(PRWEB) January 08, 2014 -- Robin Autorino and her company, Robin Chocolates, have been named one of the top ten chocolate makers in North America for 2013 by Dessert Professional, the leading trade publication for chocolate, pastry, baking and ice cream professionals.
"We are tremendously honored to be named one of the 10 best chocolatiers in the United States, Canada and Mexico by Dessert Professional," says Robin Autorino, who founded Robin Chocolates in 2008. "Our passion is making bold, beautiful and delicious chocolates and pastries, and it is enormously satisfying to be recognized for our work," she says.
According to Autorino, what sets Robin Chocolates apart from the competition is the quality of the chocolate they use, and the care and pride that go into her ingredients. All chocolates and confections are made by hand, using traditional, time-honored artisanal techniques. Autorino works with suppliers in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Venezuela that produce GMO-free cocoa powders and additive-free fruit purees and nut butters. Her suppliers also work directly with growers and cocoa plantation owners to ensure her ingredients are produced in a fair trade manner. Robin Chocolates' creations are all-natural and use growth hormone-free dairy products and organic ingredients whenever possible.
Autorino began her professional career as a chef for a small cafeteria, and then joined the military and continued cooking, baking and candy making as a hobby in her spare time. But after 14 years in the Navy and more than a decade working for computer and internet companies, Autorino decided that her true passion was in the culinary world. She attended Culinary School of the Rockies, and during an internship at a patisserie in France discovered her love of pastries, desserts and chocolate. This led to pastry chef positions at 5-star restaurants, including the Flagstaff House in Boulder and the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver.
In February 2008, after years of making caramels and hand-rolled truffles for friends, Autorino received her first order for chocolates, and decided to launch her company. "A local florist asked me for 12 four-piece boxes to sell for Valentine's Day, and with the support of my husband, I quit my job and formed Robin Chocolates," she says. She began supplying local resellers and marketing her creations over the company's website, and opened a retail shop in October 2011. Sales have doubled each year.
While Autorino's expertise in chocolate making launched the company, Robin Chocolates is a family-run business. Her husband Chris handles the company's artwork and website and is also her most discerning critic, she says. Her 11 employees regularly offer their input, and their suggestions have ended up as new flavors in the company's product line after meeting Autorino's approval. "One rule I learned in the military is that precision counts. If it doesn't look perfect and taste great, I won't sell it," she says.
About Robin Chocolates
Robin Chocolates makes artisan chocolates, confections, cakes and pastries at its retail shop and bakery located at 600 S. Airport Road, Bldg. B Suite D, Longmont, Colorado, 80503. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9:30AM to 6:30PM, and Saturdays from 9:30AM until 5:30PM. For more information, or to order online, please visit http://robinchocolates.com/ . Follow Robin Chocolates on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/robinChocolates or on Twitter at @robinchocolates. Readers and visitors to the shop can mention code: #TOPCHOCOLATESHOP for a special offer of 5 percent off of all orders placed through the end of January 2014.
Media Contact:
Ali Randall
DStreet
Phone: (303) 718-3373
Email: arandall(at)dstreetpr(dot)com
Editor’s Note: For in-store tours and tastings, pre-existing photography or sample chocolates to shoot for editorial, please contact Ali Randall.
Ali Randall, DStreet, http://www.dstreetpr.com/, 303.718.3373, [email protected]
SOURCE DStreet
Share this article