The business of chocolate

4/2/2025

Chocolate isn’t just a treat. It’s a business built on creativity, strategy and its fair share of planning. At three metro chocolate shops, owners are doing all that and more to satisfy sweet tooths everywhere.

The art of trying something new

Chocolate Storybook on Grand Avenue in West Des Moines is a family business. Meg and Steve Shearer bought the quaint chocolate store in 2002, partly because they had fallen in love with the chocolate. They knew that, if they enjoyed it so much, other people would, too. 

The store’s chocolate is handmade by a small team that produces everything using just one copper kettle, one marble slab and one chocolate enrober.

Today, Shearer and their daughter — Sales and Operations Manager Kelly Dettmer — are continually thinking about three holidays: Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. Planning for each holiday typically starts about six months in advance, during which they take inventory of what they have, forecast what they need to order and plan any new products.

“We’ve been doing this for many years and have learned that preparation and data analysis is the key to success,” Dettmer said.

Experts in the candy kitchen and retail store work together to track how much product was made the previous year, how much was sold in-store and online, and how much (if any) was left over after the holiday. Using this formula, they develop a general idea of how much of a product is needed for the following year.

Chocolate Storybook is fortunate to have seasonal staff members to handle the increase in retail store traffic and chocolate production needs. 

In fact, preparing for each holiday actually starts right after the holiday ends.

“We call this our post-holiday debrief,” Dettmer said.

As a company, they sit down to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and what they would change. 

“We listen to each other and take detailed notes that can be referenced for next year,” Dettmer said. “By doing this, we are taking a proactive approach versus a reactive approach to handle our busiest seasons.”

Then, when the holiday season approaches again, they hold a pre-holiday briefing to review the previous year’s discussions and develop a company-wide game plan.

Since summer is a slower time for chocolate sales, Chocolate Storybook uses those months to reinvest in the company — analyzing data, organizing inventory, optimizing their website SEO, and working on other marketing efforts. 

About a decade ago, during the slow chocolate season, the staff challenged itself to come up with a new and original product to keep busy during the summer. After acquiring cotton candy machines a few months earlier, they decided to experiment with creating their own line.

“What seemed like a mad scientist experiment at first eventually turned into us creating our very own line of cotton candy,” Dettmer said. 

As demand grew, the Shearers established a second company, Fairy Tale Cotton Candy. 

“Who knew Pickle Cotton Candy would be our best seller?” Dettmer joked.

When it comes to Chocolate Storybook’s products, Dettmer explains that ideas either arise from customer requests for something they don’t yet offer, or they come up with a concept (like the cotton candy) and bring it to life. For instance, their popular product Muddy Pigs — chocolate-covered bacon — was born from a spontaneous idea.

Dettmer said, one day, they thought, “Bacon is really good. Should we cover it in chocolate?” After testing several variations, they landed on the winning recipe.

“Not every idea is a hit, but chocolate-covered bacon certainly was,” Dettmer said. “It turns out people were not living until they tried it.”

As its popularity grew, they decided to sell it online. They invested in branding, packaging and perfecting the process because they believed in its potential.

“Now, people all over the United States have tried and loved our product that started out as just an idea,” Dettmer said. “Our advice to anyone looking to create something new is to always start small and keep building.”

A family legacy rooted in tradition

The Stam family has a true legacy as chocolatiers.

It all began in 1913 when Jacobus Stam founded Chocolaterie Stam near Amsterdam. By 1930, his three sons and daughter had joined the business, each establishing their own branch. 

One of these sons, Frits, saw his branch thrive. Frits had seven sons of his own, the youngest of whom is Ton, who believed Americans would love their chocolate just as much as the Dutch.

Ton moved overseas and opened Chocolaterie Stam’s first U.S. location in Des Moines in 1997, followed by another store on Ingersoll Avenue in 1998. The brand quickly expanded to Valley West Mall, and, in 2006, it began licensing new locations, opening in cities such as Ames and Rochester, Minnesota, eventually reaching places like Cedar Falls and Lafayette, Colorado.

Ton initially chose Des Moines because it was within a day’s drive of major cities like Kansas City, Chicago, and Minneapolis. He knew that, if expansion was necessary, they could move into larger municipalities while still maintaining a strong market.

Ton’s family endured two world wars, yet Chocolaterie Stam survived — proof that they had a truly exceptional product. 

David Stam, Ton’s partner, has a background in food and beverage but didn’t start traveling until he met Ton. Together, they explored Europe, studying even more so what makes great chocolate. This knowledge helps define Chocolaterie Stam’s handcrafted dark, milk and white chocolate bonbons, which feature a hard chocolate shell encasing a sweet filling and are often mistaken for truffles.

The company specializes in gift boxes, as many Americans give chocolates as presents, whereas in Europe, people commonly buy chocolate to keep at home and serve with tea. 

David Stam notes that Hallmark played a significant role in boosting the chocolate industry. Once people started exchanging holiday cards, they wanted to pair them with a small gift.

Chocolaterie Stam also offers espresso drinks and gelato, which they introduced after experiencing slow chocolate sales between Mother’s Day and October. To ensure top quality, the Stams traveled to Europe to learn best practices.  

In fact, that’s what Chocolaterie Stam is dedicated to: being the best, though not in a competitive way. Simply as a commitment to craftsmanship.

“When you love what you do, you try to be the best at it,” Stam said.

And when they look at competition, they see room for everyone, especially since Chocolaterie Stam takes a unique approach by staying true to Belgian tradition. Their bonbons are crafted the Belgian way, and they even import their Belgian chocolate directly from Belgium twice a year.

Stam also believes first impressions are everything, so they remain committed to their heritage and high standards.

“We stay in our lane because Grandfather figured it out in 1913,” Stam said.

He emphasizes that they don’t want to be seen as old-fashioned, but rather as traditional. He hopes this gives people a reason to have faith and trust in what they do.

Cobranding for the win

Back in 2018, Dawn Magee Martin’s husband, Andrew, had the idea to open a Cold Stone Creamery franchise in The District at Prairie Trail in Ankeny.

Knowing that ice cream sales could be seasonal, he wanted to offer a co-brand option to help supplement off-season revenue. Since Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is an approved co-brand offering from Cold Stone Creamery’s franchisor, Kahala, the decision was easy. 

Better still, the off-season for ice cream coincides with peak chocolate sales during holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory offerings include prepackaged and individual chocolates, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and freshly made, hand-dipped caramel apples. All chocolates are purchased from the company’s headquarters in Durango, Colorado, while the strawberries and caramel apples are made in-house. 

Because chocolates from Rocky Mountain’s headquarters require advance orders, accurately estimating demand is necessary.

“The (chocolate-dipped strawberries and caramel apples) made in-house can be prepared within 24 hours,” Dawn Magee Martin said. “For special orders, I make the caramel apples on a weekly basis, sometimes twice a week, depending on demand. My schedule is flexible and allows me to respond to customer demand in real time.”

As a franchise, Martin’s chocolate offerings are dictated by the corporate office.

“We are free to choose among the offerings and do so based on a combination of personal taste and estimating customer interest,” she says.

Like all small businesses, Martin has faced challenges since opening, including establishing the business in a new community and navigating the COVID-19 shutdowns. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory ultimately adapted by providing holiday gifts to companies that were not meeting in person.

Perhaps stemming from this experience, Martin’s advice to aspiring chocolate entrepreneurs is to carefully analyze the market before opening a store.

“Chocolates are a luxury item, the demand for which subsides during an economic downturn,” she said. “It’s important to have a plan in place for times when demand drops. That plan could include an additional offering within your storefront.” ♦