TURNTABLE
P M O CH on this
Ben Bailey is a creative entrepreneur with a background in marketing and theater. And now, this Oregon-native is taking on the world of chocolate. Ben is the founder of Chomp Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate company using certified sustainable cacao and plant-based ingredients. While Chomp opened to the public in the fall of 2021, its roots have a greater depth, which one could say begins on Boadway. In 2015, Ben was producing and investing in Broadway while living in Salem. Eventually, it took him to New York where he got a job working with two-time Tony Award-winning theater producer Ken Davenport. As an entrepreneur, Ben is a marketer first, then he finds opportunities to apply those skills and teaches himself whatever is needed — like all about chocolate. “I love marketing and advertising, but with chocolate it's a little different,” said Ben. “I've fallen in love with the craft.”
winter 2021/22 | www.pressplaysalem.com | 5
