Chocolate Makers Looking to Move Into Mount Kisco
A pair of brothers from Bedford is proposing to open their second chocolate factory and shop in Mount Kisco.
Rick and Michael Mast, who founded Mast Chocolate, are planning to bring their company to 92 S. Moger Ave. if they can obtain site plan approval and a special use permit.
The company, which has its other location in Brooklyn, has been at the forefront of a movement favoring simple ingredients, sustainable sourcing, traditional processing and beautiful design.
Mast specializes in dark, milk, sea salt, almond butter and goat milk chocolate bars.
“This is a fairly simple application,” said Scott Blakely, senior vice president and principal landscape architect for Insite Engineering.
Rick Mast said the public would be able to watch chocolate being made during tours. He said he and his brother take pride in their creations and the quality of their chocolate.
“We literally go through every bean by hand,” he said.
The space has two mezzanines that could be used for storage, Blakely said. He added the building has no site plan filed with the village.
Blakely said he was uncertain about the interior measurements of the proposed store and chocolate manufacturing facility but would report back to the Planning Board with that information.
Mast said he expected that delivery trucks would come to the facility three times a week.
Various community events are hosted at their Brooklyn location, including arts events, and similar functions would be scheduled for Mount Kisco.
“Being part of the community has always been part of our DNA,” Rick Mast said.
Some of the Mount Kisco Planning Board members praised the proposal.
“This is the type of use we’ve been looking for,” Vice Chairman John Bainlardi said.
The Planning Board voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing on the application for Tuesday, May 8.
