5 places to buy local chocolate for Valentine's Day (and any day really) in Indianapolis
Corrections and clarifications: This article was updated Feb. 8, 2023, with correct pricing for SoChatti flights.
Sweets for your sweetie?
Chocolate takes center stage for Valentine’s Day giving. Folk spent about $4 billion on chocolate and candy for Valentine’s Day 2022, according to Information Resources Inc. The National Confectioners Association expects that to increase by 5% this year.
About 93% of people say they would like to get a gift of chocolate and candy to celebrate the holiday. (What happened to those new year's resolutions?)
There are plenty of ways to buy locally to help you oblige.
Budget friendly:Cheap Valentine's Day gifts under $25 on Amazon for cash-strapped lovers
Newfangled Confection/The Best Chocolate in Town
The Best Chocolate in Town pop-up at Keystone at the Crossing through Feb. 26 sells handmade truffles and, through Feb. 14, chocolate-covered strawberries. There’s also a Valentine's Day pop-up at 884 Massachusetts Ave. before that store opens year-round starting March 1 to sell signature chocolate pies, truffles, creamy caramels, turtle squares and handmade bars.
It marks the return of the brand to Mass Ave after it left there at the start of the pandemic.
Customers also can order a 15-piece Truffle Box ($45) of assorted handcrafted goodies with whipped ganache at orders@newfangledconfections.com or by texting or calling 317-721-5525.
Newfangled Confections and The Best Chocolate in Town are manufactured at 1340 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis.
SoChatti
Not your traditional Valentine’s Day chocolates, these pouches of chocolate can go from solid form for snacking to melted for dipping and crafting and back to solid again without losing taste.
Each single-origin dark chocolate contains only three ingredients — cacao nibs, organic cane sugar and organic cacao butter — for treats that are free of dairy, gluten, soy and nuts.
The chocolate is produced at the Circle City Industrial Complex, 1125 Brookside Ave., which also has a tasting room with $10 flights of chocolate and hosts various classes suitable for kiddos and date nights.
A Feb. 10 Valentine's Chocolate & Wine Class comes with a tour of the factory, themed charcuterie and candy making. A Feb. 11 party has guests making their own candies, Rice Krispie treat pops and cards. The event also will have specialty cocktails, wine and beer available for purchase.
Gift cards are available.
Endangered Species Chocolate
Indianapolis-based Endangered Species Chocolate combines premium chocolate with conservation, with a focus on sustainability. Since 2015, it has donated more than $2.6 million to wildlife conservation efforts.
Its dark chocolate bars are made at 5846 W. 73rd St., Indianapolis, with Fair Trade-certified cocoa beans from family-owned co-ops in West Africa, and contain no gluten, palm oil or GMOs. Most products are vegan.
The regular lineup of two dozen bars includes combinations of caramel and milk chocolate; dark chocolate and espresso beans; and cinnamon, cayenne, cherries and dark chocolate.
Valentine’s Day seasonal offerings include cherries and dark chocolate; oat milk and dark chocolate; and tart raspberries and dark chocolate combinations. They are $3.49 each; or $12.69 for a trio.
Find them at Kroger, Whole Foods, Target, Meijer, Target, Fresh Thyme, and The Fresh Market.
DeBrand Fine Chocolates
DeBrand Fine Chocolates out of Fort Wayne are made with imported Belgian, Swiss, and other chocolates with made-from-scratch centers of creams, caramels, ganaches and truffles.
Outlets include DeBrand Fine Chocolates of Indianapolis at The Shops at River Crossing, 8685 River Crossing Blvd., Indianapolis.
Valentine’s Day offerings range from $3.75 bars up to a $189.50 tower of sweets.
South Bend Chocolate Co.
Bars, chocolate-enrobed cookies and gift boxes await at local Chocolate Cafes at 30 Monument Circle in Indianapolis and 45 W. Main St. in Carmel.
No need to break the bank for a gift. A five-piece sampler of chocolates is $7.99. Its Cherry Blossoms — roasted pecans, cherries and caramel covered in milk chocolate — comes in an eight-piece box for $12.99.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter:@cherylvjackson.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Valentine's Day gifts: Where to get chocolate in Indianapolis
