PROFILE BEN BAILEY Ben Bailey never really thought about how chocolate was made until he started making it. As the founder of Salem’s vegan Chomp! Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate company that uses certified-sustainable cacao and only plant-based ingredients, his mission is to transform the chocolate industry one delicious bar at a time. In addition to sourcing cacao through fair-trade practices, he’s passionate about producing exceptional dairy-free chocolate. For Bailey, vegan chocolate means supporting the planet and standing for compassionate animal welfare. After testing (and tasting) 360 different recipes, his line of creamy oat milk chocolate bars have led to a smashing success. Currently, Chomp! offers three classic cowfree hits: Original, a creamy oat-milk chocolate bar; Popstar, a bar with crispy rice cereal; and Nutpucks, Chomp!’s version of the peanut butter cup. And it’s recently added a lineup of supersize “Big Bite” bars, including Mondo Marshmallow and Colossal Cookie, an oat-milk chocolate bar stuffed with gluten-free cookies. If you’re in the area, you can pop by the Northeast Salem factory to watch the chocolate being made, which is fascinating for both kids and adults. Bailey doesn’t care if his customers are strict vegans or meat eaters, he just wants to craft incredible chocolate that makes a difference. ChompChocolate.com they also make the wine and pour flights for guests. It’s a common theme you’ll find when visiting other members of the Cascade Foothills Winegrowers, a collective of 14 small, family-owned wineries nestled in the foothills of the Cascades. When the Ochoa family moved to Oregon and couldn’t find Mexican cheese, they made it themselves. Today Francisco Ochoa is at the helm of Don Froylan Creamery, which produces 8,000 pounds of hand-stretched Oaxacan, asadero and cotija cheese each day. Hit the on-site quesadilla bar. Beekeeper Jeremy Mitchell and his wife, Delsey, own and operate Salem’s Flying Bee Ranch, which specializes in producing local, raw, monofloral honeys. He says honey is like wine, as the soil and climate influence taste, so belly up to the on-site honey-tasting bar for a sample. After driving to every candy store within 100 miles to find the perfect soft caramel, Jamie Mata and her husband decided to create their own. Monmouth’s Maui Melts caramels are handcrafted daily and come in mindblowing flavors like bacon-topped sea salt. Pop in for a treat or order online. Flying Bee Ranch 29 TravelSalem.com
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