Nothing sweetens Easter like a specially crafted box of sweets from Bridge Street Chocolates (conveniently located at 158 Bridge St., Phoenixville). Chocolatier Gail Warner explains that Bridge Street Chocolates is not just a luxury, but a necessity, and shares entertaining secrets and must-know exclusives about this unique chocolate sensation.
Find out below why you need Bridge’s holiday specialties including bunny- and cross-shaped chocolates, lemon truffles, hollow eggs and organic jelly beans for your festive plans.
Phoenixville Dish: You have so many different sweet options listed on your menu, you even seem to cover all types of tasty cravings. What is one thing you wish to accomplish with your business? What’s next?
Gail Warner: That’s a difficult question for someone that has a million things running in her brain on a regular basis. But since you’ve asked, Bridge Street Chocolates will be expanding their market and distribution through the introduction of new packaging/product selection specifically designed and created to pair with whisky. I’ve asked Riannon Walsh of Celtic Malts to provide the pairing recommendations for whisky and chocolate lovers. The packaging and product will be released in time for Father’s Day! (We also anticipate that this product will be our first product available for online ordering.)
How has adding sugar-free products changed your clientele? Do you feel like your customers are more or less responsive to the “healthier” option of chocolates? If so, how do you plan to continue to serve customers who participate in this life style?
Since opening Bridge Street Chocolates in 2010, we’ve had customers looking for sugar-free options. They return regularly, especially during the holidays. Most sugar-free chocolate lovers are managing insulin levels rather than singly looking to reduce caloric intake. Because of this, in late 2013 we expanded our sugar-free selection to include truffles. We offer a dark chocolate almond and a milk chocolate truffle as well as sugar-free milk sea salt caramels, cashew clusters, white almond bark and more.
Many customers looking for less sugar (not due to diabetes management), we direct them to our darker selections, like our 72% organic, fair trade, soy-free chocolate bars or our single-origin tiles. The majority of our customers are looking for healthier selections of chocolate, so they steer towards our darker chocolate bars.
If you had to pick just one of your products to recommend for this season’s Easter basket, hunts, and gatherings, which product would you recommend and why?
ONE? Well, okay I wanted to mention our hollow eggs available in milk, dark, white, vegan and soy-free….but they can’t be easily tucked into an Easter Basket or a hunt. So, our organic jelly beans would be the answer to this question. We partner with a jelly bean maker to offer the most delicious fresh fruit organic jelly beans on the market. We sell them in small $4 bags or larger. I’ve had parents and grandparents come in the shop for their youngsters. The next thing I know, they’re coming in for themselves, saying, “Love those jelly beans!”
Which piece of chocolate or dessert best describes your past, present, and future? Explain.
Our Bourbon Bark is the best chocolate that represents our past because it required a lot of time to create the perfect combination of flavors (deep dark chocolate, chili, nuts, spirits, and other spices). This flavorful bark much like the development of Bridge Street Chocolates requires an investment of time but well worth it when complete!
Red Hawaiian Sea Salt Drops: Simple yet deliberate. This is our present. We have begun to narrow our focus. Our Red Hawaiian Sea Salt drops are not complex—they are simply delicious. We need to think about those who are passionate about chocolate. Not everyone likes the same thing, so variety is important. We wouldn’t dump everything into one piece of chocolate. We purposefully select the best quality ingredients and develop a palate of chocolate confections to delight a select family of chocolate lovers.
As for our future, “From your lips to Gods ears” it reminds us that it takes time to create a dream, to work a process, and to envision your next endeavor. Our Strawberries and Cream evolved in 2013. This was not something that took a great deal of planning, it was an idea that was developed in a matter of minutes. We tried it, added a unique nut, a pinch of salt and there you have it! (One of our most popular barks). Think it, create it and taste it! Don’t over analyze. If it’s good, it’s good. Keep experimenting that’s how we grow!
And finally, going off of your brilliant webpage design which reads “necessary luxury,” describe what makes your product necessary and describe what makes your products a luxury.
By the way, I love this question! We believe that we have successfully branded ourselves as a chocolate shop rather than a sweet candy store. Chocolate is a necessary food product in our lives. Dark chocolate provides polyphenols with antioxidant activity. If you reference Dr. Andrew Weil, you will see that he suggests eating one ounce of plain dark chocolate a few times a week at the tip of his anti-inflammatory food pyramid.
As far as luxury, let me make this analogy. When we need to get somewhere, we all need transportation. Our choices are endless. Let’s limit it to a basic or a luxury vehicle. Both modes of transportation meet our needs but which experience provided greater satisfaction? You can buy chocolate most anywhere, but where can you go to smell the melted chocolate, see the different shapes, designs, colors and flavor combinations of confections and receive customer focused care when you’re shopping for those creamy delights? When you taste it, you’ll know luxury at Bridge Street Chocolates of Phoenixville!
Find Bridge Street Chocolates at 158 Bridge St. in Phoenixville; phone: (610) 935-8100. Orders may be placed via email at [email protected].
