After a couple rounds of shoveling the driveway and sidewalks this week, you may find yourself craving a cup of hot chocolate.
Kinsley Navarro, a 10-year-old fifth grader at Cramer Junior High School, has just the recipe for you. She’s the founder of Kins Co. Hot Cocoa Bombs, a business dedicated to providing the perfect cup of hot chocolate.
If you haven’t tried one of the Kins Co. creations yet, don’t despair. You can buy her handmade cocoa bombs at the
Downtown Bay City Hot Chocolate Hop event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 12. During the event, Kinsley will be at
The Sunshine Shoppe, 925 N. Water St.
Kinsley, the daughter of Nikki and Adam Navarro, is a long-time fan of hot chocolate. She discovered hot cocoa bombs in November 2021 after watching a cooking video.
Mom Nikki Navarro took Kinsley downtown to buy a kit to make the cocoa bombs. It seemed like a fun activity for a cold winter night.
“It was just a hobby to make them for friends and family,” her mom says.
It quickly grew from hobby to business.
“Once they got their hands on them, they wanted more,” Nikki Navarro says.
Kinsley's business caught on at school, attracting buyers among the teachers and students. She’s been invited to demonstrate her process in an 8th grade classroom. She was featured in Brain Breaks, which is an Essexville-Hampton Schools program that invites kids to share their skills with each other.
Kinsley no longer relies on kits. Instead, she buys chocolate and experiments with flavors.
“The last batch I made was Sugar Cookie,” Kinsley says. Her favorite, so far, is Peppermint Hot Cocoa.
Kinsley, who hopes to own a bakery someday, says she loves baking. And it’s a good thing since she’s making a couple batches of cocoa bombs every day to have enough to sell during the downtown event.
“The Sunshine Shoppe heard what Kinsley was doing and she just fell in love with the idea of a 10-year-old entrepreneur,” Nikki Navarro says. “She reached out to us.”
The bombs are available in two sizes. The most popular size is the small. Kinsley sells those for $3 each or $10 for four bombs. A larger size also is available for use in a mug with a wider opening. The larger sizes are $5 each or $12 for three.
No matter what size you buy, Kinsley recommends preparing the hot cocoa by dropping one bomb into a mug; boiling 8 to 10 ounces of water; and pouring it over the top. (You also can use warm milk for the recipe, but Kinsley recommends the version with water.)
Give the bomb a few minutes to melt, stir it up, and enjoy.
While you’re sipping the steamy beverage, you may want a snack. Kinsley may have that covered soon. She’s already thinking about expanding her business to include cake pops or pretzel rods.
“We’re just having fun and staying busy on these cold winter nights,” Nikki Navarro says.
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