We started Sweet Secrets Chocolate in 2006 with a recipe for great hand-rolled truffles and an eye for detail. Dede is the master chocolatier: a selfless humanitarian who knows her way around a kitchen. Terri is the operating manager and chief storyteller: full of ideas and the gift of gab. Together, we’ve built a growing business with a unique product: The Chocolate Pretzel Pizza.
How we came upon the idea is open for discussion, but it went something like this. . .
In the beginning… we made hand rolled truffles. They were excellent. All natural ingredients rolled in toppings – not dipped in a hard chocolate coating. We had waiting lists for our special seasonal truffles. What we didn’t have, was enough time in the day to make all-natural truffles that had a very short shelf life. So we started using our chocolate ganache for dipping pretzels. Very clever, and very delicious! We especially loved the broken pretzels because we could snack as we worked. After a few months of daily snacking, it became apparent that we needed to change our ways.
We’ll just take the pretzel pieces and add some of our favorite goodies, like cookie chunks, chocolate chips, M&Ms, sugar cones, and LOTS of rainbow sprinkles. Top that off with drizzled chocolate, and you have a delicious mixture of sweet and salty goodness. We introduced our Chocolate Pretzel Bark and it quickly became a customer favorite.
Before we had our own manufacturing facility, we would rent space in a shared commercial kitchen. We rented by the hour, often times in the evening, when the rates were more affordable. Late nights in the kitchen. Girls just wanna have fun! Well, we did like to play around a bit. We eyed a stack of deep-dish pizza pans and that’s where the fun began. Neither Dede nor Terri will admit to who first had the idea of putting the Chocolate Pretzel Bark in the pizza pan, but before the night was over, the Chocolate Pretzel Pizza was created, including the marketing strategy, packaging details, and even the chocolate busting “Smash Mallet”. And within 4 months, it was declared a finalist for “Best New Innovative Chocolate Product” by the National Chocolate and Dessert Industry. And that’s a true story. It’s also just the beginning!
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