California Company to Bring Chocolate Factory to Phoenix

Anyone who has perused the chocolate section in stores like Whole Foods has seen Cocoa Planet sweet treats. Cocoa Planet is a Sonoma, California based chocolate company that is sold not only in Whole Foods, but also among many specialty stores in the Sonoma area. Well, it was a Sonoma, California based company – but it was recently announced by owner Anne McKibben that the company would be moving production to the Phoenix area.

The factory in Sonoma has already shut down and is in the process of being bought by a couple hoping to make it a burrito place. The new owners of the building are Ken and Stacey Mattson, the hopeful entrepreneurs of Sonoma Burrito Company, and they are looking to carry over the success that previous businesses have had in the location. In 2014, McKibben purchased the building from the business located there, Sonoma Print Shop, and worked on transforming it over the next two years. In 2016 it was ready, and she debuted her new business for the location of Cocoa Planet. Cocoa Planet is not only a chocolate factory, but actually a tasting room where you can pair chocolate and wines.

For her part, McKibben is sad to have to move, as she and her company love being in Sonoma, and enjoy the community and the area. The move is personally motivated, as McKibben’s husband works and lives in the Valley. McKibben has been commuting to Sonoma weekly for the past decade, and she and her family are ready to be in one stationary area. Cocoa Planet is going to be coming with her, though there is no exact location or timeframe in place yet.


McKibben wants her existing fans and clients to be assured that they will be continuing their lines for any current customers, both domestically and internationally. As McKibben makes the move to Arizona full time permanent for herself and her business, Arizona gets to look to a future that may get just a bit sweeter right here in the Valley.