Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory and Mast Market
CategoryDevelopments, RetailYear2020
LocationMount Kisco, NY
Size10,000 S.F.
After 15 years of artisanal chocolate-making in Brooklyn, Mast Brothers Chocolate had achieved global notoriety, not only for the uncompromising quality and subtle beauty of their “bean-to-bar” chocolates, but also for their passion and commitment to food, community, and the arts. By 2018 the founding Brothers decided to move their entire operation to the Hudson Valley, were they already lived with their families, and to use this period of transition to lean into their commitment to locally sourced food and community, creating much more than a chocolate factory. The Mast Brothers partnered with Mapos to create a new food destination for the community of Mount Kisco: Mast Chocolate Factory and the newly conceived Mast Market.
The project involved taking over a former dilapidated 10,000 square foot shoe emporium in Mount Kisco and re-envisioning it into a facility that would be 75% chocolate and food production, including packaging and shipping, and 25% local market and café, where guests can spend time perusing, sampling, and purchasing a curated selection of goods produced on site as well as products from local farms and food purveyors. The new Mast Market was conceived as a platform and hub for the local food community, as well as a place where guests can witness the food-making process through floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the factory floor, where chocolate, flour, and even candles were made on a daily basis.
Aligning with the subtlety and refinement in all of the products the brand creates and curates, Mapos employed the façade with a restrained yet elevated material palette, and subtle signage and lighting. Architectural interest was enhanced by breaking up the repetition of the façade openings with the addition of the large bi-fold openings with transoms. A horse country-inspired Dutch door where products can be purchased from the street became the centerpiece of the façade, reinforcing that this is a place that is always open and connected to its community.
Photography by Nadia Tarr.
The new Mast Market was conceived as a platform and hub for the local food community, as well as a place where guests can witness the food-making process through floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the factory floor, where chocolate, flour, and even candles were made on a daily basis.
Architectural interest was enhanced by breaking up the repetition of the façade openings with the addition of the large bi-fold openings with transoms. A horse country-inspired Dutch door where products can be purchased from the street became the centerpiece of the façade, reinforcing that this is a place that is always open and connected to its community.
