We were lucky to catch up with Anna Martinez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Sometimes you find yourself at a crossroad in life, and that was where I was in January of 2022. I had just turned 30, I had recently stepped away from a chocolate job because of an unhealthy environment, and had taken another job in the service industry to pay the bills. The job was fine and the people were great, but it wasn’t for me. It was not what I wanted to do. I had discovered chocolate about three or four years before, and realized working with chocolate was something I was good at and really loved. I was very unhappy and I didn’t know what to do. I was deeply struggling with my mental health and knew that something had to change. It became clear that where I was living and working was not healthy for me anymore, and I was self-destructing.

This is when I decided I had to take a risk. I quit my job, I moved back to my home town (something I never wanted to do), and I started making plans to launch my own small business. These choices were not easy. The move was difficult and felt like I was taking a step backwards, but it was a risk I felt I must take. I started Voulez-Vous Bonbon at the end of January 2022 and made chocolate for Valentines’ Day after a year’s hiatus from chocolate making. That first chocolate release did very real and gave me the encouragement to keep trying.

I really did not know a lot about starting a business. I have learned along the way, and I am still learning. My business and my customer base is growing. My skills as a chocolatier are also growing. I am loving the freedom of making my own creative decisions and being my own boss. As a small business owner, I face risks every day. Each decision I make concerning the business involves risk.

I have had the support of family and I am truly trying to focus on becoming a healthier person mentally and physically. So has the risk been worth it? So far, yes! But in the future, I know I will have to take more risks.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always had a love of art, fashion, food, and photography. After high school, I attended the Art Institute of Colorado. I was unsure of my career direction and found myself working in the service industry. One of the owners of the place I was working was opening a new chocolate shop, and I was hired to work the sales counter. The chocolatier took me under her wing and soon I found myself learning how to temper chocolate, paint molds, make fillings, and more. I found that I loved working with chocolate and found myself excelling at it. I was able to use some of my art and design skills to produce some beautiful products. Through a series of events, the head chocolatier left, and I found myself taking over the role of head chocolatier. I continued in this position for a period of three years. During this time I also completed Ecole Chocolat’s chocolate certification program. Mostly I was self-taught and learned through trial and error.

As I said in a previous question, I realized that it was my time to go. That is when I moved to Northern Colorado and started Voulez-Vous Bonbon. I get a lot of questions about the name. The name is inspired by one of my favorite ABBA songs. If you are unfamiliar with ABBA, they were a Swedish singing group from the seventies that I have loved since I was a child. Some of my first memories of music were ABBA songs. Their songs sparked joy in my young life and continue to do so to this day. Also, Voulez-Vous is French for “Do you want?” And when it comes to chocolate, the answer is always yes.

Voulez-Vous specializes in handcrafted/hand painted bonbons and other chocolate confections. I use Valrhona chocolate, which is a certified B corporation meaning their chocolate meets the highest criteria for social and environmental impact. In addition, Valrhona is one of the highest quality commercially available chocolate. Every part of the process is carefully thought out and meticulously created. Each piece involves hand painting each mold, pouring a chocolate shell, filling with hand made caramel, ganache, fruit gels, etc. and sealed with a final chocolate layer. The creations come from my heart and soul.

I participate in pop-ups, markets, and festivals in northern Colorado and in the Denver area. I offer seasonal and holiday chocolate collections that are available for pre-order on my website for pop-ups and local pick up. I am also able to complete custom orders for private events. Some goals for the future would be to offer shipping and perhaps a brick and mortar retail space.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I have had to unlearn is the sense of obtaining perfection. I struggle with having a vision of perfection in my mind and have had to learn that that is not always attainable. I am learning that I am doing my best, and my best will have to be good enough.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I have realized that to get new customers I have to put myself out there as much as possible. I have to seek out events and opportunities. I have to say yes as much as possible. I have to take advantage of social media and make it a priority even though at times it seems life sucking!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.voulez-vousbonbon.com
• Instagram: @voulezvousbonbon
• Facebook: @voulezvousbonbon

Image Credits
Anna Martinez