The sweetest selection for any sweetie

WARWICK

In the 16 years since we visited Chocolate Delicacy and candymakers Dave and Marie Schaller, a lot has happened.

For starters, they moved their shop to Warwick.

Five years ago, they left East Greenwich for 28 Gilbane St. and a building with its own parking lot and a convenient location right off one of the Apponaug rotaries. It's a lot of nice space to display their delicious truffles, filled chocolates, nut candies and fun chocolate novelty items. Think chocolate roses and chocolate-covered Oreos.

Two years ago, Dave went on a chocolate fact-finding mission to Ecuador with Valrhona, one of the two suppliers from which he buys his chocolate. In 2012, Valrhona, a historic French chocolate company, purchased República del Cacao, a producer in Ecuador. Valrhona has been invested in Ecuador and protecting sustainable fine cacao production ever since, Dave said. 

On that trip, he learned not only about cacao beans and direct trade, but also that he can't milk a cow, but he can cut sugar cane, and more importantly, rake cacao beans. 

In 2017, Marie went back to school for a three-month program, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, at CCRI, designed to help entrepreneurs create more economic opportunity. She also added an inventory system to Chocolate Delicacy so she knows which items sell best and when.

They still get calls for chocolate handcuffs and Thomas the Tank Engine chocolate pops, both of which were pictured in a Journal story on Chocolate Delicacy in 2004.

Everything else is how it has been since the Schallers started their business in 1992. The aroma of chocolate hangs in the air of the shop, making you want to grab, and eat, the first chocolate thing you see. Fun treats, and LOVE written in chocolate, make you smile. And it's really hard to choose which truffle or filled candy you want to bring home.

Dave Schaller still enjoys making all that candy, and he was further inspired by his travels in South America.

"Ecuador produces the best flavor of beans," he said.

They now have roasters established in the country, so they process the beans there, instead of sending them off to France or Switzerland. This means more money in the pockets of those working the land and in the cacao business. And they get a better price per ton for roasted beans.

"They are building the economy," Dave said.

While he's thinking globally, Marie Schaller handles much of the business side. She knows that their biggest Valentine's Day seller will be chocolate-dipped strawberries. They come in milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate. They sell for $23.95 a pound, the same price as for a pound of assorted chocolates, the second-most popular item for the holiday, which are hand-packed creams, nut clusters, caramels, peanut butter and other specialty pieces.

Other customers create boxes filled with their Valentine's favorites. For some, it's the killer lemon-filled creams, or the exceptional caramels that come in a variety of flavors, led by sea salt, or assorted dark or milk chocolates. Dark chocolate does have slightly less sugar than milk chocolate, but that's as far as Marie will go in endorsing the health claims for dark chocolate. They also have a small line of sugar-free chocolates.

Beyond Valentine's Day, shoppers will find favors in Chocolate Delicacy for religious observances like First Communion, and other events, including sports banquets. And they still have those handcuffs.

Details: Chocolate Delicacy, 28 Gilbane St., Warwick, (401) 884-4949, chocolatedelicacy.com. Regular hours Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., but open this week for Valentine's Day until 7 p.m. through Friday. They will be dipping strawberries Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.