Lake Champlain Chocolates Blog

   

As a salesperson for Lake Champlain Chocolates I don’t often get to go to fancy, fun parties in the evening.  I’m mostly on the road or in my customer’s stores, so it was a nice change of pace to be able to attend the Eat, Drink and Be Fair Event sponsored by our friends at Green Mountain Coffee.

The event, which was held to raise awareness of Fair Trade, took place at the Artists for Humanity Center in Boston, MA and featured top chefs who competed in a cook off using Fair Trade ingredients.  There were food stations for you to stop at; we enjoyed dishes such as slow poached Mahi Mahi, Rotini Basilica and Roasted Tenderloin of Beef.   Mmmm… good.  Everything was delicious!        

Lake Champlain Chocolates Fair Trade Unsweetened Cocoa was used as one of the ingredients for the dry rub in the meat.  A very creative endeavor!  Vermont food companies were well represented including our own partners Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery and Green Mountain Coffee. Ben and Jerry’s was there too with a make your own Fair Trade Sundae Station. The evening was fun and exciting, with lots of socializing and sampling food and drink.

This event served as a platform to feature Fair Trade food brands, how to cook with Fair Trade Foods, recognize local farms and stores selling Fair Trade and sustainable products and to bring attention to the benefits of growing, buying and eating locally.

Unfortunately we had to leave early and missed out on hearing who won the cook off!  However, on our way out we were given a recyclable shopping bag, coupons and samples of the items from the event and a bag of Green Mountain Coffee.  Fair indeed.

  

Today I was lucky enough to sneak out of the office and enjoy lunch on Lake Champlain.  Yes – lunch on a boat on the lake at the end of October!    Despite being a cloudy day, the lake was calm and it was smooth sailing (or shall we say motoring) on the Northern Lights.

The Vermont YWCA was celebrating the YWCAthrive achievement and recognition luncheon.  This was my first experience with the YWCA and Lake Champlain Chocolates’ first as a sponsor of the event.  Andrea Rogers,  long-time Executive Director of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts was the honoree of this year’s Thrive Award (replacing the longtime Susan B. Anthony Recognition Award).

She has been instrumental here in the Burlington community at making the arts accessible to everyone in the community:  young, old, rich, or poor!  We have a personal connection with Andrea, having been a long-time supporter of the Flynn, and were so delighted to see her receive this honor in her last year before retirement.     

Secretary of State Deb Markowitz gave an inspiring keynote address that made me stop and think about how I take my leadership  position at LCC and in the community for granted.  Being a 30-something, I’ve never felt held back simply because I was a woman.  Clearly, women of an older generation forged the way and broke the gender barriers, giving me the opportunity to “thrive” personally and professionally as I do!  

Thank-you to all of those women!  I can only hope that in some way, I inspire other young women to take risks, become leaders, and experience personal growth!

On Tuesday, October 20th at 7pm, our very own Jim Lampman- founder and president of Lake Champlain Chocolates- is a featured speaker as part of Champlain College’s BYOBiz Speaking from Experience Entrepreneurship Series.

Jim is a serial entrepreneur who has developed several Burlington businesses, including the acclaimed Ice House Restaurant on the waterfront in Burlington.  Lake Champlain Chocolates began its successful journey in 1983. We pride ourselves in creating quality artisanal chocolates and other specialty products. Join Jim as he talks about his entrepreneurial experiences and shares his unique story about building a business in a highly competitive marketplace. We hope to see you at Champlain College!  (We hear there might be some chocolate tasting too!)

If you come to our factory store you might wonder why there is a giant tea cup sitting outside our building.  And if you really start to pay attention. you'll notice all sorts of sculptures up and down Pine Street here in Burlington. Wondering what’s going on?  It’s the annual South End Art Hop! Hosted by SEABA – that’s the South End Arts and Business Association – and sponsored by local companies such as Lake Champlain Chocolates, the Art Hop is an event that celebrates art – all types of art.  Like the giant tea cup sculpture outside our office.

In its 17th year, the Art Hop is Vermont's largest Visual Arts Festival.  And let me tell you, Vermont has A LOT of festivals but this is one you really don't want to miss.  Always the weekend after Labor Day, the Art Hop (as stated on the website) is "a singular expression of who we are as a community and a thousand statements about what we value about living and working in Vermont."

This isn't your typical oil-on-canvas art.  Burlington is home to some of the most creative artists around – everything from painting, sculpture, glass-blowing, art from repurposed materials, electrical installations, food and beer prep, and you guessed it – chocolate – will be on display for the weekend.

Friday night our retail store at 750 Pine Street will be open until 8 pm where you can not only shop, but indulge in hot chocolate, ice cream and shakes, and take a look at what we have to exhibit.

Emily Jones, retail manager and chocolate sculptress will demonstrate one of the most unique events that the Art Hop showcases – how to sculpt art out of chocolate.  Her creativity never ceases to amaze.  For the Art Hop last year it was chocolate fashion or “Haute Chocolat”, showcasing clothes made entirely out of chocolate.

Emily will be demonstrating how to make her chocolate sculpture on Saturday at 1:00 pm.  Space is limited, so arrive early if you’re interested in watching her use an old-fashioned candy table and put together chocolate sculptures right before your eyes.

This year’s theme?  You’ll have to stop by and see.

I’ll leave you with a teaser though…

 

Since 1970, the first Saturday in May means Green Up Day for Vermont.  Appropriately, Vermont was the first state in the country to designate a day dedicated to cleaning up the entire state. Green Up Day involves far more than just picking up trash along the roads, it means bringing people together of all ages and walks of life to take care of our state. 

Surrounded by natural beauty, Vermonters take a certain pride in the work they do and the way they live their lives.  And those of us who work at Lake Champlain Chocolates (LCC) are no exception.  Whether or not you are a “true Vermonter” (I think you have to have at least 5 generations preceding you), you cannot help but be proud and inspired by our magnificent state. 

LCC’s commitment to keeping our state clean and green can be seen (and tasted!) by taking note of all the local ingredients we use in our chocolates including maple syrup, honey, milk, butter, and heavy cream.  What may not be as obvious is what happens behind the scenes.  And this can be just as important as what goes into our chocolates.

LCC recently completed a new LEED Certified Distribution Center, just down the road from our factory and administrative offices. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.  To achieve this rating, this new building had to meet a number of criteria including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor air quality. 

Using an existing building that previously housed a bristle-brush maker, approximately 75% of the old building’s materials were re-used instead of being sent to the landfill.  Recycled materials were used to renovate the building and many materials were sourced within a 500 mile radius.  There are also bike racks, showers and changing rooms for the employees to encourage alternative modes of transportation to and from work.  The entire building has daylight/occupancy sensors using natural light with energy efficient skylights and windows to provide for a better working environment.  In some parts of the building with western exposure the lights almost rarely go on! 

Here are some quick energy facts about our building:
- 42% reduction in energy costs
- 69% savings in lighting electrical costs
- 40% savings in cooling electrical savings
- $35,000 annual savings in electrical & Natural gas costs
- 45% reduction in Peak Electrical Demand – this is very beneficial to Burlington Electrical Dept electrical system because controlling the peak helps keep rates stable for the city.
- Annual electrical saving is enough to provide 33 average Burlington homes with their annual electric needs.
- Installed energy-efficient measures will save nearly 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity over their lifetime.

Lake Champlain Chocolates is dedicated to maintaining and improving the Vermont way of life in every way that we can- from making the finest chocolates using all-natural, local  ingredients to providing a healthy, safe and comfortable work environment for our employees. 

In truth, everyday in Vermont is Green Up Day but this Saturday is also about bringing the community together. So whether you live in Vermont or not, be inspired....get involved....go Green Up!

 

 

What are you going to do for Earth Day this year?  It’s this Wednesday April 22nd so you only have another couple days to figure it out.  There are plenty of websites, books, and media out there giving all sorts of good ideas.  Stop using plastic bags at the grocery store and bring your own reusable bags. Start walking to work.  Buy recycled. Replace your conventional lightbulbs.  

Being a chocolate company, I thought we should focus on food. Food is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Earth Day.  However, whether we realize it or not, food is one of our most direct links to the land on which we live. With the localvore movement, farmer’s markets and books like the Omnivore Dilemma, that link, between our food and the land, which for years has been completely lost (do you know where all your food for lunch came from and what ingredients were used?) is starting to resurface.  Today issues such as climate change and water supply cannot be discussed without also talking about our food supply and the role it plays in our environment.

So getting back to chocolate, and specifically organic chocolate.  Lake Champlain Chocolates’ certified Organic Chocolates ensure that sustainable farming practices are being used when growing and cultivating cocoa.  This results in a clean and safe water supply, wildlife protection, and soil management and conservation.  In short, using organic ingredients helps the earth.  And in turn, you are only getting the good stuff that goes into the chocolate, the way nature intended.

This is not to say the rest of our chocolates are not full of goodness.  At LCC all of our chocolates are handmade from the freshest, all-natural ingredients many of which are local to Vermont where our chocolates are made, including honey, heavy cream and maple syrup. Even our packaging is locally sourced!  So whether you decide to treat yourself to an organic truffle or to some chocolate peanut butter cups after you walk or bike home from work on Wednesday (hint, hint), either way you are supporting food that benefits our community and the earth.  Who knew eating chocolate could be so empowering?

Happy Earth Day!

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He answers the phone unwaveringly every day with a smile on his face and in his voice.

She knows who to call when the AC is blasting in December, or the heat is on in July.

He sends the annoying salesperson who has called three times that week straight into your voicemail.

She double checks your letters to ensure there are no typos or grammatical errors before it goes out in the mail.

He has hot coffee and fresh baked goods on hand when your most important client comes to the office for a meeting and greets them all by name when they arrive.

She knows everyone’s birthday in the company AND everyone’s kids’ names.

He knows how to un-jam the printer, lickety-split.

They are the backbone, the glue, that indispensible person in your company who holds everyone together.

And it’s time to say thanks.

Even though you should be thanking everyone you work with every day, in case that doesn’t always quite happen, there is a special day to honor those people who help you get through each day with success.  Administrative Professionals Day.  This year it falls on Wednesday April 22.  Yes, it’s a long, cumbersome name and seemingly all-encompassing.  So many people do so many different tasks in an office to keep it running smoothly, it’s often hard to pin-point – who DOES fall under the Administrative Professional definition?

Well, I say be liberal, be generous, when thinking about who is deserving of your appreciation.  I mean, can you really appreciate someone too much?  

And what better way to show your thanks than a gift from Lake Champlain Chocolates!  Sure, flowers are pretty, but chocolates you can secretly bring home and keep all to yourself, share with your co-workers, or save up and savor one piece a day, making the gift last that much longer,(and pushing you through that 3:00pm lull).

Here are just a few ideas- a big box of exotic, gourmet chocolate truffles to excite the senses, the spring chocolate assortment featuring our most sought after creations wrapped in joyous spring colors, or combine flowers and chocolate in one gift with our chocolate flowers gift box or bag. 

Finally, if you know your admin professional has a particular favorite, choose a box of our handcrafted chocolates- dark chocolate vanilla caramels, almond butter crunch or chocolate peanut butter cups to name a few.  There are endless options! 

Consider this your reminder, because this is one thing your administrative professional will not do.

 

He's here! The Lake Champlain Chocolates Easter Bunny is making his rounds outside our Pine Street retail location. In sunshine, rain or snow (because in April in Vermont, all three can happen in one afternoon), the Easter Bunny tirelessly waves at passers-by and offers high fives to anyone who is willing.  We all look forward to the day when the Easter Bunny finally makes his grand appearance.  

Easter is a really fun time at Lake Champlain Chocolates. We have tons of cute and delicious chocolate bunnies turning up all over the place, our spring chocolate flowers are starting to sprout up along side our chocolate carrots, creating an irresistible garden of all-natural chocolate confections. To celebrate the holiday, Emily Watson and Kirk Weed, Lake Champlain Chocolates’ resident chocolate sculptors, have also handcrafted some beautiful Easter themed pieces, featuring exquisitely painted chocolate eggs.

 

Emily created this wonderful Chocolates of Vermont sculpture as well. Each of the four flavors celebrate a different season in Vermont, with Easter marking the beginning of Honey Caramel season!  Locally harvested honey paired with creamy caramel and dark chocolate- can you think of a better way to start Spring?

 

So if you’re in the neighborhood, why not hop on in and check out all the wonderful chocolates on display.