A chocolatier is an expert in the art of chocolate making. The taste of these chocolates is beyond comparison to the run of the mill chocolates that can be purchased in grocery stores. If you own a retail shop, consider adding a line of chocolates to your inventory. Have a small display set up at the register or only sell the chocolates for the holiday season.

As a businessperson you will want to keep a chocolatier list in your Rolodex. If you need a special gift for a single client or a large quantity of corporate logo gifts as giveaways, a good chocolatier can be your closest ally. She can even offer advice on what makes the most sense for your event and your budget. Below are some ways that you can use chocolate creatively:

1. A chocolatier can create beautiful gifts for you to send to your biggest clients at the end of the year or after a large order has been successfully processed.

2. A chocolatier can provide you with customized novelty chocolates to give out at trade shows or meetings.

3. A chocolatier can craft specialized chocolates that you can give out as gifts to your employees or customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Obtain wholesale pricing from your chocolatier

Find a chocolatier provider who can offer you wholesale pricing. It is a great way to boost sales, especially around the holiday season.

I recommend: Each chocolatier will have his own method of assigning wholesale pricing or how he gives volume discounts. Contact KeKau Chocolatier to set up a wholesale plan with them. Sign up for CHUAO Chocolatier's email newsletter to learn about the latest products and specials. Leonidas-Chocolate.com wants you to call them directly to find out about wholesale pricing. Mr.Chocolate.com offers wholesale pricing on Jacques Torres Chocolate for qualifying orders.

Find a chocolatier to emblazon your corporate logo on the chocolate

A chocolatier can create corporate chocolates that make memorable promotional gifts, trade show favors and leave behinds for sales meetings. You can develop a unique representation of your company's logo in chocolate. When placing an order for a corporate logo, remember that most chocolatiers will need at least a three week lead time to create the product.

I recommend: Chamberlain's Gourmet Chocolatier specializes in customized chocolate corporate logos. Theobroma Chocolatier can create logo chocolate bars, chocolate boxes and chocolate coins. Crave Chocolatier creates custom molded business cards and chocolate bars.

Consult an online Chocolatier directory

To find Chocolatier information, consult a chocolatier directory that can offer the names, addresses, web sites and, on occasion, reviews of the chocolatier. A chocolatier list is a quick way to scan to see if there is a chocolate shop near you in case you want to sample before you make your purchases.

I recommend: Eric's Chocolate Store Directory is a handy list of chocolatiers that can be sorted by geographic preference. His list often includes reviews of the shops as well. The California Chocolates Directory contains links to chocolatiers in California that ship throughout the United States. Subscribe to Chocolatier Magazine because it contains resources in every issue on where to buy fine artisan chocolates.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A chocolatier might close up shop in the summer months because is slow, but you might be able to negotiate a great price for your holiday business chocolate gifts if you agree to buy them in the summer. Chocolate can be stored for months and will keep well if placed in a cool, dry, dark environment with a temperature between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.