Why did I create this website?

Because I love chocolate. Why else?!!

Seriously, my family has been in the candy business for over 100 years. My grandfather started our family's original business: wholesale, distribution, and importing of candy, including chocolate of all kinds.

Bevi's bon mots... In my opinion, any candy that uses vanillin (artificial vanilla) rather than the real deal is not worth the calories nor carbohydrates. Vanillan leaves an unpleasant chemical aftertaste in place of a rich, warm vanilla scent that blends so well with chocolate. So, check the list of ingredients before you purchase chocolate. Make it has real vanilla, not vanillin.

As kids, we grandchildren didn't bother too often with Hershey or Snickers bars. We learned from day one where the "good stuff" was stored in our family's candy warehouse ... a special climate-controlled room where the imported chocolate from Holland, Switzerland, and other European countries was kept at the perfect temperature.

So I grew up with Succhard, Toblerone, and Droste as my "ordinary" candy. My French grandmother, co-founder of the family's business, also made her own hot fudge and chocolate sauces, which we liberally poured over mounds of homemade ice cream from the local dairy.

Unfortunately, most of those old candy brands have been swallowed up by the world's comglomerates and their quality has diminished, in my opinion. There are other chocolates more worthy of my tastebuds!

The brands I list on this website are my favorite ones. You'll notice that Godiva, Seas, and Perugina are not on the list.

When I travel around the country and overseas, I'm always on the lookout for local homemade chocolates. In the western part of the US, look for Rocky Mountain Chocolate stores. Some of their candies are quite delightful.

If you think there's a chocolate I've overlooked, please send me a sample and I'd be happy to review it!   :)  And you can email me with your comments and suggestions any time.

Bevi Chagnon
Email me at the address below.