Artisanal chocolate brings a Ghanaian immigrant back to his roots

Ebo Nunoo’s grandfather was part of a generations-long line of cocoa farmers in rural Ghana. In search of more opportunity, he moved his family to Accra, the nation’s capital, and became a shoemaker. Decades later, his grandson Ebo left Accra for the United States to attend college and find his own opportunities. It’s unlikely that any family member would have predicted that the profession Nunoo would eventually pursue would involve Ghanaian cocoa.

Ebo Nunoo’s path to becoming a chocolatier was anything but direct. Unable to afford completing his college degree in Illinois, Nunoo and his older brother went East looking for work, eventually settling in Philadelphia. Nunoo married and built a corporate career in client relations, brokerage services and retirement portfolio management. The birth of their daughter in 2018 led Nunoo and his wife to examine their hectic two-career lifestyle. “I realized I wanted to start living the life that I wanted our daughter to see me in. For me, that life meant to slow down, to be present, to be with her and with my family.”

His first step was enrolling in the entrepreneurship program at Temple University to complete his undergraduate degree. The idea for Xoxoa came to him as a byproduct of a business competition he won at the Fox School of Business. He then began a multiyear immersion in all things chocolate. “I wanted to learn the history of chocolate from the Mayan and Aztec techniques,” he says. “I discovered bean-to-bar chocolate is the modern way to make fine chocolates using ancient techniques.” Nunoo traveled to San Francisco and Vermont to visit boutique chocolate producers and found a community of people that was “really open and sharing.” He took classes, did more research and realized that startup equipment costs didn’t require a huge investment. After purchasing his first melanger — a cocoa bean grinder — he began “learning by doing” in his home kitchen. Looking back on this dramatic career pivot, Nunoo describes himself as a “reluctant chocolatier (who was) pushed and forged and tempered into chocolate-making by disposition, my history and my story … I realized how much patience and slowness you have to build into making chocolate.”

I realized how much patience and slowness you have to build into making chocolate.”

— Ebo Nunoo

In 2021, Nunoo launched Xoxoa, a “bean-to-bar” line of exquisitely packaged, uniquely flavored chocolates. For the 47-year-old Germantown resident, making distinctive products such as dark chocolate honeycomb toffee and sweet cream buttermilk chocolate with Ghanaian cocoa connects him directly to his African heritage.

From a West Philly commissary kitchen, Nunoo produces 20 to 40 pounds of small batch confections per month. While he seeks to develop broader distribution and scale, his fine chocolates can be purchased at Pax Flora Goods, The Frosted Fox Cake Shop and online at xoxoabean.com.

Meanwhile, Nunoo wants his hand-crafted chocolates to be more than simply delicious. He hopes customers savoring Xoxoa products will “take a moment to experience leisure … Our culture has evolved into (a) fast-paced, goal-oriented, let’s-get-it-done-at-all-costs society. Chocolate begs that trend. It’s an important time to share a bar of chocolate with our friends and loved ones.”

Xoxoa Single-Origin Chocolate Mousse with Honeycomb Toffee

120g (4.2 ounces/ ½ cup) Xoxoa Single-Origin bean-to-bar dark chocolate (ideally 65–75%, finely chopped)
3 large eggs, separated
30g (1 ounce) granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
¾ cup cold heavy cream
Xoxoa honeycomb toffee dipped in dark chocolate, for topping

Step 1: Make the Chocolate Mousse

• Melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (double boiler). Stir until smooth, then let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar and vanilla until thick and pale.
• Stir the melted chocolate into the yolk mixture.
• In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• In a third bowl, whip the cold cream to soft peaks.
• Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
• Carefully fold in the egg whites in two batches, keeping the mixture light and airy.

Step 2: Assemble

• Spoon or pipe the mousse into serving glasses or ramekins.
• Chill for at least 2 to 3 hours (or overnight for deeper flavor).

Step 3: Serve

• Top each mousse with honeycomb shards right before serving. Optionally, garnish with a touch of sea salt, cacao nibs, or edible gold for added elegance.