Greeting cards just got sweeter with the launch of Sweeter Cards, a company that sells small-batch chocolate bars wrapped in greeting card-like packaging.
“I’ve made it a habit to reward and acknowledge the people in my life who matter to me or who I think are spectacular,” says founder Stacy Stahl.
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The idea for Sweeter Cards came to Stahl when she was assembling a small gift for a friend that included a card and a chocolate bar. “I guess you could consider it a lightbulb moment,” she says. “I thought, ‘Wait, why can’t these two be one?’”
Stahl works with local graphic designers to create clever designs for birthdays, holidays, and other occasions. So far her best-sellers are the, “This is a (delicious) stocking stuffer” from the holiday collection and a congratulatory package that reads “Boom, mic drop.”
Sweeter Cards’ chocolate is available in one delicious flavor—dark chocolate sprinkled with sea-salt and filled with caramel—made by hand by a local chocolatier. “It’s just got this perfect blend of creaminess but then a little bit of the saltiness with the Mediterranean sea salt,” Stahl says.
Although the first products launched just a few weeks ago, Stahl is already preparing to introduce a new box format that opens like a traditional greeting card.
“The new version can be more than just signed. There’s a whole flap on the inside that’s blank and allows people to write a [longer] message,” she says. “Those should be out in mid-November.”
The company’s products are available in 100 retailers across the country, including in St. Louis at Lusso (165 Carondelet Plaza) and Bonboni Home & Gift Co. (2246 Klemm St.). They can also be purchased online for $8.99, plus shipping.
Stahl says sales are strongest in the Midwest, Texas, and California.
“More and more, the world is recognizing that we need to have … meaningful moments together, versus digitally and through social media,” says Stahl, who appeared on “The Ellen Show” earlier this year after raising money to surprise her favorite cashier at a local Walgreens. She’s also the founder of HowHeAsked.com, which was acquired by the parent company of The Knot in 2016.
“I think the business is going to grow because people value having a true, kind interaction. That’s what I believe in, that’s what the business mission is, and I think it aligns with where we’re heading as a community.”
