Powder & Chocolate: Ritual Chocolate and Deer Valley create a perfect pairing

A new collaboration between Deer Valley Resort and Ritual Chocolate was announced last week. Photo: Deer Valley Resort.

PARK CITY, Utah — Ritual Chocolate has launched an exclusive line of Deer Valley Resort-branded chocolate bars and seasonal hot cocoa stir sticks, now available at retail locations throughout the resort.

The Heber City-based chocolatier, known for its small-batch and ethically sourced chocolate, developed the products in collaboration with Deer Valley Resort. The partnership was born out of a shared commitment to quality and community.

Deer Valley Resort Vice President of Food & Beverage Jacob Musyt said the collaboration was a natural fit, especially given Ritual Chocolate’s local roots and dedication to excellence.

“A big part of who we are at Deer Valley is our connection to the community,” Musyt said. “We could have reached out to a big, well-known chocolate brand, but working with Anna and Ritual Chocolate, who are local and share our values, was important. They support a lot of the same nonprofits we do, and their priorities align with ours. It’s not just about creating a cool product with our brand on it—it’s about working with people who are community-focused and driven by quality.”

“What an honor it is to collaborate with Deer Valley Resort and offer two new Ritual Chocolate products in time for ski season,” Ritual Chocolate Co-Founder Anna Seear said. “We’re excited for Deer Valley guests to enjoy our small-batch chocolate between runs, during a hot cocoa break, or any time of day to celebrate an unforgettable winter vacation.”

“I love that we are working with a local producer that is extremely passionate about the quality of their product and the love for the mountains,” Musyt said. “The partnership fits so well, and we are thrilled to work side by side with Ritual.”

Musyt, a longtime fan of Ritual Chocolate, noted that the initial idea for the collaboration stemmed from previous discussions about potential chocolate-related experiences at Deer Valley.

“Chef Peter and I visited the Ritual headquarters, and we started talking about how we could make a custom chocolate bar together. Ritual is so community-focused, and they care deeply about the origin of their ingredients and the quality of their product. Their approach mirrors how we think about our food and beverage experiences at Deer Valley,” Musyt said.

The Deer Valley Chocolate Bars feature a 74% dark chocolate base blended with dehydrated raspberries, a combination that Musyt and his team selected after extensive taste testing.

“We probably tasted through 20 to 30 different styles of chocolates, chocolate bars, different mixes, and flavorings,” Musyt said. “We fell in love with the dried dehydrated raspberries in the 74% dark chocolate. It just tasted really, really good—super fresh and unique. We didn’t want to overcomplicate it. Sometimes, if you have the best ingredients and let those ingredients shine, you win.”

Recognizing the importance of hot chocolate in ski culture, particularly for families, Deer Valley and Ritual Chocolate also developed hot cocoa stir sticks fittingly shaped like snowflakes.

“A big thing for us in the ski industry is hot chocolate, especially with families,” Musyt said. “Not everyone loves dark chocolate, so we thought, how can we create an easy, fun chocolate experience for kids and families? Ritual offered to make hot chocolate stir sticks with snowflakes on them. We tasted through different chocolates, worked on the ingredients together, and now we have these giant snowflake-shaped stir sticks that you can stir into hot milk to create your own hot chocolate.”

The Deer Valley Chocolate Bars and Hot Cocoa Stir Sticks are available at Deer Valley Resort retail outlets. Guests can find the stir sticks at various on-mountain dining locations, including Royal Street Café, and can choose between the specialty chocolate stir sticks or the resort’s traditional hot chocolate options.

In addition to Deer Valley, Ritual Chocolate has collaborated with other locally owned businesses like Alpine Distilling’s Gin Juniper Lavender Chocolate.

The full Ritual Chocolate collection is available online at ritualchocolate.com.