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About Us
The Cape Cod Chocolatier was opened by Carol and Rob Cronin at Merchants Square in Sandwich in the summer of 2002, but their passion for confections far preceded that.
Carol's family owned a French bakery on Cape Cod and apprenticed under seasoned pastry chefs. Rob, after attending culinary school (where he made his first batch of candy in 1981) joined the bakery in 1983.
By 1990, Rob moved into the supply end of super premium chocolates, consulting with confectioners throughout New England and (with Carol's help) began experimenting with candy recipes at home.
At the Cape Cod Chocolatier our pursuit to hand craft the finest candy and chocolates begins with the selection of ingredients. Only fresh cream, butter, nuts and flavors are selected.
Each batch is slowly cooked in copper kettles and hand stirred with wooden paddles to ensure consistency and quality. Copper kettles are used to provide even distribution of heat from the gas-fired candy stove. The traditional wooden paddle is used to ensure that the candy is thoroughly mixed and evenly cooked. Following recipes carefully, the candy is brought to the perfect temperature being mindful that the weather conditions (temperature and humidity) play an important role in this time honored tradition of hand crafted candy.
Chocolate is a major ingredient in our candy. Cacao beans are grown around the world with 80% of them grown within 20 degrees of the equator. Cacao beans from different regions offer vastly different flavors. We select chocolate blends only from the best flavor beans that come from the Ivory Coast of West Africa along the equator.
Once harvested, the cacao beans need to ferment over a period of 5-6 days and then dried at the bean plantations, as a precursor to the optimal flavor. Each step in the process is critical in the pursuit of the perfect flavor bean.
To make a super premium chocolate, you need to start with the best flavor beans that have been handled properly. Once these flavor beans are roasted, they are ground down to very small particles, (too small for the human mouth to detect) then generously surrounded with creamy cocoa butter and sweetened.
For milk chocolate the milk powder used is critical to the recipe. Milk from different regions impart different flavors, (and if a cow from any region gets into an onion patch the milk will taste like… you guessed it). Every step in the process affects the finished product; every step in the process matters.
At Cape Cod Chocolatier Candy making is our passion.
Great candy begins with the best ingredients, time honored recipes and skill, it is finished by dedicated employees who treat each other with respect and dignity and take pride in the process and serving our customers
