The Mast Brothers scandal
The first thing you probably notice about a Mast Brothers chocolate bar is the beautiful packaging. The second thing you probably notice is the price - around ten bucks a bar. Mast Brothers chocolate bars are advertised as being "bean-to-bar," although it turns out that this may not be quite accurate.
According to a recent expose, Mast Brothers did not begin as "bean-to-bar" (a term that means that the chocolatier had full control over the product, from the raw cocoa bean to the finished bar). It seems that at first, they simply remelted a standard commercial chocolate, flavored it as needed, and packaged it as their own.
The question is, are they still doing this? No one knows, and the Mast Brothers aren't saying.
In the mean time if you want to pay ten bucks for a really nice package and a charming story, be my guest. But if what you really want is actual small-batch artisinal chocolate... you might want to look elsewhere.