MOORESTOWN - A team of young entrepreneurs has turned corporate futures into custom chocolate bars.

Township residents Eric Heinbockel and Fabian Kaempfer are college buddies and business partners. Together they own Chocomize, a company that creates confections designed by customers. Those placing orders choose what flavor of chocolate they'd like - dark, milk or white - and select up to five additional ingredients from a menu of 85 choices.

Customer orders are taken through the company's Web site, www.Chocomize.com, which went "live" in November. Orders are put together at the Chocomize headquarters in Cherry Hill, where the three hands-on founders serve as the only employees.

Working with the partners is friend Nick LaCava of Princeton. All three men graduated from Columbia University in New York within the last two years.

Heinbockel said he once had plans to enter the finance industry. The ongoing economic recession, however, derailed that path when job opportunities dried up.

"We graduated in the worst of times," he said. "We're entrepreneurs out of necessity."

The idea to sell custom-designed candy came partly by accident. After purchasing chocolate and other loose items at a local supermarket, the men said someone - they wouldn't say who - left the bag in the back of a car.

"The chocolate melted with the seeds and stuff," said Heinbockel, a 2004 graduate of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken.

According to Kaempfer, a German native, Europe is home to many custom food companies that make a variety of items, such as granola bars and marmalade, as well as chocolate. Realizing a potential business opportunity as a niche concept in the United States, the men formed Chocomize in August.

"We figured we would fill a void," Heinbockel said. "Consumers have become more and more demanding. There are so many choices on the Internet."

The chocolate bars are European size, weighing 3.5 ounces before the "extras" are added. Ingredient choices include nuts, fruits, candies, spices, herbs, and other edible items ranging from traditional favorites, such as almonds, M&Ms and toffee, to more unique options. Heinbockel said the founders allow customer suggestions to guide their menu additions.

"Chipotle pepper is one we would never have thought of," he said. "The whole process is pretty user-interactive."

Kaempfer said the company is constantly adding new ingredients, but cayenne pepper is one of the popular choices. According to him and Heinbockel, sea salt is the most popular ingredient on the Chocomize menu, while the most requested combination is milk chocolate with bacon bits.

Some ingredients are imported, including the Belgian chocolate needed to form the bars, but orders are processed and manufactured on-site. One request being worked on during a recent afternoon incorporated edible 23-karat-gold flakes and rose petals.

According to Heinbockel, order prices vary depending on how many and what type of ingredients are requested. The average price of one custom candy bar is about $6. A portion of all sales is donated to one of three charities.

While placing orders, customers are asked to choose which organization - Doctors Without Borders, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, or Action Against Hunger - to support. The company also has sent chocolate bars to Air Force personnel stationed in Afghanistan.

"We're always looking for ways to give back," Heinbockel said.

The men said word-of-mouth advertising and blogger reviews have gone a long way.

"Things are starting to pick up," Heinbockel said. "We were pretty busy during the Christmas season. It was pretty good considering when we got started."

Chocomize sold about 1,000 individual candy bars from November to December in addition to processing orders for corporate gifts. They are processing orders for Academy Awards parties as well as milestone events such as birthdays and retirements. Custom packaging also may be ordered for special events.

LaCava said the men are expecting to sell more chocolate bars for weddings and through retailers.

They're also looking forward to an anticipated growth in order volume leading up to Valentine's Day.

"I think Valentine's Day is going to be bigger than Christmas," LaCava said.