UM Alum Combines Passions to Create a Unique Small Business in Seattle
UM alumnus Aaron Lindstrom has always been passionate about the arts. From high school band to performing as a musician and actor during his time at UM and beyond, Lindstrom feels at home in creative spaces. Now, he brings creative energy to his role as a small business owner.
Lindstrom is the owner of Cocoa Legato, a bean-to-bar chocolate factory, café and music venue in Seattle. His journey into the chocolate industry began unexpectedly — with his love of theatre. The theatre program is one of the things that drew him to UM, after his high school band teacher, a UM alumnus, suggested he check out Missoula in his college search. It turned out to be the perfect fit, with Lindstrom growing as an artist and developing lifelong friendships during his time on campus.
“I wouldn’t change a moment of my experience in Montana,” he said.
After graduating with a BFA in Acting, Lindstrom moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in theatre and music. He took a part-time job as a barista at a chocolate factory. His experience as an actor led to a role giving tours and teaching customers about the chocolate-making process.
When he moved back to his hometown of Seattle, Lindstrom continued working as a musician and found a role at a local chocolate factory. After a decade with that company, he decided to combine his passions into a new venture. The idea for his own business was first sparked when he worked on a limited-edition chocolate bar for the legendary Seattle band Pearl Jam.
“I’m going to see if I can take two things- chocolate and music- and merge them together,” he explained.
He founded Cocoa Legato from the ground up, intentionally designing a space with music, community and good food in mind. In addition to hosting live music in the café, Cocoa Legato’s chocolate products are branded to reflect Lindstrom’s love of music. Each bar is molded with the design of a vinyl record, and the packaging includes a QR code that links to a suggested musical pairing to enjoy with your chocolate. Lindstrom still performs as a musician and uses his business to spotlight local artists.
“My hope is that as people eat the chocolate, they learn about these dope musicians that should be household names,” he said.
Cocoa Legato recently launched an online store, so customers who can’t visit the café and shop in Seattle can still have chocolate shipped to them across the country. Lindstrom was also featured in an episode of “Start Up” on PBS, where he shared his vision and experience as a small business owner.
One of Lindstrom’s favorite things about his job is seeing the local community gather in the space.
“Realizing I helped curate someone’s fun evening with food and music and they’re enjoying it, those kinds of rewarding moments are really cool,” he said.
His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to have patience and to follow your passions.
“You have to love it.”