Bitzel’s Chocolate, a state-of-the-art factory and educational experience, will open to the public during a grand opening celebration on Jan. 17, 2024.
The 7,000-square-foot factory and retail store in Suwanee is the vision of chocolatier and entrepreneur Ray Bitzel and his business partner Dave Rose. Bitzel’s Chocolate offers chef-crafted gourmet confections created by celebrity pastry chef Sabrina Coombs and a “Willy Wonka-style” behind-the-scenes look at the chocolate production process.
“We want our guests to enjoy what we think will be the best chocolate they’ve ever tasted,” Bitzel said in a news release. “And we want them to see what makes it so special. To see how it’s made, how the cacao is harvested, fermented, dried, sorted, all the way to the packaging – to get the full chocolate experience.”
The facility’s main attraction, which Bitzel calls “the Glass Chocolate Factory,” is the “Journey of Chocolate,” a trail that guides visitors through an artificial cacao forest as they learn about the growing and harvesting of cacao from farmers in Ecuador and Uganda. As guests follow the trail, they can see the cutting-edge, automated production process firsthand, from fermentation, drying and sorting to bar molding, panning, spinning, enrobing and packaging.
The retail store showcases treats including chocolate bark, chocolate-covered fruits and nuts, ice cream-filled bonbons and truffles, and molded chocolate products, all made from milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel chocolate and ruby chocolate, a unique confection made from ruby cacao.
“It has a tart, raspberry flavor, and as far as we know, we’ll be the first chocolatier to introduce it to the U.S. on a large scale,” Bitzel said. “We’re very excited about it.”
Bitzel’s also features a “Chocolate Theater” for special events like chocolate-making classes, tastings and pairings, which also is available for private and corporate events.
Bitzel first spoke with What Now Atlanta last summer about the plans for the space, saying he hoped the business would give customers a middle ground between small specialty shops and large corporations.
Bitzel’s Chocolate will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Sunday.
