At the new Aeronaut Food Hub in Somerville, the distinct bittersweet smell of chocolate permeates the air. Walk around the corner from the entryway and youâ€™ll see why; there, Eric Parkes of Somerville Chocolate uses cacao from places like Hawaii, Nicaragua and Belize to handcraft bars of the sweet stuff.

Not your ordinary chocolatier, Eric operates Somerville Chocolate as a CSA, or community supported agriculture; people can become members or shareholders and in return receive regular â€œharvestsâ€ of delicious, artisan chocolate bars throughout the year.

The idea to start a chocolate CSA came to Eric after an influential trip to Costa Rica in 2010. There, he visited a cacao plantation and saw how chocolate is made, from bean to bar. When he returned to Somerville, he began experimenting with chocolate making at home and later decided to set up the CSA in 2012.

â€œI wanted an excuse to make a lot more chocolate without having to eat it all myself,â€ he recalls with a smile.

Although Eric doesn’t harvest the cacao beans himself â€“ the plant thrives in tropical climates â€“ he works closely with growers and specialty providers to source small batches. Once the beans arrive at his space in Somerville, he gets to work, first roasting them and separating the cocoa nibs from the outer husks. Next, he refines the nibs in a machine for about two days until a creamy cocoa butter is produced. The chocolate is then tempered and molded into bars before being wrapped up in the signature paper of Somerville Chocolate, an 1870s atlas of the city that pays homage to the idea of local food and the origin of the treats inside. Finally, the bars are ready for their recipients, the 70 members of the CSA.

Â Somerville Chocolateâ€™s shareholders receive a harvest every two to three months, allowing them to experience the experimental nature of chocolate making with three different bars. Popular past flavors include white chocolate with bourbon-infused sugar and cocoa nibs as well as bars made from beans that have been smoked over a pecan wood fire.

Eric, who splits his time between chocolate making and working as an architect, says that informing the public is an important part of Somerville Chocolate. â€œI want them to realize what chocolate is in its natural form,â€ he explains, adding that he tries to stay true to the cacao beans by not producing confections or adding too many ingredients to his chocolate.

And although â€œpeople come into chocolate with different expectations,â€ the overall response to Ericâ€™s bars has been quite positive.

â€œSome people live for it,â€ he says.

At the Boston Local Food Festival, he plans to bring some sweet samples, bars to sell and information about Somerville Chocolate, with hopes that more food lovers will join him in his slightly unconventional take on the CSA.

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