What we do:

Chocolate exactly the way you want it. No matter how unusual. This is the innovative idea behind the start-up company Chocomize.

 

At www.Chocomize.com, customers can select their favorite chocolate bark base (dark, milk, or white) and then add up to five out of 90 fine ingredients to create their choice chocolate bar. This allows for more than 30 billion possible chocolate combinations. In other words, if every citizen of New York City ate one different chocolate bar a day, it would take over 3 years until two people had exactly the same chocolate bar.

 

Chocomize uses only premium Belgian chocolate and the finest ingredients for its chocolate creations, be it Pecan Halves, Banana Chips, Pineapple Dices, 23 Karat Gold Powder, Rose Petals, or Bacon. Each chocolate bar is hand-made to order and is shipped right to ones doorstep only a few days later. Chocomize bars are great for gifts, whether it’s that special someone’s birthday, wedding or a business thanking one of their clients. Not only can customers design their own packaging, they can put messages and images on the bar itself! The chocolate bars start at $3.85 and increase in price depending on the selected ingredients.

 

Chocomize was founded by three young entrepreneurs who met while studying together at Columbia University. Upon graduation, the economic crisis forced us to reconsider the traditional corporate career path. All three members were intrigued by the increasing popularity of online retail stores as well as the growing trend of mass customization. Our passion for chocolate made us realize that there was an opportunity in this new trend to provide consumers with the ability to customize their own chocolate bar.

 

The idea for Chocomize was hatched while the three were living together at Columbia. Eric graduated a year earlier than Nick and Fabian and spent his time working for free at a structured finance firm in New York City. Unable to pay rent, he was forced to spend the better part of six months living in their dorm room’s walk in closet. One day the three of them visited the local supermarket. Nick, the one with the famed sweet tooth, visited the penny candy section and loaded up on candy, chocolate, and nuts. He accidently left the bag in the car during the day, and when the three returned all the chocolate and candy had melted together into one giant ball. Fabian and Eric dared him to put the bag into the fridge and eat the hardened ball of chocolate, candy, and nuts. It was surprisingly delicious (both Fabian and Eric ended up trying some) and the idea for Chocomize was born. During this time, which coincided with the height of the economic crisis, the three founders realized that job opportunities were few and far between. They decided to take matters in their hands and began planning Chocomize.

 

Upon graduation, the three members moved from New York City to Eric’s family home in Moorestown, New Jersey. It was here that Chocomize went from just a good idea to becoming a reality. The three wasted no time; they incorporated by August and had launched their website by early November. Launching at the beginning of the holiday season, Chocomize was a hit from the start, selling several thousand chocolate bars in the first several weeks of existence.

 

Having started our business in such tough economic times we are all acutely aware of the importance of a socially conscious company which does its part to help society rather than take advantage of it. In this spirit we donate a portion of the proceeds from each bar to charity. Just as our consumers can choose the ingredients they want in their chocolate bark, they can choose the charity to which we donate the portion of the proceeds from their chocolate bars. In addition, we are always looking for other ways to give back. During the busy holiday season, Chocomize sent a large number of bars to Bagram Airforce Base in Afghanistan so that the troops could have a nice chocolate stocking stuffer for the holidays.

 

The three founders pride themselves on the strong customer interaction of Chocomize. From the beginning, the consumers have had an important part of the direction of the company. Chocomize consumers helped choose the name, the main ingredients, and charities which are all integral parts of the Chocomize experience. The founders feel that the growth of Chocomize is a direct result of the satisfaction of its loyal customer base. For instance, people are still surprised by how quickly their ingredient recommendations appear on our website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fabian Kaempfer: Fabian is a native of Nuremburg, Germany. He graduated from the European Business School in 2009 with a B.S. in business administration. Prior to Chocomize, Fabian earned invaluable experience working as a chocolatier for the company Australian Homemade. He met Eric and Nick while doing a semester abroad at Columbia University. He is fluent in four different languages, French, Spanish, German, and English. In his spare time Fabian enjoys the art of photography, wearing lederhosen, and spending time with friends. He can be reached at Fabian@Chocomize.com.