Chocolate Shops We Love: André's Chocolates
Location: 5018 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64112
André's Chocolates store cafe
A Swiss Family Brings Chocolate to the Midwest
André Bollier, a Swiss pastry chef established André's Chocolates in Kansas City in October of 1955. It’s currently owned and operated by his grandson, René Bollier.
André wanted to start his own business, but it wasn't until he met his wife to be, who was experienced in accounting and customer service, that the dream felt more like a reality.
“They really wanted to do open a business in a place where they knew they could have success but also would enjoy raising their family,” says René. “In a discussion, my grandfather had with his brother, who was living in Kansas City and working for a Swiss watch company, he became convinced that the opportunities in the Midwest were endless. There was very little competition at the time, and the market was wide open.”
In order to pay for their trip to Kansas City, André wrote a book on tea cookies and his wife helped with the illustrations. The book was later published and the two were able to raise enough money through sales to take the trip. They spent six months exploring the city and not long after found a small space on Main Street that would become André's Chocolates.
At first, only luxury pastries and chocolate candies were sold but soon the shop offered lunch served in the Tea Room featuring two menu items that changed regularly alongside the signature cheese pie and Quiche Lorraine. Today, breakfast, lunch, and happy hour are offered at the flagship shop.
The business passed from André to his children in 1985, and to his grandson, René, and his wife Nancy, who has been running it since the early 2000s, still staying true to its family history and Swiss roots.
“It was really important to my family that I spent three years in Switzerland training as a pastry chef,” says René. “To ensure I really had a true understanding of what the Swiss culinary is all about.”
Since then, the husband-and-wife duo has come to realize how important online sales are, with a huge boom over the past three years that continues to grow today. It’s been an exciting opportunity to reach a larger customer base outside their two retail stores in Kansas City.
However, this is not to say the local community does not still play a huge role in the success of André’s. “We have a tremendously loyal customer base,” says René. “Many of whom come in for lunch, or chocolate multiple times a week if not every day. We’re very fortunate to have the support of the city.”
The Store
Andre’s flagship shop is located in Kansas City and features a modern, airy design of light woods, white hues, and large windows that let plenty of sunlight in. The sprawling counter showcases the confections and baked goods under a glass case while boxes of sweets are displayed on a shelf by the register. The Tea Room is charming with a small dining area that sits under a wood cabin-like structure reminiscent of something seen in the Alps.
Top-Selling Confections
A decadent crunchy snack, these chocolate almonds are made with nonpareil almonds and cocoa for the most natural rich flavors. “We caramelize our almonds as they're roasting so you get this thin caramel sugar shell which gives it flavor,” says René. “And then we coat them with our proprietary blend of Swiss chocolate.”
Salt of the Swiss Alps Chocolate Caramels
Blending sweet and salty, these rich caramels are molded by hand and then “coated” with Swiss chocolate. “The salt is extracted from 200 million-year-old salt deposits,” says René. “We use the method of starch molding to ensure that we can create a caramel that has great texture, has body but is still soft and delicate.”
The candied orange peels take about two weeks to perfect the right blend of sweet and citrus that customers crave. “We candy all our fruits in-house, ensuring that orange peel is nice and tender,” says René. “Then at the end of that two-week process you have these beautifully sweet tender orange peel covered in our 60% signature dark chocolate.”
Also Look For
André's Chocolates also offers subscription boxes for the sweet tooth that wants confections shipped to their home every month. You can choose from three types of subscriptions: three months, six months, or a year, to enjoy a vast variety of gourmet sweets in each box, all rotating so you never receive the same item twice.