Chocolate maker (and coffee roaster) earns bean-to-bar accolades from his Grandview base

Kansas City has plenty of confectioners, but it’s rare to find true bean-to-bar work, Mike King said. That distinction makes Encore Coffee and Chocolate’s process both resourceful and extraordinary.

“There’s only a few of us that are making our own chocolate,” said King, founder of Grandview-built Encore Coffee and Chocolate. “I consider myself a chocolate maker, which is starting from the raw ingredients and making the base chocolate.”

Using his business’ large coffee roaster to process cacao beans, King relies on his deep background in coffee to refine chocolate’s flavors. It’s a hands-on approach that creates premium bars that appeal to chocolate lovers.

“My bars are $12 a piece, and so it kind of hits that same market as the wine connoisseurs,” he explained. “My dark chocolates taste different depending on the growing region. So just like wine grown in France is going to taste different than California, same with chocolate.”

Like many small business owners, King has faced challenges that go beyond refining recipes. From repairing his own roasting equipment to navigating tariffs on coffee and cacao, resilience has been essential to building Encore.

“As an entrepreneur, the thing that I’ve really learned is that you can’t be afraid to dive in and solve problems,” he said. “Especially, like, I’m just one person now, you don’t have a staff, or you may not have the financial resources to fix something. So a lot of times that was the biggest challenge.”

Mike King, founder of Encore Coffee and Chocolate, holds beans at his Grandview roasting facility; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Coffee roots spark new creations

Mike King displays beans at Encore Coffee and Chocolate; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

King’s career as a roaster began nearly a decade ago, born from what he described as a hobby that “grew into a business.” His leap into chocolate came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when like many entrepreneurs, he looked to diversify and strengthen his company.

“Coffee has always been my big passion,” he said. “I started the coffee roasting business nine years ago, then COVID hit, and I began looking for a different product line.”

Just as transitioning his large coffee roaster for chocolate making was a great fit, King said, it was natural to keep the evolving production process in Grandview.

Encore Coffee and Chocolate operates in a community that is steadily building its reputation as a destination for food and craft products, King said, pointing to barbecue, farm-to-table dining, and artisan shops that have begun drawing visitors beyond Kansas City’s urban core.

“Grandview is really starting to gain a reputation for good food,” he said. “I think we are starting to see people explore here in ways they didn’t before. It feels like we’re part of something that is building momentum.”

Medals won by Mike King, Encore Coffee and Chocolate, at the Craft Chocolat Challenge; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

A winning encore

And Encore is helping to build upon that word-of-mouth reputation for good tastes — recently taking home a third gold medal in the 2025 Craft Chocolat Challenge.

“Winning once was a thrill, three times is a true honor,” said King. “This competition motivates us to constantly improve, and we’re incredibly proud to be recognized among such talented makers from around the world.”

The Craft Chocolat Challenge is an international competition created to spotlight emerging chocolate makers. Unlike larger contests that focus only on scoring, this challenge offers detailed feedback from expert judges to help entrepreneurs improve.

Encore’s winning entry — the Vanilla Latte White Chocolate Bar — highlights King’s decision to merge his longtime coffee roasting skills with his pursuit in chocolate making.

“I have a line of dark chocolate bars, and then I have a line that is dedicated to different kinds of coffee drinks,” he explained. “Since I’m a coffee roaster primarily, and secondarily I’m a chocolate maker.”

The Vanilla Latte Bar now joins Encore’s Tanzania Dark Milk Chocolate (2023) and Café Mocha Milk Chocolate (2024) as back-to-back winners.

Even as global costs rise, King’s focus remains on creating products where customers can taste the difference, he said.

“It was exciting news to hear that your hard work and your efforts finally paid off,” King said.