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Coblentz is chocolate - one taste is all it takes!
By Joanne Lehman
"Once upon a time, there was a quiet little village in the French countryside, whose people believed in Tranquilité - Tranquility. If you lived in this village, you understood what was expected of you. You knew your place in the scheme of things."
The opening lines from the movie "Chocolat," starring the French actress Juliette Binoche, could describe the town of Walnut Creek, Ohio, home of the Coblentz Chocolate Company. Like their movie counterpart, this store is open during Lent - and it's still open 20 years after the Coblentz family started selling candy from a shop perched on a tranquil hillside in Holmes County, Ohio. Unlike their French counterpart, the Coblentz establishment is always closed on Sunday. But, no worries! Jason and Mary Coblentz, along with their dedicated staff, create and sell premium chocolates that tempt and delight all who step inside any other day of the week.
"Their goal is to make chocolates - to create a quality, premium product you can't find in a grocery store," said Amy Yoder, marketing director. She said the Coblentz family saw a need for an area candy maker and set out to fulfill that need. Jason Coblentz has developed his trade and art through his association with a national trade group of confectioners. Combining practical knowledge with locally available butter and cream and premium chocolate, and adding other choice ingredients, contributes to the success of his venture.
While Jason Coblentz is responsible for the candy making, his wife, Mary, oversees the retail part of the business, including a growing mail-order business through their Web site. "We have a little e-mail following," said Yoder. "It's always fun to hear from out-of-town visitors."
The storefront of Coblentz Chocolate Company speaks of old-fashioned goodness, with its rocking chairs on the front porch and second story dormers and eaves trimmed with Victorian gingerbread. A popular event is Customer Appreciation Day, held this year on June 27. The last Friday in June, the front porch will be set up for a day of scooping ice cream to thank the community for its support. This year, the ice cream will be drizzled with an assortment of new Coblentz ice cream toppings.
Inside, the gourmet chocolate shop specializes in a large variety of candies. Glass candy jars line the walls of the store and a candy playhouse delights little visitors, who drool over the huge new display of Jelly Bellies with an expanded assortment of flavors.
For many customers, chocolate is the best reason to visit the quiet village of Walnut Creek. The Coblentz candy counter is piled high with a seemingly infinite collection of homemade chocolates. The delightful gift shop also features stacks and piles of beautifully packaged and wrapped seasonal chocolate gifts - sure to meet the need for any gift-giving occasion. Visitors may easily pass up a fancy wrapped box for the pleasure of selecting a personal assortment. But how do you choose from all the decadence in these glass cases filled with mouth-watering confections?
Sure to please, the Coblentz Swiss style truffles are hand-rolled and decorated with drizzles of colored icing. They're the ultimate treat and a favorite for gifting and special occasions like weddings and parties. Other popular picks are Buckeyes, cream filled, and snappers - the hard shell candy combo featuring caramel, nuts and chocolate.
Fudge is always in demand and there are many flavors to choose from, including vanilla walnut, maple walnut, peanut butter, peanut butter chocolate, chocolate and chocolate almond, and chocolate praline fudge flavors, as well as more exotic seasonal flavors like pumpkin and apple in the fall and peppermint for the holiday season.
Yoder said the company holds an annual tasting event, which will take place this year on Sept. 19, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This is a ticketed event, when the owners set out candy samples and open the production area of the facility for interactive candy-themed fun, such as dipping pretzels and marshmallows or making chocolate-coated fruit kabobs.
Even if you don't make it to the back room, where the divine scent of chocolate lingers in the air, visitors any week day will still catch a whiff of the magic, as they watch confectioners at work through the windows of the viewing gallery. Here you'll glimpse the kitchen, with its copper kettles perched atop a gas flame, where expert candy makers start from scratch on recipes they've memorized from years of practicing their art. One-pound butter cubes are stacked, waiting to be melted into the premium Wilbur chocolate used in all Coblentz chocolates. Each year, more than 60,000 pounds of chocolate finds its way into the amazingly rich concoctions.
At Christmas - their busiest season - these cooks might use 60 pounds of butter in one day, just for the six or seven batches of caramel they cook. Local dairy products are in abundant supply in Holmes County and are a key ingredient in most recipes. The company employs five candy makers, who stir up batch after batch of chocolates on a rotating schedule designed to ensure most varieties are constantly in stock.
A couple of years ago, Coblentz Chocolate Company added an enlarged "enrober" to their facility. From the viewing gallery, guests can watch the mechanized process that coats various hand-cooked candy mixtures with chocolate. Bite-sized confections are placed on a moving belt, where a double coating of chocolate is applied smoothly to the bottom of each piece. Then, a top coat is added before the candy disappears into a long refrigerated canal. It emerges and is placed in storage boxes or packaged for sale. During the peak season, they will produce 800 pounds of chocolate per day and keep 40 employees at work.
Additional items sold at the Coblentz Chocolate Company are Fairly Traded Hemisphere coffees, hot cocoas, candied nuts, and a line of delicious fresh roasted nuts. Sugar free chocolates and hard candies are also available. A popular gift box includes the Trio Package, which includes two pounds of chocolate, one pound of deluxe mixed nuts, and eight ounces of fudge or 10 ounces of mints. This can be ordered in a wrapped gift package to make Christmas shopping a sweet trip.
Hours at the company are Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., July through October. From November to June, the store is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is located at 4917 State Route 39, Walnut Creek 44687. Call them at 800-338-9341.
