Florida’s Norman Love Confections Quest for Creativity, Quality and Community
In Fort Myers, Florida at his flagship chocolate salon, Norman Love Confections offers brightly colored chocolate confections that are beautiful, edible works of art. Says Norman Love “I have always been attracted to art. The culinary arts were a way for me to express creativity, that ‘wow factor,’ and the element of surprise, especially in desserts.” So what inspired pastry chef Norman Love to become a confectioner? He explains it this way, “Americans love to eat with their eyes and chocolate is the most popular dessert.”
Lime green hues adorn many gift boxes full of handcrafted confections and black and gold ribbons contribute to an upscale, sexy vibe. Lime green also decorates walls behind and below a massive display case full of delectable desserts. Says Love, “I always felt that chocolates looked the same to me. Why couldn’t we use artistic expression in chocolates and make confections look artistic? People said, ‘You can’t put green on chocolate’ and now the world does it.” Creative use of color may have been how his brand first made a splash, but quality and a commitment to community are also core to Love’s philosophy.
Getting Started
Norman Love Confections was established after Love had opened 30 pastry kitchens in resorts across the globe, during 13 years as a corporate pastry chef for The Ritz-Carlton. Although he appreciated exposure to so many cultures and cooking styles, traveling 42+ weeks per year was tough on his family life. The experience at the Ritz reinforced his commitment to quality, he says, “The focus was and is on providing the finest quality product and never comprising the integrity of that. It’s about coming to work to be the best. We never lose focus on the product and service.”
Love started delivering wholesale, ultra-premium chocolates to restaurant industry contacts. Understanding the potential appeal of these confections for the public too, Love and his wife, Mary, began serving individual customers at their first retail location. By January 2002-two months after the shop opened-USA Today had named it among the 10 Best Chocolate Shops for Valentine’s Day.
Norman Love Confections Expands
By November 2014, Love had developed his ‘Chocolate Journeys’ venture with Princess Cruises, which provided guests with desserts, wine, and chocolate pairings, and specialty chocolate cocktails. And, throughout 2019, Norman Love Confections offered hands-on “Cooking with Love” classes. Individual sessions taught participants to bake classic pies, pastries, cookies, cakes, chocolate confections, and more. Key lime and banana cream pies, cream puffs, brioche, and chocolate layer cake were just a few creations.
Norman Love Confections currently employs more than 100 people. And, in December 2020, alone, the company sold millions of delicious treats. Today, the business includes a chocolate factory plus a separate pastry and gelato factory. Chocolate salons operate in Fort Myers, Estero, and Naples, as well as Sarasota University Town Center. Many Whole Foods Markets also offer Norman Love Confections, gelato, and sorbetto.
The Flavors
Norman Love Confections are not only premium but precious. They have only a 3-week life span and incorporate premium butter, aromatic spices, fresh fruits, and nuts. Signature flavors include Hot Dark Chocolate (with jalapeno), Dulce de Leche, Tahitian Caramel, and Sicilian Pistachio. Shot in the Dark Espresso and Hazelnut Praline are other signature flavors. The company also offers Chocolate Bark, Chocolate Pops, and Sipping Chocolate.
Supporting Communities
Much has been written in recent years, about unfair labor practices and harmful environmental practices in the chocolate industry. Part of making chocolate more sustainable is an awareness of environmental impact. Says Love, “It’s a front-burner issue for me. We do the best that we can in the retail stores, by using biodegradable and eco-friendly utensils.” Additionally Norman Love Confections’ Love Origins® chocolates feature organic cacao beans harvested under sound humanitarian and environmental farming and business practices.
Each Love Origins® purchase rewards and supports companies that help improve social and economic conditions for individuals who farm and harvest the cacao. We started sampling bean-to-bar chocolate, with money going back to plantations and workers. Fortunato chocolate was one of the most inspiring. Love Origins has been a really well-received product line.”
Responding to needs in the communities is second only to creating premium mouthwatering treats in local communities. “Giving back is part of our responsibility as small business owners,” Love says, adding “We’ve been making donations since 2001. It’s very important to give back to the community where you’re doing business and support things that you care about. It’s a lot about who we are.”