"Kevbot Chocolate is crafted from great cacao beans, and only a few ingredients. Our chocolate bars are handmade in West Virginia, from beans rigorously and transparently sourced in partnership with Uncommon Cacao."



How cool is that? I love that this chocolate and crafted in Alderson, West Virginia. It is made with both good practices and good ingredients. It is vegan and dark. I'll be honest, dark chocolate is not my preferred chocolate. But I did want to support the small business and check them out.



"Kevin - or Kevbot - believes in making chocolate work better for you, and for all those who help create it. Along the way he learned about Uncommon Cacao, and saw a partner in guaranteeing you know the impact of your chocolate. Kevbot Chocolate delivers a unique, delicious bean-to-bar chocolate experience straight to you - with care for all the lives it touches."



If you are into responsibly sourced foods, West Virginia, and dark chocolate, well, I know the perfect holiday gift for you.

There are a handful of chocolate-makers in West Virginia - the most recent one I discovered was EH Chocolates. Based in Kirby, the chocolatier uses Swiss chocolate and makes chocolate creations in truffle form. Some of their popular candies include peanut butter buckeyes, chocolate covered strawberries and coconut eggs.



Here's a little bit about Chef Eric Hott: "I was born in Winchester, VA and grew up on a farm in Kirby, West Virginia. My mother is from Hornberg, Germany and my dad is from Kirby, where my family still lives ...  My grandmother always had something cooking and she definitely taught me a lot about good home cooking and country style food. That’s where a lot of my creations and dishes started. Mixing together ingredients to inspire new flavors, designs and textures were all things that I noted to make a twist on many foods. ... High School did not provide all the food classes during my attendance, but I made the best of what I could get. Sweets, from pastries, chocolates and desserts became a big passion for me. Just hearing the positive feedback on these creations was a positive boost of self-esteem. After graduating High School in 2003, I moved to Baden-Baden, Germany and started a three year apprenticeship to obtain my Culinary Arts Degree. Working with Swiss Chocolate alongside a French Pastry Chef at the Kurhaus Firm/ Confiserie Rumpelmayer, became the new ground rule. ... Ten years in Europe provided me with so much experience and wisdom. I spent the summer of 2013 creating and designing recipes while enjoying the task of gardening to processing the produce. I call it back to the roots, literally. Nature provides a lot, it is a matter of what is made and done with it. In the meantime, I started a small business called EH Chocolates & More/Farm Food. I have put my chocolate creations into many different taste assortments in truffle form. I enjoy the aspect of allowing locals to experience chocolate at a gourmet level. I use Swiss chocolate exclusively; therefore, it has its own standard for quality. "



I had reached out and set up an appointment to pick up an assortment of chocolates, as well as some chocolate-covered strawberries. There's really something special about a box of assorted chocolates. Each and every one is like a little treasure. It's clear these are made with loving attention. to detail, because the flavors are clear and perfectly combined.



If you haven't had a chance to check them out,  add this to your must-try West Virginia list.



Grade: A

After a delicious lunch in Martinsburg, we took a stroll down the street and ended up at DeFluri's Fine Chocolates, a local shop that makes its own fine candies.

The chocolate shop opened in 1985 in Vienna and moved to the Eastern Panhandle in 1998. The shop has lots of goodies, including chocolates, candies, fudge, pretzels, popcorn, and much more.

The main floor even has a look into the factory.

Today the main factory floor houses the vast array of Charlie Casabona’s chocolate-making equipment. Massive mixers swirl vats of creamy chocolate. Finely calibrated conveyer belts cover DeFluri’s famous truffles, classic caramels and nuts, fruit cakes from a local monastary, and much more—with velvety, rich coats of chocolate. An antique foil–wrapping machine puts shiny colored foils on selected finished chocolates. Walk-in refrigerated rooms keep the final products and their ingredients at optimum cool temperatures.

The folks inside greeted us warmly and told us that the fudge and popcorn were especially big sellers and made right here on site. I made my way to the truffle case and picked a handful: caramels, maple centers, peanut butters. You know, all the good stuff. I also got a thing of the popcorn and some marzipan - because how beautiful is that?

Those chocolates? Absolutely delicious. I went for all milk chocolate, and they were each quite good.


I also learned I like marzipan. It's simple but delightful.

And, the caramel corn also quite good!

Have you been? What's your favorite thing to get?

The history of Holl's begins with founder Fritz Holl's training as a Conditor in Switzerland. As a young man, Fritz was sent to Zurich to be an apprentice in his uncle's Conditorei. (A Conditorei is a combination pastry shop, chocolate shop and café.) By the end of his three year apprenticeship, Fritz could make all the sweet delights found in a Swiss Conditorei, from chocolates and pastries to cakes and ice cream. 

In 1958 Fritz immigrated to the United States. He made his way to Marietta, Ohio in response to an ad for a Swiss-trained chocolatier placed by Ohio dairy company Broughton's. The dairy's owner, Carl Broughton, wanted to offer fine European chocolates and pastries in his chain of ice cream shops. Although the plan to offer Swiss chocolates and pastries at the ice cream shops was not successful, Fritz would work for Broughton's for the next 25 years in various capacities. All the while he continued to make chocolates for friends and neighbors every Christmas and Easter. 

In 1986 Fritz retired from Broughton's, but he wasn't ready to slow down yet. Friends encouraged him to return to his original training, and in April of 1986, Holl's Chocolates was born in the founder's kitchen. 

A local wine shop was Fritz's first customer. Only eight months after the business started, the wine shop sold over 400 pounds of Holl's chocolates. As a result of this demand, the Holl family kitchen became a chocolate factory, much to the dismay of Fritz's wife Elisabeth. The Holls decided to make a go of the business and invest in a "real" location. 

They moved to a small storefront about 10 miles away in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The entire space, which housed both the production and the selling areas, was about 600 square feet. The store was located on a steep hill just off of a fairly busy street and had only enough parking for four cars. Despite these obstacles, people went out of their way to visit the little chocolate shop just to try Fritz's chocolates. 

It was in the shop that Elisabeth's skills were put to use. As a young woman, she had worked at one of the finest florist shops in Zurich. The shop's elite clientele expected an exceptional level of personal service. Clerks were expected to greet their customers by name and to know their favorite flowers and their spouse's favorite flowers. 

When a customer entered the chocolate shop, Elisabeth would greet them by name and have a sample of their favorite chocolate ready. This special attention, and the superior taste of Fritz's chocolates, made a trip to Holl's Chocolates an experience people were eager to tell their friends about. 

As word of mouth brought more business, Fritz's retirement hobby became a full-time job that required more room and more staff. In 1990, Holl's Chocolates moved to its current location in Vienna, West Virginia. 

As the store grew busier, Fritz's son Dominique joined the family business and learned the craft of chocolate making just the way his father had 50 years earlier. Under the younger generation's guidance, Holl's began to adapt their processes to blend the best of the old ways with the best new methods in order to keep up with growing demand. 

Today, Dominique and his wife Michelle continue to adhere to the quality standards set by Fritz and the service standards set by Elisabeth. The elder Holls are no longer active in the business, but can occasionally be found chatting with customers in the retail store. 

I ended up being able to try the chocolate-covered strawberries (to die for!), some of the milk chocolate almond bark (amazing!) and some individual chocolates (so, so good). Of course, some of my favorites were the ones with caramel. If you've never been, it's certainly an awesome experience. Each chocolate is lovingly made, and the elegance of the shop is incredible. If you're in the Parkersburg area, this is a must-stop.