If you’re a Seattleite and shop at Metropolitan Market, you might notice the enormous selection of chocolates right by the checkout stand. It’s nearly impossible to miss, especially if you love chocolate like I do and the last time we visited Met Market there was even a sample stand to tempt us with delicious treats! This is where I’ve seen Chuao chocolates and I usually bypass them out of loyalty to our local chocolatiers Theo, Seattle Chocolates or Frans. We have so many chocolate makers in our own Seattle neighborhood that it’s hard to make room for someone new, even if their yummy chocolate bars have tempting toppings like potato chips and sprinkles (yum-yes!) in them.
But I think this is where getting to know a company totally helps you love its products a little more. My family is in Carlsbad for a conference where my husband had a presentation on the topic of “Joy.” I have spent the last few days driving around the area with my guys in tow to adventure, see family and see Legoland. The day my husband had his presentation, I was telepathically sending him good presentation vibes enroute to the Flower Fields when a giant sign caught my eye and I knew we had to stop.
We stumbled upon the Chuao chocolate factory and it seems like a place that is truly embracing “joy!” We tried samples and watched people making chocolates through the factory window. Sadly, we missed the factory tour as it books up very quickly and we had missed signing up. (I need to make a list of all the chocolate factories tours I’ve missed like the Cadbury factory in England so I can go back and visit them all when the kids grow up and I need something to do. )
I knew I needed to write this down immediately because it’s something I wish I knew existed when I was thinking about what to do on a trip to Carlsbad with my kids. It’s only about a 10 minute drive from the flower fields and it’s always cool to see a fun chocolate factory and I think kids appreciate food more when they see how its made. I like that the factory had California-themed chocolate bars and teeny versions of the big chocolate bars and the kids and I picked up a few souvenirs from our adventure. I wish I picked up more of the Sprinkle Dreams bar and I now know my local faves have a worthy competitor the next time I shop for chocolates when I grocery shop at home.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)