Cocoa…Take me away

Forget Calgon, Hotel Chocolat in St. Lucia will relax your soul and tantalize your senses. Scheduled to open in 2009, Hotel Chocolat plan to immerse visitors in the true meaning of bean to bar. Visitors can tour the hotel’s very own cocoa plantation and journey through the entire growing, harvesting and manufacturing process of the hotels luxury line of chocolate.

While submerging yourself in the sensory experience, the body and soul can enjoy a cocoa nib exfoliation, cocoa butter moisturizing treatments and a dinner menu influenced with St. Lucia’s prize cocoa beans.

Sconza Capitalizes on Hershey’s Departure

The legendary chocolate company Hershey’s closed their 45-year old plant in Oakdale, California, this past February to relocate their production facility to Monterrey, Mexico. As one of the main sources of job opportunities for this small town of 18,500, the closure nearly devastated the town. However, a knight in shining amour has arrived!

Okay…maybe not a knight in shining amour, but family-owned company called Sconza. Sconza, a growing candy manufacturer previously based in Oakland, California, is relocating to the Oakdale area. Founded in 1939 by Vincent Sconza, the company is capitalizing on Hershey’s departure by relocating to a region saturated with confection making talent and excited to have a company stay in the good old USA.

Hmmm... Maybe they will add hot chocolate to their product line…?