As hard as we work to ensure that the orders we fill for you are accurate and delicious, sometimes slip-ups happen and we now present you with an opportunity to capitalize on our latest goof.

We had a bulk order come in recently for many milk chocolate bars with mini pretzels and dark chocolate bars with cinnamon.  Unfortunately, we swapped those arrangements by mistake, and now have 65 unclaimed bars that will be sold at the special price of just $3.00.

So, if you think a milk chocolate with cinnamon sound like a bar that you would like to try, shoot on over to the Favorites page and find the new Cinnamon Special bar being sold at a discount price while supplies last.

Hurry though, I have a feeling these bars will last about as long as the Chocomize beard-growing contest from earlier this summer.

Here at Chocomize, we are more than just the first customizable chocolate service here in the good ole US of A.  We embrace the international flavor of today's world, and have officially made it easier than ever for our brethren up north in America's Hat to get their chocolate fix.  Whereas before our Canadian comrades had to phone in their orders due to limitations in the shipping options on our website, we have expanded to include the Great White North so that our chocolate can make the trip across the border much more easily.

So whether you’re watching a Jim Carrey movie, headed to a Justin Bieber concert, drinking a Molson at a bar on your 19^th birthday, or staring at your Sydney (freakin’) Crosby poster, feel free to order all the Chocomize chocolate you can eat.  After all, if you get sick, the doctor’s visit will be free anyway.

With many people spending the holiday shortened week returning to the grind of a new school year and bidding farewell to the 90-plus degree temperatures of the summer months, we here at Chocomize wanted to help lift your spirits with a few goofy tidbits from the world of chocolate that we have stumbled across.  What else would you expect from a group that spends their days building chocolate bars and listening to Harry Potter books on tape?

The answer, of course, is items like these to distract you just long enough to forget about the fact that sweater weather is just around the corner.

For example, did you know...?

• The world's largest chocolate bar - which served as the main attraction at the 15th International Milka Chocolate Festival in Bludenz, Austria - weighed in at a remarkable 4,410 pounds.  The gigantic bar measured 16.4 feet by 6.5 feet and was reportedly viewed by about 30,000 spectators at it's unveiling in 1998.  It was produced by Milka, a popular European chocolate company owned by Kraft Foods.  I thought they just made cheese
• The most expensive chocolate bar in the world is known as the Wispa Gold special edition bar.  Released in 2009 as a tribute to the defunct Wispa Gold bars that were discontinued in 2003, the bars are have an outer layer of edible gold and are packaged in golden wrappers.  So if you have an extra $1,626.73 lying around, feel free to enjoy the most luxurious chocolate bar money can buy.  Or you could just buy the second most expensive chocolate bar - the limited release Apollo bar of Lost fame - that was auctioned on eBay for a mere $130.  Then you can give me the other $1,500 you were going to spend on a chocolate bar.
• This upcoming Sunday, September 12, is National Chocolate Milkshake Day.  While the milkshake is only a distant cousin of ours here at Chocomize, we respect the process of self-creation in all of its forms.  Even when it is created just from some chocolate ice cream, milk, and chocolate syrup instead of our premium Belgian chocolate and wide variety of ingredients.

Hopefully you have enjoyed reading our little chocolate tidbits, and remember to impress people by wishing them a Happy National Chocolate Milkshake Day on Sunday while watching some football.

Sometimes, a few business days is just too long to wait for access to Chocomize's premium chocolate bars with delicious added ingredients.  Luckily, if you live near Prineton, NJ, that will not be a problem for you anymore.  As of this week, a few fan-favorite flavors of Chocomize chocolate bars will be available at Olive's Restaurant, making access to our bars easier than ever.  The Olive's market is now stocked with and will be featuring the following flavors:

• Smores Bar (Milk Chocolate Bar with Graham Teddies and Mini Marshmallows)
• Milk Chocolate Bar with Chocolate Candy and Mini Pretzels
• Dark Chocolate Bar with Coffee Beans and Hazelnuts
• Dark Chocolate Bar with Cinnamon, Crunchy Almond Croquent, and Dried Raspberries

Labor day weekend is over and gone. Fabian spent the weekend at the beach, Nick and Eric hung out in the Chocomize home state of New Jersey. You guys came up with so me really great creations. Check out our top five favorite chocolate bar combinations of the weekend:

1. Yummy in GIA'S Tummy!!
Milk Chocolate
Nuts & Seeds: Butter Toasted Peanuts
Herbs & Spices: Sea Salt
Candy: Caramel Pieces
Decorations: Happy Birthday Plaque
Candy: Chocolate Candy

2. Forget the itsybitsyteenyweeny yellow polka dot bikini!! EAT THE BAR!!!
White Chocolate
Candy: Oreo Pieces
Other: Crunchy Almond Croquant
Decorations: Sprinkles
Decorations: Candle

3. White Chocolate
Herbs & Spices: Lavender
Fruits: Blueberries
Other: Graham Teddies
Fruits: Diced Lemon Peel

4. Dark Chocolate
Herbs & Spices: Lavender
Decorations: Crystallized Violet Petals

5. Cookie Dough Crunch
Milk Chocolate
Candy: Cookie Dough
Other: Mini Pretzels

We've had some pretty delicious combinations this week. Need some ideas other than our favorites? Check out what we think were the best combinations this week.

1. Joe's bar
Milk Chocolate
Other: Mini Pretzels
Nuts & Seeds: Roasted Organic Peanuts
Candy: Cookie Dough
Herbs & Spices: Cinnamon
Candy: Candy Orange Slices

2. Salty Caramel
Dark Chocolate
Herbs & Spices: Sea Salt
Candy: Caramel Pieces

3. My Angel
Dark Chocolate
Candy: Oreo Pieces
Decorations: Valentine Heart
Other: Mini Pretzels
Herbs & Spices: Sea Salt
Fruits: Dried Raspberries

4. Tropical Battle Royal
Milk Chocolate
Fruits: Coconut Flakes
Fruits: Pineapple Dices
Fruits: Banana Chips

5. Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!
Dark Chocolate
Nuts & Seeds: Pecan Halves
Nuts & Seeds: Hazelnuts
Decorations: Happy Anniversary Plaque
Decorations: I Love You Heart
Other: Mini Pretzels

If you’re a true Chocomize fan you know that most of what is on our website has been voted, recommended, or added on by you guys. Do you think we could think of combining gushers and chocolate on our own? We recently had another contest to see which new ingredients we should add to our list. The first place winner, orange peel, blew the rest of the competition out of the water. The second place ingredient, pumpkin seeds, was a much closer race.

This is old news though, what new? We taste tested them (we wouldn’t add anything we didn’t think was delicious…ok I’m not a big fan of wasabi peas, but we do only add the best quality ingredients) and added them to the website! Both make for incredible additions to your custom chocolate bar. So far orange peel, strawberries, and pecan halves have (say that ten times fast) been very popular. Someone even named an ‘Orange Bar’:

Orange Bar
Dark Chocolate
Fruits: Orange Peel
Herbs & Spices: Sea Salt
Candy: Candy Orange Slices
Candy: Mini Marshmallows

Candy: Pop Rocks

Pumpkin seeds and raisins have also been pretty popular. It definitely puts you in the fall mood! Anyways, thanks to all our fans for helping us find these great additions, and let us know what you think would go well with the new ingredients.

-Nick

Chocomize had quite a weekend and showing at the National Selection Regatta (NSR.) As reported in the previous posts, many on the Chocomize team are also rowers (we have to burn off all that chocolate somehow.) This weekend witnessed the finals of the NSR, and also the races were very exciting.

All of the Chocomize members reached the finals on Saturday morning, and everyone did really well! Sam Stitt placed second in the men’s heavyweight pair race, Jimmy Sopko and Will Daly placed third, and Nick LaCava and Anthony Fahden placed first. Check out all the pictures of the racing below, and make sure to look closely to see the Chocomize logo and the back of everyone’s jersey.

Now all five of the Chocomize rowers are going to compete for a spot on the 2010 National Rowing Team and hopefully a chance to go race in New Zealand at the World Championships.

Above, Will Daly and Jimmy Sopko in the back, Nick LaCava and Anthony Fahden up front.

Above, Sam Stitt is the boat closest, in the back

Great news! Chocomize advances to the finals of the rowing National Selection Regatta. Nick LaCava, Anthony Fahden, Jimmy Sopko, Will Daly, and Sam Stitt (chief chocolatier) have all advanced to Saturday’s finals. It’s unclear at the moment if their performance is due solely to having eaten tons of Chocomize chocolate, but we’re pretty convinced down here at the factory that it has had a large effect. Check out the pictures of some of the racing. Even though it's hard to tell, you can see the begining of the Chocomize logo on their backs. Will Daly and Jimmy Sopko are in the first picture, Nick LaCava and Anthony Fahden are in the second. Stay tuned to hear the results of Saturday’s racing!

And don’t forget to make your own custom chocolate bar at our creation station and support the rowers!

A lot of the people working and running Chocomize are rowers. Today was the first day of the National Selection Regatta (NSR.) The NSR is a regatta that qualifies rowers to make the United States National team. Rowers come from all over the country to race in Princeton, NJ with the hope of trying to represent the US at the upcoming world championships in New Zealand this fall.

Chocomize was in full force today at the regatta, with four of its chocolatiers racing. Today was the preliminary racing. Sam Stitt  (the tall guy in the middle) placed 7^th in the men’s heavyweight pair, while Nick LaCava and Anthony Fahden (the two handsome gentleman to his left and right) placed 2^nd and Will Daly and Jimmy Sopko (the scrawny looking guys on the ends) placed 1st in the men’s lightweight pair. Although Will doesn’t work at Chocomize (yet) he was willing to sport a unisuit with our logo on it.

To get ready for the big race, Sam Stitt designed a pretty formidable handlebar mustache which is definitely worth a shot out on this blog. Hopefully he'll have shaved it off by the time he comes into work, we don't want him scaring any of our female employees!

You’ll notice on the back of the rowing jerseys there is the Chocomize logo. We’re all big fans of rowing over here at the factory and think it’s great that we can have a presence at the NSR. We make sure to keep all the rowers well supplied when it comes to chocolate, and our bars are always a big hit when we show up with a box at practice.

More updates will come as the racing continues!

-Nick

Great news! We recently broke the $2,000 mark on our charity count. As all our Chocomize fans know, a portion of every custom chocolate bar sold gets donated to one of three charities, and you the customer gets to choose which one. We’ve raised over $2,000, something we are very proud of. The money raised isn’t just from the proceeds, but also from extra donations that people have given. People have been extremely generous, sometimes giving ten, twenty, and even fifty extra dollars. If you check out our charity page, you’ll see that Doctors Without Borders leads the charge with over $1000 raised, and then the Michael J. Fox foundation is in second place with Action Against Hunger close on its heels. Keep up the good work, and hopefully we’ll reach $3,000 in no time at all!

Need help coming up with some good ideas for your chocolate bar creation? Here are the five most delicious bars I think we made this week:

1. But You Don't Let Bees in Your House!
Milk Chocolate
Candy: Chocolate Candy
Candy: Dark Chocolate Chips
Candy: White Chocolate Chips
Decorations: Sprinkles

2. Healthy & Happy Mami
Milk Chocolate
Nuts & Seeds: Organic Flax Seeds
Fruits: Coconut Flakes
Other: Banana Granola

3. Cierra's Candy Bar
Milk Chocolate
Candy: Sour Patch Kids
Candy: Pop Rocks

4. Catie's other birthday bar!
Milk Chocolate
Candy: Oreo Pieces
Candy: Mini Marshmallows
Candy: Cookie Dough

5. Dark Chocolate
Candy: Caramel Pieces
Candy: Toffee
Candy: Mini Marshmallows
Candy: Cookie Dough
Decorations: Candy Sugar Hearts

There’s no groundbreaking news to share, but Fabian created a pretty awesome picture that I thought was at least worth posting on our blog. This has been one of our all time favorite bars and has been around since the beginning of Chocomize. It’s unclear exactly how this combination was discovered (usually when in doubt I try to take credit for things) but it’s a pretty natural combination. Fabian’s ne w picture definitely makes it more enticing!

And for those who haven’t noticed, we did add a new favorites bar called the Back To School Bar. Milk chocolate with gummi bears, chocolate candy, and candy letters is a great gift for the student heading off to school (and it’s on sale!) That’s enough salesmanship for one blog posting, summer is quickly coming  and I’m going to try to enjoy the outdoors…

Nick

Hello and Goodbye,

It’s been a wild ride here at the creation capital of the world and I certainly learned a lot, not only about how to decipher Fabian’s German accent or how to perfectly chop those pesky macadamia nuts, but also about raw entrepreneurship and smooth business management. I was lucky enough to earn a position in the office here at a time of major growth and change and saw our company featured in everything from Oprah and CNN to TV hit Rizzoli and Isles and the Costco Connection and many more. From first bar to last, this was easily the sweetest job I’ve had yet and it will certainly be hard to top, even with 23 karat gold flakes…(my ability to craft the perfect puns has also increased exponentially since starting my work here). I’m off to celebrate the rest of summer with a few of my favorite things. . .

My dog Rosie

The Beach

and Rizzoli and Isles (can you find the Chocomize bar?)

Until…next year???!?

Jim Brown

Yes, it’s that time again. All of our new friends have been suggesting some pretty good new ingredients for us to add to the list but, as always, we’d like to run it by you first. Pick your 2 favorites and we'll add the winners to the list!

Seeing the chocolate bars that people create is one of the reasons I love working at Chocomize. I will think that I’ve tried the best combination possible (right now I’m all about milk chocolate with m & m’s, pretzels, and cinnamon toast crunch) but then someone will come along and think of something even better. Sometimes, however, people will create a chocolate bar that I just don’t get. Milk chocolate with pop rocks, bacon, edamame, and sour patch kids? I just don’t understand that. We had a pretty weird bar today: dark chocolate with beef jerky, nerds, cayenne pepper, and pop rocks. Now I don’t want to be judgmental, but seriously? I’m all about beef jerky and chocolate, but if you’re going to go down that route, I recommend trying potato chips or butter toasted peanuts. And nerds and pop rocks are amazing, but I’m not sure combining them with cayenne pepper is the best option. I guess that’s the whole point of Chocomize though, we have no idea what people would like so we just leave it up to you.

If you do want my opinion (since I can write whatever I want, I’m going to give it to you regardless) here are some combinations that I think are delicious. Pretty much every week I have a new favorite bar, but here are my top three recently discovered combinations:

1. Milk chocolate with pretzels, m & m’s, and cinnamon toast crunch.

2. Dark chocolate with strawberries, gushers, and crunchy almond croquant.

3. Dark chocolate with cinnamon and coffee beans.

Even though I think these combos are great, I’m definitely not always correct. I tried a dark chocolate bar with beef jerky and sour patch kids (it’s a surprisingly popular combination) and it was actually good…goes to show that even after a year I still don’t know everything about what ingredients go best with what.

-Nick

As a lot of you know, we donate 1% of the money you spend on your custom chocolate bars to charity. Our belief is that companies should be socially conscious and find ways to give back to the community. The coolest part of the charity program (we think at least) is that YOU get to choose the charity. Right now there are three different charities you can donate to: Doctors Without Borders, Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Action Against Hunger. We’ve raised almost $1,000 dollars for Doctors Without Borders, and in order to try to get it over that mark, I thought I’d do a charity spotlight on them.

Doctors Without Borders was founded in 1971 by a group of French Doctors who believed that EVERYONE should receive health care, regardless of their national border. As of 2007, almost 30,000 people participated with Doctors Without Borders in over 60 different countries. 80% of its funding came from private donations, which means help from regular people. The charity mostly works in areas stricken by war and poverty, places that would normally have a hard time getting access to modern medicine. The organization has received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

We love having them as one of our charities, and we’re extremely proud of the amount that you guys have decided to give back to them. Keep up the good work!

-Nick

There’s been a lot going on at Chocomize. In case you didn’t hear, we were featured on CNN.com earlier today. If you haven’t checked out the story, you can read it here.

So that in itself would be pretty awesome, but people liked the story about us so much that they wanted to check out our website, and hence searched for us on Google. So many searched for us, in fact, that we ended up being one of the top searches on Google! If you check out the picture below, you’ll notice that Chocomize is number two for ‘Hot Searches’. Hot searches lists the top 40 search terms that have increased in popularity that day. Out of all the search terms in Google, Chocomize had the 2^nd greatest rise in popularity! That’s a pretty good day in our book.

So to all our new fans, thanks for checking us out!

-Nick

A new study published in European Heart Journal provided more evidence that chocolate is actually good for your health (as if you actually needed a reason to eat chocolate…) The study, which was done by the German Institute of Human Nutrition, found that people who ate a quarter of an ounce of chocolate regularly had lower blood pressure and a lower risk for strokes and heart attacks as compared to people who rarely ate chocolate. The most surprising part of this study for us was hearing that there were actually people that didn’t eat chocolate regularly.  These German’s seem to be smart, but that just can’t possibly be true…