Life is like a box of chocolates
Mother, daughter alums create chocolate enterprise
By: Neal Gough (The Alestle)
Posted: 3/3/09
SIUE alumni Jan Rock and her daughter Jamie Horstmann have taken a tasty hobby and turned it into a delicious business in little more than a year's time.
Operating out of Rock's Edwardsville home, these two SIUE graduates have taken their love for chocolate and created a legitimate business, J&J Chocolate Chalet, with their distinctive blend of dark and milk chocolate.
"I like milk (chocolate), and she likes dark (chocolate)," Horstmann said. "One day we were messing around and combined them."
The experiment quickly became the basis for most of the pair's chocolates.
"It's a melt-in-your-mouth experience," Rock said.
Rock said they use blocks of Dove chocolate ordered from the company to create the blends. The chocolate does not contain any wax or preservatives, different from anything sold in stores. They also use a French white chocolate, called Callebaut, for their creations.
Jan and Randy Rock, her husband and retired dean of students, lived in Rolla, Mo., for two years as Randy Rock helped a two year college in town. Jan Rock began making chocolates there as a way to entertain for friends.
Upon returning to Edwardsville in 2007, Rock, who also teaches piano lessons, began giving them to her piano students after lessons. Soon, her students' parents also wanted chocolates, and the business began to snowball.
Horstmann, who became involved in the business after her mother moved back to Edwardsville from Rolla, came up with the idea of selling the chocolates at the Goshen Market.
The Goshen Market is held from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday from mid-May to mid-October. The market consists of local farmers and bakers selling fresh produce, baked goods and crafts.
The two sold steadily there all year and through word-of-mouth, their business has grown to selling roughly 20 to 30 pounds of chocolate per week during the summer, according to Rock and Hortsmann. During the Christmas season, the duo sold 40 pounds of chocolate in a week and a half. They have also mailed their chocolates to destinations as far away as California, Arizona and Nova Scotia.
J&J Chocolate is also featured in area businesses such as The Stables in St. Louis, Café Aroma in Edwardsville, Market Basket in Edwardsville and Cane Bottom, My Just Desserts in Alton.
Ann Badash, owner of Cane Bottom, My Just Desserts, carries the chocolates on some holidays, including Valentine's Day, Easter and Christmas.
According to Badash, who has known the Rock's for many years, the chocolate is a very high quality, special niche chocolate.
"It's nice to have something special up by the registers," Badash said.
Rock said the chocolates are priced to be reasonable in even the most tumultuous times.
"It is recession resilient because people still want to give themselves a little bit of pleasure," Rock said.
However, not everything is recession proof. Plans for their own shop are currently on the back burner until the economy improves.
"The economy is putting us on hold right now," Hortsmann said.
Despite the late nights and long hours, both women said the invested time is well worth the effort. In fact, the hobby-turned-business has provided something more than extra income and tons of free samples.
"It has definitely brought us closer," Hortsmann said.
Rock and Hortsmann's chocolates can be found at the Goshen Market this May. Orders can also be placed on the pair's Web site, jandjchocolatechalet.com.