Lachlan Sforcina and Genesis Cordova display a batch of fresh chocolate truffles.

Astoria is now a chocolate town, too.

New local company Genesis Chocolates makes handmade artisan truffles with bold flavors.

The company borrows its name from the chocolatier, Genesis Cordova, who launched the business last summer with her partner, Lachlan Sforcina. Cordova worked at a major independent chocolate company for several years.

“I’ve always liked baking and never thought of myself as being super into chocolate,” said Cordova. “But I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the creative aspect of it, I fell in love with the challenge.”

The duo met while taking pandemic road trips across the U.S. and have been inseparable since.

Last Christmas at a family gathering in Bend, Cordova made holiday truffles that reminded Sforcina of the chocolate he grew up with in Brisbane, Queensland.

“It was the best chocolate I ever had,” said Sforcina. Then his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in, and he said, “Let’s make chocolate!”

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“It can be healthy but it can also be fun and maybe a little naughty.”

Genesis Cordova, co-founder of Genesis Chocolates

“It was one of those funny moments in your life,” said Cordova, “when you realize your true potential.”

After a stint in Portland and a search for a home up and down the coast, the duo finally landed in Astoria in August and set out to pursue their dream.

“We felt like this was it,” Sforcina said. “Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly and helpful. People here are relaxed and like to enjoy life. Astoria felt like home the minute we got here.”

Cordova added that they felt the North Coast’s cooler temperatures would benefit the business, as cravings for chocolate are always in season.

Genesis Chocolates’ production facility is the commercial kitchen at the North Coast Food Web.

Program manager Caitlin Seyfried believes the company fits the nonprofit’s mission perfectly.

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“It can be healthy but it can also be fun and maybe a little naughty.”

Genesis Cordova, co-founder of Genesis Chocolates

“It’s a small business started here locally,” she said. “There’s a difference between buying nice chocolates from them and buying something that’s not made here from a big box store.”

The duo have a set division of labor. “I make the chocolate,” said Cordova, “And Lachlan makes me look good— and does everything else.”

According to Cordova, making chocolate can be finicky, primarily in terms of temperature variations, which also allows for a great deal of experimentation.

“The idea is to make a lot of different recipes and see how people experience them,” said Sforcina. “Chocolate is obviously awesome, but if you have new recipes it becomes exciting and fun.”

Their handmade creations are shaped like gems and cracked on top to resemble geodes. The idea stems from Cordova’s passion for geology.

“Maybe it comes with the name Genesis, maybe with being born on Earth Day,” she said. “When I look at rocks I see something that’s special. Chocolate is special to pretty much everybody. Making truffles is like finding a treasure.”

The pair’s next treasure hunt is the quest for the perfect vegan chocolate truffle. Sforcina and Cordova are both vegan, but they aim to dispel the stereotype.

“It can be healthy but it can also be fun and maybe a little naughty,” said Sforcina.

Cordova added that the pair is also focused on running a business with a minimal footprint on the environment.

“People don’t realize how much impact chocolate has on the planet,” she said, emphasizing that their goal is to source only fair-trade ingredients. “We want to change the world for the better and be that change that we can be.”

Their motto, “Be a little bad, do a lot of good,” reflects their outlook. Five percent of their profits will be donated to support a refugee assistance charity in Jordan where Sforcina used to work.

Genesis Chocolates offers online sales with shipping in the U.S. and pickup or delivery as part of the North Coast Food Web’s weekly Small Farms Market Day.

They’re also trying a unique business model, a luxury truffles subscription service. Chocolate lovers can sign up online to have truffle boxes delivered on a regular weekly or monthly basis.

“You can have your favorite chocolate regularly,” said Cordova, adding that the subscription also allows people to try new flavors.

“Chocolate is such a treat,” she said. “We want people to feel special.”

Genesis also plans to feature their products in area grocery stores and eventually at their own cafe.

For the holidays, Genesis Chocolates created a special combo box headlined by the dark chocolate peppermint truffle, topped with crushed candy cane and edible gold dust, plus raspberry liqueur, pumpkin creme brulee and bourbon butterscotch truffles.

In addition to the weekly market at the food web, Genesis Chocolates will appear at a number of holiday-related events on the North Coast.