We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dan Friedman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dan below.

Dan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any advice for creating a more inclusive workplace?

In 2017 we started a boutique chocolate shop selling only products made by people with disabilities, and only hiring people with disabilities. The next year we started making our own chocolates. In 2019 we expanded to a larger space and added a juice bar. In 2020 Covid put us out of business and we started over as a wholesale maker of chocolates and juices. Our products are now sold at retail locally in North Carolina, by mail throughout the East coast, and through a distributor in the Carolina’s, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.

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

We are very proud that we provide people with disabilities an opportunity to learn valuable skills and do fulfilling work., It is very gratifying that even customers who are unaware of our mission buy our products because they love them. Our original store was called Special Treats, and now that’s our brand. Our first product was called Smoky Mountain Whiskey Crackers, and it was a finalist in the “Best of NC” competition run by Our State Magazine. It features a cracker dipped in dark chocolate and topped by pecan chips that are cooked in Jack Daniel (R) Tennessee whiskey. It’s an authentic taste of the South. Another very popular chocolate creation is our Raspberry Coffee Bean Bark, a thin bark of Belgian dark chocolate with organic Guatemalan coffee beans and a hint of natural raspberry flavor. Our first bottled juice was a recipe from the old store, a watermelon limeade. We later added peach limeade. Both have a Southern feel to them, which is part of our brand. All of our product labels say: “Made in North Carolina by people with disabilities.”

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Our original business was declared “Nonessential” during Covid and we were forced out of business, left with nothing but our recipes and the goodwill of our customers. Some local retailers were receptive to carrying our products, and our old customers started buying their favorites there. After years of hard work and significant investment, we had to start all over.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The switch from retail to wholesale was huge. We lost a highly visible location where everyone knew they could find our products, to only being found at other retailers. On the other hand, our overhead also went away. The shopping center rent was a crushing liability, and going wholesale freed us from that and gave us breathing room to reconfigure the business. In the beginning we had to approach retailers about carrying our products, but the goal was to find a distributor, and that happened in 2022. The plan was to turn sales and marketing over to a distributor and focus on creation and production.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: @chocolateinnovationsllc