The Mast Brothers, a pair of bearded chocolatiers in Brooklyn, have built an empire on beautifully packaged “artisanal” chocolates that run $10/bar, billed as “bean to bar” confections.
Other chocolatiers were skeptical of the “bean to bar” claim, because the production volume as well as the product’s taste and texture beggared belief. The company, which touts its “transparent” values, stonewalled on the contradictions between their story and the evidence and inconsistencies that suggested they’d embroidered the truth.
It’s a parable about the extent to which we trust packaging and placement as markers of quality. Most of us are not in a position to evaluate whether a chocolate we’re buying is “bean to bar” or not, and the incorporation of commercial chocolate produces a balanced, easy-to-enjoy product. Psychologists have long demonstrated that packaging can change the way we taste things (all the way up to serving white wine with red food coloring to wine experts, evincing praise for the bold, classic red wine in the glass). The combination of clever packaging and marketing with a willingness to lie about the product is a recipe for commercial success.
