A mom and pop chocolate shoppe opens new location in Plano

When people see an overnight success, they may not see the years of hard work and struggle that went into building that success.

That’s the case with The Chocolate Shoppe in Plano, which recently opened at 12700 U.S. 34.

The Chocolate Shoppe is known for more than just chocolate. The new 3,000-square-foot facility means the shop’s specialties all are under one roof. Owner Andie Groff noted that they first began working with local causes at their first shop years ago in Utica. When Operation Clause, which helps provide underprivileged children gifts and experiences to celebrate the holidays, came looking for donations, the store didn’t have any extra.

“We were so broke, I couldn’t give them any money,” Groff said. But she had another suggestions. “What if we added to their day a chocolate making party?”

Groff said it was one of the most popular events of the day, and it helped grow in to a major part of The Chocolate Shoppe’s identity.

“It kind of blossomed from there,” Groff said.

In the new space, they can them to make and sell chocolate and host various community events fo children and adults, including fundraisers. Community support has been crucial to The Chocolate Shoppe’s success, and the Groffs want to return that support.

“It’s really important to give back to the community in that way,” Groff said.

For Groff, the new shop is the product of 15 years of work. After the shop in Utica closed, the business took on several forms, including pop-up shops, physical storefronts and home deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The community supported the business, and it made as many as 90 home deliveries a week during the pandemic.

Groff made her first chocolate bar when she was 8 years old, when she combined hot chocolate mix, milk and almonds in a tin foil mold she made and then refrigerated.

“An hour later, I had a chocolate bar,” she said. She would make molded chocolate into her teens. After high school she first went to culinary school to become a pastry chef, but soon realized chocolate was her passion and switched to the chocolatier program.

The facility is a dedicated gluten-free facility. Groff said they use 100% pure Belgian chocolate.

Chocolate making is a complicated process, sensitive to the environment around it. Previously, there would be several weeks in the summer where it was simply too warm to make chocolate. At the new location, the manufacturing section has vapor barriers to seal the room from the outside humidity. This year, Groff said, they were making chocolate inside while it was 100 degrees outside.

Beyond their local business, The Chocolate Shoppe is launching its own brand of truffles called “Chocoluxe” after it recently inked a deal with a Belgian chocolate distributor. While the new location has all the space for the business’s previous activities, the basement will provide room for the new venture and its more than 160 customers across the continent.

This business-to-business element is new for The Chocolate Shoppe, and Groff admitted it was a little overwhelming, but she is not deterred.

“We are super excited,” she said.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the owner of the Chocoluxe brand.