Chocolate Company Café Zwolle

Chocolate Company Café Zwolle is located at Oude Vismarkt 42 in the city center of Zwolle. Richie Kartosonto started the Zwolle branch. No co-founder is mentioned in the available information. Kartosonto describes himself as an entrepreneur with several years of experience, but further details about his career are not publicly recorded.

The opening was initially planned for February 2018. An exact opening date is not known. A company announcement from February 2026 marked eight years of activity, which aligns with a start in February 2018. The concept revolves around a meeting place where coffee, pastries, and chocolate come together. In a 2021 interview, Kartosonto also emphasized the importance of contact and conversations between guests.

The menu lists Single Estate Coffee Roasters as the coffee roaster. The coffee used is 100% Arabica from Guatemala. According to the menu, the roaster buys this coffee directly from the plantation of Jorge and Paula Ovalle. The plants grow there at an altitude of approximately 1,800 meters.

The coffee service is primarily focused on espresso. The menu lists espresso, Americano, espresso macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, flat white, latte, and latte macchiato. Manual filter methods, such as pour-over, AeroPress, or Chemex, are not mentioned. This places the emphasis on espresso as the basis for black coffee and milk drinks.

In addition to the standard preparations, several sweet coffee drinks are on the menu. Examples include Campfire Mochaccino, Chocolate Hazelnut Dream, and Mighty Caramel Latte. The cold selection includes iced cappuccino, iced latte, and iced Americano. Variants with hazelnut, caramel, pistachio, and oat milk are also mentioned.

Chocolate forms a second pillar of the offering. The menu describes Hotchocspoon drinks in various chocolate flavors. There is also Cold Choc, where a chocolate bonbon is mixed into a cold drink. Plant-based milk options are available for coffee and Hotchocspoon without an extra charge. Blend Tea is named as the tea supplier.

For cocoa, the menu refers to the Cacao-Trace program. According to that explanation, the program oversees the fermentation process of cocoa. Participating farmers receive direct payment and a quality premium. No figures have been published regarding waste, energy use, or other environmental performance metrics for the Zwolle branch. No external sustainability certifications are mentioned either.

The location also hosts cultural activities. Chocolate Company Sessions documents live performances by emerging bands from Zwolle. According to public announcements, these sessions take place on the second Sunday of the month. Individual announcements mention various local musicians and scheduled editions.

Furthermore, an open-mic and spoken-word event has been recorded at the address. A profile from 2021 also described music, theater, and dance by regular guest Marcel Stomp. These examples point to informal stage activities, but a fixed program for workshops or exhibitions has not been publicly documented.

In 2021, the branch collaborated with Make-A-Wish Netherlands. For each Hotchocspoon sold, fifty cents went to the organization. It is unclear if this arrangement is still active. The available information therefore only provides certainty about the collaboration during that period.

In 2018, Chocolate Company Zwolle ranked 83rd in the Koffie Top 100 by Misset Horeca. Additionally, the establishment appeared in local media and in guides for visitors, families, and plant-based food. Other independent awards or recent national listings have not been publicly recorded.

The profile of the establishment combines espresso, chocolate, and a social meeting function. The coffee has a named origin and is sourced from a single roaster. At the same time, manual filter methods are absent from the public menu. No data has been published regarding rotating coffees, tasting notes, or individual harvest years. For specialty coffee enthusiasts, this provides a defined picture: the focus lies on espresso, milk drinks, and combinations with chocolate, complemented by local music activities. The available information primarily describes the menu and the use of the location.