwaukee area? Or, why did you feel the area was a good place to start your business?
Tabal Chocolate is a bean to bar craft chocolate maker. We are very different from chocolatiers in that we travel to Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica and other countries to source our cacao beans directly from farmers and cooperatives when ever we can.
We sort, roast, crack, winnow, temper, cold, and hand wrap every bar at Tabal. Milwaukee is a growing destination for fine organic foods and was ripe for a quality chocolate made locally.
In 2012, Milwaukee did not have a bean to bar chocolate maker or a fine-flavour hot chocolate drink, and those were the seeds for our choice of Milwaukee.
What’s the mission behind Tabal Chocolate?
Tabal is committed to paying a premium to farmers for fine flavour cacao beans to assist them in raising their standard of living. We provide revenue and support for the planting of cacao trees to regenerate cacao forests.
We are committed to biodiversity on farms and the preservation of those ecosystems. We seek out and support women-owned farms and promote gender equity on farms. Most of all, we work to bring the finest flavour chocolate in the world to the people of Milwaukee and beyond.
What do you like about being in Wauwatosa/Milwaukee area?
We are especially grateful for the Wauwatosa community and the Business Improvement District which holds numerous public events and festivals throughout the year to support the small businesses.
Throughout the Metro Milwaukee there are many many farmer markets and festivals that help us bring our fine chocolate to the public.
What’s your favorite part about what you’re doing?
Our favorite part is introducing the public to our chocolate with our samples at our retail store in Wauwatosa and at public events. We also strive to educate the public about how chocolate is made and where it comes from.
We educate through our 101 and 201 and Private classes, and speaking engagements at K-12 schools, Universities, Senior centers, businesses, and community venues.
What can people expect when going to Tabal Chocolate?
Your first impression will be the smell of the chocolate being made from cacao beans into chocolate bars. Your next impression will be the wide variety of chocolate and cacao products. If you need something made with cacao we have it, or can custom make it for you. Don’t forget about the samples we offer of most of our chocolate bars.
Anything else we should know about your business or anything you’d like to mention? Any favorite stories?
We love visiting with people and helping them learn about chocolate as well as visiting cacao farmers to learn from them. We especially enjoy traveling to Peru and Colombia to visit with farmers and see their farms. We just returned from Peru after visiting Don Fortunato and seeing his world famous cacao tree #4 which is certified to have some of the purest cacao genetics in the world.