FeedsSweet success
New chocolatier is dipping into market
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That’s not just any backgammon set that Lynne Porter is holding. It’s one of several chocolate treats made at the Northville Schakolad Chocolate Factory.A sign that greets visitors to the new Northville Schakolad Chocolate Factory gets right to the point:
“INDULGE.”
Northville residents Tim and Lynne Porter opened the store last month to a public ready to oblige.
That sign, after all, is affixed to a case full of sorbet and hand-made Italian gelato, trucked in from Saugatuck.
“We’re proud to say that we get it from an in-state company,” Lynne Porter said.
For the Porters’ shop, that’s just the appetizer. Behind the iced treats lay a variety of white, milk and dark chocolates.
“We had been looking at several business opportunities over the last few years and this one seemed to fit our personalities the best,” said Porter.
She and her husband thought Schakolad would be a unique business for the area, too, and with the help of the parent company they opened their franchise in July. They are the 31st location in the U.S. and just the second in Michigan.
The Northville store is adjacent to Trader Joe’s on Haggerty Road and has already attracted some corporate accounts in addition to the curious and hungry shoppers from next door.
Porter said they’ve had fun becoming the newest chocolatiers and business owners in the area.
“The franchise provides a lot of training, so we’re learning things every day,” she said. “We’re budding experts.”Each piece of chocolate is prepared in the store. The tempering machines used to work with the chocolate are on non-stop throughout the week to keep supplies up.
“Many of our products only last three to four weeks,” she said. That’s because there are no preservatives, less sugar and more cocoa than what’s typically found in mass-produced chocolate.
At Schakolad, patrons can see the staff hand make the European-style chocolates. Shoppers can also assemble their own box of chocolates, selecting from 70 different kinds of truffles, exotic fruits and nut clusters, hand-dipped chocolate strawberries, pretzels, cherries and pineapple.
There are several custom molded designs available, too—from hollow footballs to telephones to complete chess sets, made of white and dark chocolate.
The molds are so life-like, one might be hesitant to eat them—momentarily, anyway.
“It’s fun to see people walk in the door and see their jaws drop,” said Porter.
The Northville Schakolad Chocolate Factory is located at 20450 Haggerty Road in Northville. Business hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
During the formal grand opening event from Sept. 8-10, there’s one more reason to feel good about indulging: portions of store sales from that weekend will benefit the Michigan chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
For more information about Schakolad and its products, visit www.schakolad.com or call (734) 464-7040.
