Chocolate has been part of my family for generations.

Long before Codex existed, my family operated a chocolate and confectionery business in Cuba. In the 1950s, my grandfather traveled to the United States to study Food Technology at MIT so he could bring the latest manufacturing science and technical knowledge back to the family business. Shortly after, following the fall of Cuba in the early 1960s, my family was forced to leave the country and start over in the United States.

Decades later, I found myself following a similar path.

I studied Food Science because I wanted to understand how food was made — and hopefully find a way to help fix what I saw as a broken food system. Over time, I became frustrated with what much of the industry optimized for: cheap ingredients, excessive sugar, and products designed more around shelf life and cost than quality.

At the same time, most “better-for-you” snacks seemed to miss the point entirely. They either tasted overly functional or felt engineered in the worst way possible.

Not a protein bar pretending to be chocolate.

Not a candy bar pretending to be healthy.

We spent years refining texture, flavor, nutrition, and ingredient quality to create something that feels indulgent first.

The result is chocolate designed for everyday eating.

— James Navia

Founder,