About Us
cacao below twenty microns. Megan brings deep roots in specialty coffee, traditional craft, and intentional hospitality, shaping the warm, welcoming community space at 214 Pine Street.
Crucially, when ownership shifted, our entire crew chose to stay. With an average team tenure of over four years and growing, Nuance operates as a cooperative democracy. While Tyler and Megan hold the paper titles, we vote as a team on nearly every major decision, from the next single-origin bean we bring in to the community events we host. Some of our proudest milestones, including our zero-waste partnership with Compost Queen and the development of our house Matcha Bar, originated directly from our crew. Every bar on our shelves reflects that collective pride.
Education anchors everything we do. Whether our Lead Chocolate Specialist Steve is visiting regional elementary schools and public libraries to teach food science, or Tyler is guest lecturing, advising on lab design, and mentoring CSU engineering students on sustainability senior design projects, we believe great chocolate should be understood. Even during our monthly Downtown Fort Collins Foodie Walk appearances, we skip the generic sales pitch to offer hands-on, educational deep dives into cacao genetics, terroir, and post-harvest fermentation.
Our sourcing philosophy centers on radical transparency and ethical partnership. We purchase exceptional beans directly from independent family farms and bird-friendly sanctuaries across the globe, ensuring growers receive premium prices well above commodity market rates. In the factory, we never add artificial flavors or fillers. We let the natural profile of each harvest speak entirely for itself.
Whether you stop by 214 Pine Street for a guided tasting flight and a cup of sipping chocolate, or crack open a bar at home, our mission remains steady: to craft world-class chocolate that honors both people and the planet, celebrating the pure, honest nuance of the bean.
Founded in 2014 by Toby and Alix Gadd, Nuance Chocolate grew from a home-kitchen obsession into one of the few authentic bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the United States. From day one, the vision was clear: roast, crack, winnow, grind, and temper single-origin cacao with absolute respect for the bean. Toby and Alix built an incredible foundation, allowing us to hit the ground running and push the craft even further. Today, we make all of our chocolate in a small factory just blocks from our Old Town café, curating the largest selection of single-origin dark chocolate in the world.
When it came time to pass the torch, high school sweethearts Tyler and Megan embraced the opportunity. Tyler studied fermentation science at Colorado State University, pairing a brewer's palate and technical discipline with the meticulous physics of stone-grinding
Collan Fitzpatrick Photography
Meet the Owners
Tyler Ryan | Co-Owner & Maker
Before diving into food science and chocolate, Tyler spent a decade in the United States Navy operating/supervising submarine nuclear power plants. Transitioning from military service to studying fermentation science at Colorado State University and working as a craft brewer, he applies that relentless operational rigor, electrical background, and passion for flavor chemistry directly to Nuance's factory floor, stone melangers, and university partnerships.
Megan Ryan | Co-Owner & Experience
Megan shapes the warmth, community, and aesthetic heartbeat of Nuance Chocolate while actively directing chocolate production, recipe flavor development, and personnel management. Drawing on deep roots in specialty coffee, hospitality, and traditional heritage fiber crafts, she leads event curation and factory operations, ensuring that 214 Pine Street remains an inviting, grounded sanctuary for chocolate lovers and Old Town locals alike.