Maybird Confections is a small, family-run craft chocolate and toffee company making the finest chocolate and confections by hand in Alpharetta, Georgia. At Maybird, we transform raw cacao beans into chocolate the old-fashioned way using only ethical, sustainable, and transparently purchased cacao from the world’s finest farms and producers, and use our single-origin chocolate on every product we offer. We use the fewest ingredients possible, though we take no shortcuts with quality, and a majority of our ingredients are organic, locally grown, or both. We use ingredients like organically grown fine-flavor cacao, organic sugar, grass-fed butter, and Georgia grown pecans and produce, so that you the confidence that your favorite nostalgic treats will not only be delicious, but wholesome and made locally with ingredients you can trust.
We put passion and perfectionism into every step of the process, and prefer to do the hard parts ourselves if it means ensuring higher quality. From micro-batch craft chocolate to buttery toffee and caramel, we offer an unforgettable experience for anyone, from the most discerning chocolate connoisseur, the pickiest of children, to those who just want to satisfy a sweet tooth with quality products. We craft every bar of chocolate and every bag of toffee as if it was for our dearest of loved ones.
Maybird’s founder and chief confectioner, Julie, has been making toffee for friends and family during the holidays for over 30 years. What began as a holiday tradition became a source of ambition after hearing, “you should sell this!” a few too many times to continue to dismiss as a passing compliment. After years of dreaming, Maybird was founded as a weekend side hustle while working full time at her computer science career, using salary to finance startup costs and production hours at the shared kitchen After her day job and long-time careee was disrupted by layoffs, and as Maybird toffee was gaining traction with a small but loyal fanbase, Julie went all in on Maybird Confections with “failure is not an option” as a driving force behind the company. After countless hours, lots of experimenting, and plenty of help from family, friends, and the many others who believed in her dream, the demand for Maybird toffee quickly grew, allowing us to move from a shared kitchen into our own retail and production space. Maybird has slowly grown from the smallest self-run business to the established (but still small) company it is today after years of mountain-moving determination, countless 12-18 hour days, and a true passion for quality chocolate. The craft chocolate industry is far from the easist to succeed in, but the hard work is made much easier when you’re doing what you love.
The other half of Maybird is Julie’s son, Nick. After moving back home from California to help out during a difficult time in the family, he slowly learned the ropes of the art of making chocolate. Already being fascinated by the nuance and diversity found in natural products like coffee or whiskey, and an overall appreciation for terroir and origin — limitless flavor being crafted by nothing other than nature and human hands — the art of craft chocolate was picked up quickly by applying the same familiar concepts. Today, Nick takes responsibility for making the chocolate at Maybird, applying lessons learned from tasting and roasting coffee to bring out the highest potential of each bean while accounting for every variable that can be controlled, from roasting to recipe, and from tempering to pairing. He has learned some of the many skills that small businesses must do in-house, from product and flavor development, graphic design, social media, strategy, as well as a bit of dirty work, striving to bring a unique perspective to Maybird that mixes tradition with progress while never compromising on quality or values. With each of their combined talents, the mother and son have worked hard to carve out their niche in the rapidly expanding industry of craft chocolate.
Maybird Confections is named after Julie’s maternal grandmother Allie Jackson, known to her family and friends as “Mai Bird.” She was a wonderful southern cook who passed her love of chocolate down to her children and grandchildren. “Mammaw”, Julie’s paternal grandmother, was another amazing southern cook with a love of chocolate. She was known especially for chocolate covered cherries, as well as delicious chocolate cakes and pies. We want to pass on the chocolate love from our family to yours in the form of our toffee, craft chocolate, and everything else we make. We hope you taste the same love we grew up on in every bite!
