13 Southern Chocolate Makers We Love
Offering everything from handmade truffles to decadent drinking chocolate, these 13 chocolate makers around the South should be on your radar. Image: Facebook / Poppy and Peep
Chocolate is on our minds — always, but never more than this time of year. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, what better time to sample some of the South’s greatest artisan chocolates? Some of the Southern chocolatiers on this list are small-batch, small-team confectioners; others are luxe, high-end, and high-volume. But all create completely irresistible edible art you’ll have to see (and taste) to believe. The sweetest part? All of these chocolatiers ship, so you can send the perfect gift to someone special — even if that someone special is you!
*Listed in alphabetical order
Cacao and Cardamom | Houston, TX
Order Online: cacaoandcardamom.com
If you think chocolate and spices make strange bedfellows, then you’ve never tasted a Cacao and Cardamom signature bonbon. Each glittering, jewel-like treat is a feast for the eyes and an exotic adventure for the taste buds.
Inspired by spices from around the world, and drawing on her South Asian heritage, founder and chocolatier Annie Rupani started the artisanal brand as a hobby before opening her Houston flagship store. Today, Cacao and Cardamom is home to an array of drool-worthy chocolate treats — from bars to truffles, caramels, nuts, and more, all crafted with Annie’s hyper-focused attention to detail.
The bonbons remain the stars of the show. Each exquisitely hand-painted, chocolate ganache shell is home to unexpected combinations like guava tamarind or coconut curry, perfect for spicing up your life!
Castronovo Chocolate | Stuart, FL
Order Online: castronovochocolate.com
The talent and artistry of Denise Castronovo, the magician behind Castronovo Chocolate, are evident in the dozens of International Chocolate Awards her confections have garnered over the years. The bean-to-bar chocolate expert calls the coastal town of Stuart, FL, home, but frequently visits the Latin American farms and farmers who provide the wild-grown cacao that ends up in her creations.
Much like a vintner develops flavor notes in a quality wine, Castronovo Chocolates cultivates the flavor notes native to a single location to achieve results that have earned praise from The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others.
A nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and emulsifier-free chocolate maker, Denise and her team use only cacao, cane sugar, art, and skill to create a truly luxurious treat.
Chocolat by Adam Turoni | Savannah, GA & Charleston, SC
Order Online: chocolatat.com
Chocolatier Adam Turoni’s chocolate philosophy is to offer a story through flavors, and the tale his truffles tell is one of creativity, curiosity, and craftsmanship. Adam marries traditional techniques with a modern approach, with results that are nothing short of spectacular. Co-founder Alexandra Trujillo de Taylor used her expert design skills to create three whimsical, fantastical chocolate ateliers where Adam can showcase and sell his tantalizing truffles that tip their hat to the South.
Try the Mint Julip featuring Maker’s Mark Bourbon and a candied mint leaf, or indulge in The Georgia Peach Cream with its peach liqueur, peach preserves, and roasted local pecans. Can’t decide? Get a Chocolate Club subscription and be surprised!
While you’re browsing the array of online options, check out the addictively rich Bacon Butter Pecan Toffee and the Honey Caramel Sauce that instantly elevates your favorite ice cream.
Chocolatá | Birmingham, AL
Order Online: chocolatachocolate.com
As a teenager in Jacksonville, FL, Kathy D’Agostino cut her sweet tooth by working for a local, family-owned chocolatier. The experience stuck with Kathy, who honed her chocolate-making skills over the years and dreamed of owning her own sweets shop one day.
That dream became a reality with Chocolatá, a cozy, chocolate-covered haven where handcrafted recipes and divine intervention come together to create something special.
Known for her artful presentation, eclectic shapes, elegant packaging, and frequent collaborations with local artists, Kathy and the Chocolatá team take pride in using single-origin chocolate ethically sourced from 100% Latin American farms to create their delicious handmade bonbons and specialty items that satisfy sweet cravings in Birmingham and beyond.
Condor Chocolates | Athens, GA
Order Online: condorchocolates.com
Started by brothers Nick and Peter Dale, Condor Chocolates is more than a chocolate shop — it is a celebration of the world-class cacao of their mother’s native Ecuador, and the sense of adventure that brought their parents together.
Born, raised, and educated in Athens, GA, Nick worked in agriculture while tinkering with chocolate in his home kitchen, while Peter worked in politics before donning an apron and joining his brother. They perfected their craft and opened Condor in Athens’ historic Five Points neighborhood, purveying bean-to-bar chocolate bars, truffles, toffee, sipping chocolate, coffee, iced beverages, gelato, and a variety of confections.
The shop allows chocolate lovers to witness the production of all truffles and other decadent desserts in a warm, welcoming environment, while a second Downtown Factory Store in the Chase Street Warehouses is where all the chocolate-making magic takes place.
Elizabeth Moore Chocolate | Pelham, AL
Order Online: elizabethmoorechocolates.com
For acclaimed and award-winning Chef Susan Notter, chocolate is more than just an indulgence. It’s an event to be savored. As the owner of Elizabeth Moore Chocolate, she draws on more than 40 years of industry experience to create not only high-quality, ethically sourced chocolate and confections but also a sensory experience that incorporates touch, taste, sight, and smell.
The British-born chef has appeared on numerous Food Network shows, represented the country multiple times at the Culinary Olympics in Germany, and placed third at the Queen of Pastry in Italy. Her talent is matched only by her passion for her craft, evident in everything from her truffles and bonbons to her custom competition creations.
Family & Future | Carrboro, NC
Order Online: familyandfuturechocolate.com
With more than seven years of micro-batch chocolate-making under his belt, North Carolina native Steven Lambeth took the plunge into full-time chocolatiering in 2021. Steven believes chocolate tastes better with only high-quality, wholesome ingredients. He starts with organic, fair-trade, antioxidant-rich raw cacao, then sweetens it with coconut and maple sugars rather than cane sugar.
Kickstarter-backed Family & Future Chocolate Kitchen reflects Steven’s deeper purpose: to provide for his family while making delicious chocolate you can feel good about bringing back to yours. It’s all about supporting the well-being of his customers’ families, the families of cacao farmers, and the earth. Oh, and did we mention it’s addictively delicious?
French Broad Chocolate | Asheville, NC
Order Online: frenchbroadchocolates.com
To know Asheville is to know French Broad Chocolate. In 2003, founders Jael Skeffington and Dan Rattigan dropped out of graduate school, packed their lives into a 40-foot vegetable oil-powered school bus, and drove south to Costa Rica.
They bought an abandoned cacao plantation and opened a café and dessert shop where they studied and experimented with chocolate recipes. When they realized they just weren’t beach people, the growing Rattigan family drove the bus to Asheville, NC, sparking a serious chocolate craze almost instantaneously.
Today, their Chocolate Lounge is perched right on the bustling Pack Square and is typically as packed at 11 a.m. as it is after dinner! Whether it’s a pinch of salt, a sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberries, or a swirl of naturally colored lavender cocoa butter, the artisans treat each bonbon, bar, and confection as a miniature work of art.
If you’re ever in Asheville, visit the French Broad Chocolate Lounge, the French Broad Chocolate Factory (and take a chocolate tour), and the French Broad Chocolate Boutique (where they sell handcrafted ice cream)!
LaRue Fine Chocolate | Greenville, SC
Order Online: laruefinechocolate.com
One visit to LaRue Fine Chocolate and it’s easy to see why this Greenville, SC establishment was named the “#1 Chocolate Shop in America” by USA Today in 2025.
Sure, LaRue is known for its lovingly and painstakingly handcrafted chocolate truffles, but there is more to the Poe West location than meets the eye. Craft cocktails, small plates, charcuterie, and beyond invite guests to satisfy more than just a sweet tooth.
For those who prefer a more traditional sweet shop, a second location, LaRue at The Commons, features a handmade ice cream-and-cookie-forward menu sure to bring out the kid in everyone.
Piety and Desire Chocolate | New Orleans, LA
Order Online: pietyanddesirechocolate.com
When it comes to chocolate so good it’s sinful, the name Piety and Desire Chocolate says it all. But while row after row of colorful bonbons fill the cases like sparkling jewels, this isn’t your average chocolate shop.
Billed by owner Chris Nobles as a Chocolate Cafe, it offers patrons a place to experience chocolate in many forms, from bars to drinking chocolates and even cacao juice made from the pulp surrounding the seeds of the cacao plant. Spoiler alert — it tastes nothing like chocolate.
A highlight of the menu is a decadent spin on an affogato called a cioccogato. Instead of pouring hot espresso over ice cream, this rich potion is created by pouring drinking chocolate over a scoop of chocolate ice cream for double the delight.
Poppy & Peep | Nashville, TN
Order Online: poppyandpeep.com
Ever since she was a child, Poppy & Peep co-owner Evane Stoner has shared a love of sweets with her father, Mark. Some of Evane’s favorite memories include her father coming home from business trips with bags of fudge from Gatlinburg, TN, or salt water taffy from Maryland. The father-daughter duo still enjoys visiting candy shops together, so it only made sense to open their own!
The sweetest business in Music City, Poppy & Peep creates whimsical chocolate delights, meringues, spreads, and more in a custom micro-factory that you can visit in East Nashville.
While all of the Poppy & Peep treats hold their own, the bonbons are next level. Build your own box from flavors like Bourbon Caramel or Honey Almond Butter, mixing and matching to your heart’s content.
William Dean Chocolates | Belleair Bluffs, FL
Order Online: williamdeanchocolates.com
As a kid, William Dean Brown loved to sketch so much that his teachers would punish him by taking his paper away. But who needs paper? As an adult, William discovered he could draw on something better — chocolate!
As the founder and CCO (Chief Chocolate Officer) of William Dean Chocolates, the talented culinary artist is using his skills on a much smaller scale, creating intricate designs atop chocolate shells that make his confections look almost too pretty to eat.
William’s attention to detail starts with the creation of the chocolates themselves. Made in small batches by hand at the Belleair Bluffs shop, the chocolate is preservative-free, rich, and creamy. From the popular PB&J Bar to the colorful arrays of bonbons, there’s something for every palate.
Xocolatl Chocolate | Atlanta, GA
Order Online: xocolatlchocolate.com
In 2012, Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt packed up their infant and toddler and took off for Costa Rica, armed with nothing more than a sense of adventure and a desire for a life unplugged. What they found instead was a new career. The family returned to Atlanta with bags of Costa Rican cacao and began creating what would become the award-winning Xocolatl Chocolate.
Once you’ve had a high-quality chocolate bar, you will never be satisfied with anything else. Xocolati’s Chocolate offers two ways to indulge your cravings: bean-to-bar chocolate bars flavored with real ingredients for complex flavor, or single-origin bars that let the chocolate’s natural profile take center stage.
Each one provides its own unique taste and texture that will forever change the way you think about a “candy bar.”
We hope after learning about these incredible Southern chocolate makers, you have added a few sweet stops to your must-visit list. In the meantime, order online and tell us what you try!
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Bonny Osterhage
Bonny Osterhage is a professional journalist with more than 25 years of experience in both print and digital media. An avid fitness fanatic, when she isn't exploring the next trending topic, Bonny can be found cycling, running, and leading classes at SolidCore. Find more of her work at Mind Body Green, The List, and more.