TCHO is a very interesting chocolate company. Founded by a Space Shuttle technologist turned chocolate maker and a grizzled industry veteran who set up chocolate factories for 40 years from Costa Rica to Germany, TCHO takes a decidedly tech approach to the chocolate making process.
As such, they released a ‘beta’ version of their chocolate over a year ago, and have encouraged their customers to help develop the products through limited run, “beta editions” of the chocolate ever since.
The enthusiastic ‘beta testers’ quickly moved their way through 1026 iterations of the chocolate, and after a solid year of very hard work, “Chocolatey”, “Fruity”, “Nutty” and “Citrus” flavors have all arrived and are ready for a “gold master” release, including new packaging and a finalized formula.
TCHO’s chocolate formula might have just graduated out of beta, but their factory certainly has not, as it’s been designed to produce more than 4,000 metric tons of chocolate per year, which makes them one of only a dozen other major chocolate manufacturers in the US.
In addition, TCHO has a social mission as well, and intends to move beyond just Fair Trade, and actually help farmers by transferring knowledge of how to grow and ferment better beans so that they can escape commodity production and become premium producers.
“In the end, there’s only one way to truly understand this story. Just put it in your mouth.”
For many automotive manufacturers, the transition from four wheels to two is a natural extension of their brand, which is why many bikes bear the familiar logos and nomenclature of our more typical forms of transportation.
From Cadillac cruisers to folding Hummer mountain bikes that were originally designed for paratroopers, Motive has put together a list of the best bikes for the automotive enthusiast who just can’t get enough of their car from behind the wheel.
Chicago’s Stern Pinball is the last manufacturer of pinball machines in the world.
Hard to believe, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, an ADD age and the move towards electronic entertainment now means that just 10,000 of the machines are produced annually, and most head towards the game rooms and basements of private homes, rather than the arcades and bowling alleys of yore.
Though pinball has roots in the 1800s game of bagatelle, these are by no means simple machines. Each one contains a half-mile of wire and 3,500 tiny components, and takes 32 hours to build — as the company’s president, Gary Stern, likes to say, longer than a Ford Taurus.
Can pinball survive much longer?
For the sake of children and childhoods everywhere, I can only hope that the answer is yes.
Saleen sure does know how to build ‘em right (he was, after all, the man that managed to make the Saleen S7 a reality) so the prospect of a second supercar form the American manufacturer does get me a little giddy on the inside.
Specs include a supercharged 5.0L V8 producing 650 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque, the ability to run on cellulosic ethanol, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, 6-speed manual with an optional paddle shifted sequential gearbox, aluminum chassis, and a top speed of over 200 mph.
So what does eternal fastitude like this cost you?
If it makes it to market, just $185,000.
(And yes, in case you were wondering, I did bring you a sneak peak of this car back in November, so never let it be said that DYH doesn’t bring the latest and greatest to the table.)
