Good News Chocolate Lovers! Chocolate Pizza Co. is Growing

    SYRACUSE, NY, June 30, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Americans taste for gourmet chocolate is growing - and so is a fast-rising company in Central New York that has made Chocolate Pizza and Peanut Butter Wings a consumer favorite nationwide.

Chocolate Pizza Company, Inc., manufacturer of gourmet chocolate specialties and featured on Food Network, broke ground recently on a new production and retail facility that will serve the company's rapidly growing business. Located in the beautiful rolling hills along NY Route 175 between the Central New York communities of Skaneateles and Marcellus, the facility will be just minutes from Syracuse. The project is a first for Chocolate Pizza Company which started 27 years ago in Marcellus, a small, one-traffic-light village that dates back to 1794. But don't be lulled by the serene surroundings, this is home to a chocolate juggernaut.

Over the past five years, under the leadership of its young owner, Ryan Novak, Chocolate Pizza Company has quadrupled sales, hit the shelves of major retail icons and earned trademarks on its signature products - Chocolate Pizza and Peanut Butter Wings. The new 8,500 sf facility is scheduled to open in September and will feature a 1,200 sf retail store with a view into production, parking for bus tours and displays of the entire product line including corporate gifts, fundraising and seasonal favorites.

One reason for the new building is the explosive growth in the company's wholesale business. "In 2010, we had no wholesale accounts, zero," Novak says, "Today, our products are found in thousands of retailers across the country and demand keeps increasing." Chocolate Pizza Company has landed in some very recognizable retailers including Hallmark, Bass Pro Shops, Von Maur, The Paper Store, Lori's Gifts, Kinney Drugs and Sheetz. The exposure has transformed the company from a unique product to an emerging brand. "People identify the name now and associate it with quality, taste and value," according to Novak, "and that has created the demand behind construction of our new facility."

Novak started with the company as a dishwasher at age 15. His passion for the business caught the founder's attention who served as a mentor for 6 years before selling him the business at age 21. Novak is a graduate of Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management with a B.S. degree in entrepreneurship. He is a "40 Under Forty" award winner, author of "Because Life Isn't Easy" (Entrepreneur.com, May '14) and a guest lecturer at Syracuse University.

The project has been over a year in the making. "Creating a new home for Chocolate Pizza Company is an exciting accomplishment for our entire team," Novak said, adding, "the system is not easy to navigate, especially for small business, but we were determined to expand in our hometown and just refused to quit on our dreams." Novak assembled a strong local team of talent to help him including general contractor, Jim Tracy, of Lake Country Construction and Contour (Skaneateles, NY), structural experts, Santelli Lumber (Palmyra, NY) and architectural services from Wyatt Howard Nelson, PLLC (Syracuse, NY).

Chocolate Pizza Company has been featured nationally on Food Network and enjoys an impressive list of VIP clients. Its trademarked Chocolate Pizza blends gourmet chocolate with homemade English toffee, tops it with nuts or candies and serves it in a custom pizza box. Its other top-seller is Peanut Butter Wings - crisp, rippled potato chip covered in creamy peanut butter and dipped in rich milk or dark chocolate. The "Pizza & Wings Combo" headline over 100 chocolate specialties.

Demand for gourmet chocolate has risen in recent years even against the headwinds of a slower economy. Survey results show 91% of women and 87% of men consume chocolate and the trend is toward higher-end, specialty chocolates. Gourmet chocolate is considered by many consumers to be an "affordable luxury" that has strong appeal as a gift and indulgence. Chocolate Pizza Company is a family-owned, made in America, small business success that has tapped into the market with products that are unique, delicious and impressive.

For more on Chocolate Pizza Company, visit their website, www.chocolatepizza.com or call 800.280.9381.

Chocolate Pizza and Peanut Butter Wings are registered trademarks of Chocolate Pizza Company, Inc., Marcellus, NY 13108.

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