Customer Spotlight: The Chocolate Lab of Asheville

In our new Customer Spotlight feature, we’ll introduce you to some Tropical Foods customers by spotlighting their business, the Tropical products they sell, and sharing some of their merchandising tips. Let’s find out more about The Chocolate Lab of Asheville.

CUSTOMER NAME:
Lisa Klepzig

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS:
We are a hand dipped chocolate candy shop located in Asheville, NC. Our products vary from truffles, beer and wine truffles to various candies and chocolate covered dried fruits. We started out as a home-based business 6 years ago selling at local farmers markets and at a local outdoor amphitheater as well as other small venues. Last August we opened our first brick and mortar shop and are now expanding by retailing out to small shops and breweries in the area.

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?
Our customers are anyone who likes chocolate! We sell to theater attendees, people who
enjoy handcrafted beer, people who are buying gifts for people, people who shop the local
farmers markets and walk-in customers to our shop.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A TROPICAL FOODS CUSTOMER?
6 years

WHAT TROPICAL PRODUCTS DOES YOUR BUSINESS SELL?
We sell dried mango, apricots, pineapple and ginger that have been dipped in chocolate. We use coconut flakes for our coconut balls and we use a variety of the flavored syrups in our truffles that we make.

HOW DO YOU MERCHANDISE THE PRODUCTS?
We sell retail and wholesale out of our shop and out in the community at various events.

WHAT ARE SOME SELLING/MARKETING TIPS YOU’VE SEEN SUCCESS WITH?
People really seem to like the bold flavors in our truffles that pop out at them when they bite into them. I attribute this to the syrups that we use for the flavoring of the truffles.

PERSONAL FAVORITE TROPICAL PRODUCT?
I really enjoy the dried pineapple!

Interested in being featured in a future customer spotlight?
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