Magic awaits visitors at the Holy Cacao factory, located in the community of Ma'ale Hever on Mount Hebron. Scenes from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory come to memory, sweeping one’s senses away and blurring the surrounding world. Here, peaceful chocolate falls sizzle calmly, a mesmerizing machine doles out hundreds of identical chocolate coins one by one and mountains of cocoa beans overflow into an additional machine, emerging as wrapped sweeties from the other side. A real Zionist wonder.
So who plays Willie Wonka in this wonderful real-life chocolate factory? That would be Joseph (Joe) Zander, who found religion in the middle of his life, realized his purpose in the community of Ma'ale Hever and fulfilled his childhood dream in establishing the factory. “Here you can taste our latest development: a chocolate peanut snack", he says proudly as we stroll through his kingdom. "Here's a chocolate-coated date – my favorite product in the world״.
Walking around Holy Cacao, your eyes work faster than your head. Even as the stomach signals that it’s full, amazing sweets continue entering the mouth. Suddenly, one can relate to the kids in Charlie's factory who did not know how to stop. "The secret is to eat just a little, so you’re left with a taste for more", Zander reassures. If you’ve ever wanted to test your willpower or connection to the Holy Land, come visit. As Zander says: “This factory is a lot more than four walls and the machines inside. It’s a story about a place, a dream and realizing Zionism”.
Chocolate Engineer
Zander, 39, was born in New Jersey. He spent most of his childhood in his grandfather's bakery – first as a keen taster and later as a full-time employee. Fifteen years ago, after finding religion and marrying, Zander immigrated to Israel, becoming the first in his family to fulfill the Zionist dream. Within three years, he opened the factory with his good friend, Zev Stender. "After immigrating, I worked in the cooking field for a few years, but I was far away from chocolates", Zander says with a smile.
With all due respect to cooking, confectioners’ blood runs through Zander’s veins. "This profession goes back four generations in my family", he says. "Even when I worked for my grandpa from a very young age, I knew I’d want my own place someday.
Zander’s daily drive to the factory passes by Palestinian communities and looks out upon Hebron and Kiryat Arba. Only 586 Jewish residents live in the area, while 750,000 Palestinians are scattered throughout nearby villages, communities and camps. “I could have built this factory in Tel Aviv or Haifa, but it was important to me that it will be here: in a place connected to our heritage and our Biblical roots,” Zander says. The pastoral landscape overlooking the Judean Desert and the clean air can mislead those unaware of the fragile reality. Last January, the community residents awoke to discover Palestinians had stolen their water supply. The phenomenon repeated itself three times over the next two weeks.
Despite the factory’s location being a challenge, Zander and Stender composed a mission statement focused on a premium product unlike any other. Premium crops account for one percent of the total cocoa imports globally, but the two confectioners set their target high. Zionism, good will and advanced agriculture have yet to produce high-quality Israeli cocoa. "At the end of the day", Zander reassures, "It doesn't really matter who makes the chocolate. The difference is in the raw materials’ quality and the treatment of the cocoa beans after harvesting and fermentation. Now all that’s left is to not ruin the goods".
“What Costs $4 Here Costs $44 in Denmark”
Early on, the new immigrants lacked the necessary expensive equipment. So they improvised. "I had a washing machine technician friend", Stender recalls. "He brought us one machine, neutralized the heat sensors and turned it into the oven we roasted the cocoa in our first year. Since then, thank God, we’ve expanded and today we have seven employees and the most advanced machines on the market”.
Recently, the two confectioners even bought their own cocoa agricultural plot in South America.
"Until we arrived, no high-quality Zionist chocolate was being made in Israel," Zander says. "Since 2016, we’ve won first place in all international chocolate competitions we’ve participated in. A Denmark chocolate company was placed second. While a bar of our chocolate costs $4, the Denmark chocolate of the same size costs $44.”
If you ask Zander about his biggest fantasy, he’ll probably say he hopes every bite of chocolate will contain a piece of the Holy Land; that the sweet experience will relate to the place where the chocolate was made. A small gift from Israel.
It’s a wonder a small Mount Hebron factory's flagship product, 100 percent cocoa, as well as other chocolates, is sold in select stores in Israel and globally. "The Holy Land deserves to produce the highest quality chocolate in the world," Zander says. "We take cocoa beans which are initially bitter and turn them into a sweet that makes people feel better. And if all this is made in Israel, this is a part of history that’s worth being involved in. Our customers know they’re getting much more than just chocolate. They’re supporting Israel, our history, the Jewish people and the small part we’re playing to keep the flame burning. In a time filled with security tension, every international order lends serious help. “The support we receive from abroad is very important to us. It helps us survive”.
All Thanks to Israeli Stubbornness
Running a small business which supports local families while simultaneously dreaming of big success is a tough challenge, but modest standards also have advantages. "There was a time when I managed both the factory and the customer service because we didn't have the money to hire someone to answer the calls", Zander says. "Because of that, I took lots of calls from people saying they didn’t like the chocolate we made from Colombian cocoa beans. So we switched to Peruvian cocoa beans, altering our business’ course immediately. We started winning awards all thanks to stubborn Israelis who insisted on their right to complain".
Another work day ends. Zander locks the factory and gets into his car to drop the workers off at their nearby homes. What’s your next dream, I ask him. His eyes sparkle. "We’re already marketing our chocolate to cafes and restaurants across Israel, but I hope to open a small bakery chain someday in order to sell my favorite baked goods. Until that happens, I dream that for every Israeli who returns from abroad with a Toblerone, there’ll either be a tourist returning from the Holy Land with a Holy Cacao memento, or a proud Zionist purchasing our Israeli product online”.