Honeymoon Chocolates plans to open its first brick-and-mortar location during the first week of November at 16 N. Central in Clayton, in the space previously occupied by Wicked Greenz.
A recent recipient of the Arch Grants, Honeymoon is a bean-to-bar confectionary, meaning it’s involved in every process of the chocolate-making process, just short of growing and harvesting the cacao itself. The cacao is transparently sourced via Meridian and Uncommon Cacao. Once the cacao is received, Honeymoon begins roasting, extracting, grinding, and molding the chocolate. The major difference between its product and almost every other bar of chocolate is how the product is sweetened: In lieu of refined sugars, the company uses raw honey, purchased directly from beekeepers.
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The origin of Honeymoon Chocolates is also sweet. The concept started in a dorm room at Illinois Wesleyan University, where founders Cam and Haley Loyet discovered they shared a passion for chocolate.
“I decided to buy her some cocoa nibs for her birthday,” Cam recalls. “I bought the nibs not knowing the amount of effort and equipment we ended up ultimately needing to make our first batch.” The now-married couple was determined to eventually put those nibs to use. “We bought a cheap granite grinder from eBay,” Cam adds. “My roommates were extremely angry with the amount of noise we were making, but it evolved into this business.”
Cam took that first batch of chocolate and applied for a grant through their school. The grant required a 10-minute Shark Tank–style pitch, which led to a $5,000 award and mentorship. It would be two more years before they decided to put their full energy into the business.
“We reached shelves in 2019,” says Cam. “We now have a staff of eight, including four full-time makers. Without the entire team, we would fail to function. Because of them, we were able to move from our shared kitchen in Maplewood to our larger space.” (In the meantime, the chocolate bars are available at Whole Foods.)
That larger space is the new store in Clayton, where customers will be able to purchase products at the same location where the chocolate is crafted. “We’ll be selling our single-origin chocolate bars, roasted cocoa beans, roasted nibs, drinking chocolate, chocolate tea, and merchandise.” The store will also offer tours of the facility, tastings, and classes, as well as private events. Additionally, the co-owners are looking to obtain serving permits and host whiskey and wine pairings in the future.
Even with the brand’s success, bigger space, and equipment upgrades, the Loyets are determined to remember their roots. “We still use the same grinder that we used in the dorm room every now and then,” says Cam. “That piece of equipment reminds us of where we started.”
