By ROBERT SIDES
The Ramspondents
Nuance Chocolate signs outside the shop on Pine Street.
Nuance Chocolate opened in 2014 by founders Toby and Alix Gadd with the mission to provide small batch bean-to-bar chocolate roasted, ground and crafted in Fort Collins.
Nine months ago, the Gadds sold their business and their affection for chocolate to Tyler and Megan Ryan.
“Before moving to Fort Collins, it was one of the first places my wife and I learned about as a place we wanted to hit up when we first got to the area,” Tyler Ryan said. “It was one of the first businesses we fell in love with when we moved to Fort Collins about six years ago.”
Before owning Nuance, Tyler worked as a nuclear plant operator and supervisor in the United States Navy, and later for the Fort Collins brewery The Gilded Goat. Megan worked as a hairstylist and then with coffee before pivoting to chocolate.
“Today, Tyler’s precision and engineering mindset blend perfectly with Megan’s creative hospitality,” the about page on Nuance Chocolate’s website reads. “Together they honor the Gadds’ traditions, fair trade relationships, small-batch craftsmanship, and a café that’s as welcoming as it is aromatic.”
Tyler’s background in the Navy as a nuclear plant supervisor helps him understand Nuance Chocolate’s business, which he says gives him a better understanding on how to operate the company better.
“I get to take a step back and look at Nuance as more of a machine,” Tyler Ryan said. “I try to break it apart and think about it as being individual components of a machine, and think about how to make them work better.”
Having never owned businesses before, Tyler and Megan faced a learning curve in operating the established company. Returning employees helped the Ryans with picking up where the Gadds left off.
”Tyler and Megan) came in knowing everyone who already worked here knew more than they did,” said Stephen Williams, Nuance Chocolate employee. “Even though they were buying the business, they needed us to know how the business ran. We taught them how to do most of what they do now.”
An assortment of truffles are displayed behind glass behind the counter of Nuance Chocolate’s front display.
The Ryans' vision for the company remains consistent with that of the Gadds: to provide Fort Collins with locally produced chocolate with as minimal environmental impact as possible. The owners’ vision is shared with Nuance’s staff.
”We try really hard to get as close to the source as possible, such as paying a lot for cocoa beans, so everyone gets paid for what they’re doing,” said Rehna Anliker, Nuance Chocolate employee. “We’re currently working on getting certification for sustainability. It’s a big part of the company.”
The Nuance Chocolate location remains important to Nuance Chocolate and the Fort Collins community. Tyler Ryan believes Nuance can make a larger statement by leaving the local business as Fort Collins chocolate’s force for good.
“I don’t think Nuance will ever be a large wholesale brand where you can go to any grocery store and see us,” Tyler Ryan said. “I find that bringing customers into the store, educating them and showing them what bean-to-bar chocolate means is a lot more impactful.”
The Ryans seek to continue 11 years of local chocolate craftsmanship and continue Nuance Chocolate’s mission.
“Nuance’s mission is to craft world-class chocolate that honors both people and the planet,” Nuance Chocolate’s mission statement reads. “We are committed to ethical sourcing, fair relationships with smallholder farmers, and minimizing our environmental footprint at every stage. We believe in integrity, inclusivity, and supporting our community in Fort Collins and beyond.”
Robert Sides is a second-year student at Colorado State University and a reporter for Rocky Mountain Student Media. He is also the treasurer of CSU’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.