Portland-based Ranger Chocolate Co. is staging a free public tasting at Stumptown Coffee Roasters' newly opened Starland Cafe in Los Angeles on November 18, 2026, marking the bean-to-bar maker's first formal activation at the specialty-coffee chain's latest California outpost.
The two-hour event, running 10 a.m. to noon at 2624 N. Broadway in Lincoln Heights, presents three distinct chocolate-and-coffee formats designed to illustrate how the flavor profiles of each can be expressed across a range of product formats — from a straight pairing to an enrobed confection.
The Three Formats
The lineup anchors around Ranger's Nord 75% Northern Haiti single-origin dark chocolate served alongside drip coffee; a Dirty Chai Bonbon combining Stumptown's El Injerto Bourbon coffee with Steven Smith Teamaker Masala Chai; and a Coffee Liqueur Truffle made with Accompani Coffee Liqueur, itself produced using Stumptown cold brew. The progression moves consumers from the most accessible format — a bar paired with a cup — to progressively more complex confectionery applications, a structure common in trade-facing sampling programs adapted here for a general-public setting.
Stumptown is simultaneously introducing Ranger-made El Injerto Bourbon Coffee Caramel Sticks across its locations, timed to coincide with a new seasonal beverage on the chain's menu. That retail placement represents a broader distribution foothold for the Portland confectioner within Stumptown's growing café network.
Why It Matters
For specialty chocolate makers, café partnerships have emerged as a cost-effective route to trial, particularly in high-footfall urban markets where standalone retail is prohibitively expensive. Stumptown, now operating under the Authentic Brands portfolio, has expanded its physical café presence in Southern California, giving craft suppliers like Ranger a platform that reaches coffee-forward consumers already primed for premium positioning.
George Domurot, founder and chief executive of Ranger Chocolate Co., framed the event in accessible terms. "This is a casual event for folks to pop in and share a midweek moment," he said — language that signals the brand is prioritizing discovery and community engagement over hard conversion metrics at this stage of the Los Angeles push.
The multi-brand format also reflects a broader trend in the specialty food and beverage sector, where makers with complementary flavor profiles and overlapping retail channels co-invest in experiential marketing to share sampling costs and audience reach. Steven Smith Teamaker and Accompani Coffee Liqueur both carry positioning consistent with Ranger's bean-to-bar craftsmanship narrative, lending coherence to the collaboration.
Founded in 2013, Ranger has built its business around responsibly sourced cacao and small-batch production. The Stumptown activation follows a pattern seen across the specialty confectionery sector, where craft chocolate brands have accelerated foodservice and café channel expansion as a way to reach consumers outside traditional gift and specialty retail windows.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
