Dita's Chocolates,

, believes in supporting Oregon enterprises, featuring such suppliers as

,

and

. Rita Boyd, the store's owner, states on her website that she "is always on the prowl for interesting, new additions."

Boyd didn't have to look for her newest supplier. Instead, Sherry Tholl came to Dita's and introduced Boyd to a unique organic chocolate truffle made with a special ingredient.

Tholl, who works out of her home in Eagle Creek, began making truffles in 2006 as a hobby. Eventually she launched a business enterprise under the name of Holy Grail Chocolates in 2011.

Tholl was influenced by a friend, an instructor at the

, to add a unique ingredient to her recipe -- mushrooms. "At first I wasn't so certain that mushrooms would improve the truffles, but after experimenting and trying it out on friends, I was convinced it was the right move to make," Tholl said.

Adding mushroom extracts set the focus for Holy Grail Chocolates. Tholl sells these truffles at Dita's: the Spirit Truffle, with reishi mushroom extract; the Samurai Truffle, containing shiitake extract; and the Longevity Truffle, containing Cordyceps extract. Tholl researched mushrooms and found that these particular mushrooms are frequently used in Chinese medicine.

The Longevity Truffle earned Holy Grail Chocolates the Best Truffle award at the

last March.

Holy Grail Chocolates are also on sale at Barbara's Flowers in Estacada.

From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 20,

in Hood River will host a wine and chocolate tasting featuring Holy Grail Chocolates.

For more information, visit

or

.

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