We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Justin Fry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin , thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When my wife and I came to Charlotte we visited all the bakeries, patisseries, dessert stops and chocolate shops that the city had to offer. Working with some really talented chefs at my previous job allowed me to learn and practice modern design, flavors, and techniques when it came to chocolate. Seeing that this city didn’t really have that, we (my wife and I) decided this was the place to open our shop. Originally, it was my dream. My wife came on board to help me see it out and execute the idea.

I knew right away that I wanted to do things my way and present chocolate treats that people outside of the industry have never seen. Show the customers how pretty, elegant and most importantly, how delicious chocolate can be. With flavor taking precedence, we work to create a chocolate experience our customers have never had. Our second priority is the visual experience we create. The company logo, gift bags, product packaging, product aesthetics and product flavor should all wow the guest and create a lasting impression to spark conversations with family and friends. This is what we seek out with every detail of our products.

Justin , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a professional chocolatier with a little over 10 years experience in recipe development, product design, competition experience all dealing with chocolate. I worked for one of the top chocolatiers in the world and had the chance to learn from him and the other talented chefs I worked with.

I first sparked an interest in chocolate watching Chef Chocolatier Jacque Torres make a chocolate treat and a small showpiece every Sunday morning on television. With my model building, wood working, and painting experience, I thought I could apply those skills to a medium that you can eat. After attending the chocolate class at Johnson and Wales University in Denver, I really fell in love with chocolate. I chose to pursue ongoing learning in Washington D.C. and then Fort Myers, Florida, where I perfected my skills.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

It is my priority to create something that tastes good, then something that looks pretty and put it into appropriate packaging that highlights our products. These elements create conversations which are often started at the markets and all the pop-ups we participate in throughout the city. Word-of-mouth is pretty powerful and has been the most successful strategy we’ve used. We also have a website and we are working to grow our presence on social media, of course.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

We currently do not ship and only offer delivery in the Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas. We also offer free pickup at the Farmers Markets we attend and with a local store. We are focused on our recognition in the city first before we move into shipping. Shipping chocolate can get tricky and requires a lot of resources to ensure it runs smoothly. We want to progress slowly and at a pace we can control to maintain the best product.

We will, however, ship wholesale for hotels, restaurants etc. should those opportunities come our way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jfchocolat.com
• Instagram: @jf_chocolat
• Facebook: @jfchocolat

Image Credits
Justin Fry @ JF Chocolat