Jul 30, 2007

Sweet idea N.H.-inspired chocolate treats win awards for home businessBy Adam KraussFosters.com

Rochester — In the relatively short time they’ve been in the chocolate business, Richard and Bette Jo Menzel have come away with two observations.

“They all look at it and say, ‘Am I going to break my tooth?'” Richard said of customers.

And “seventy percent of the people who try it, buy it,” he added.

Many people recall the everlasting goodness of M&Ms when they try the Menzels’ “Granite Gourmet” or “Seacoast Sweetshells.”

The award-winning, candy-coated milk chocolate snacks are a salute to the state’s granite composition and the region’s miles of picturesque coastline. They are the hallmark items offered by Winsome Forge LLC, a 9-month-old business based out of the couple’s Washington Street home, where they’ve lived for 20 years.

The “Granite Gourmet” product was recently awarded New Hampshire Magazine’s “Best of 2007” editor’s pick award for an edible souvenir. Of the tiny granite-looking pieces, the magazine notes its staff likes “to scoop them in with a shovel.”

The Menzels were busy packaging the chocolate on Wednesday when they received a phone order from a local farm looking to restock. It was one of 12 orders received this week.

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