Chocolate Factory Brings Sweet Smells To Former Winston-Salem Tobacco Warehouse

The Arts District in downtown Winston-Salem continues to expand, and now there is edible art to enjoy. Black Mountain Chocolate Factory is the first tenant to open in the Old Winston Tobacco Warehouse.

The smell of tobacco that once permeated the air at the warehouse on 8^th and Trade Streets is now replaced with the sweet smell of chocolate. On Friday, Black Mountain Chocolate officially opened its new factory store in Winston-Salem.

The company was located near Asheville for several years, but recently came under new ownership by a Winston-Salem family. Owner Brent Peters says visitors get to watch the craft of chocolate-making. “There's glass everywhere. We actually determined later on in the planning process that there is no place to hide in the factory, so guests can see every aspect of the chocolate-making process anytime they come in,” says Peters. “Beyond that, we will have classes, guided tours, and tastings that will allow people to experience chocolate in a new way.”

Peters says a lot of skill and care go into making the brown squares of sweet joy. He says the artistic process starts with the right cocoa bean. He compares it to wine-making.

“We use organic and fair trade beans. People don't realize sometimes that cocoa beans are like wine grapes. There are different varieties and the varieties differ by where they are grown. We use an organic Hispaniola bean from the Dominican Republic which, for instance, would taste different than a Criollo bean from Nicaragua."

City officials say other artisans will be leasing space in the new building. The decor for the factory includes some of the original woodwork from the former tobacco warehouse. Allen Joines, the mayor of Winston-Salem, says the project is a good example of how the city continues to reinvent itself.

“This is another refurbished old building in our downtown area that preserves the character of our city, but adds a new twist to it. I think the owners saw what is happening here in the Arts District with the Mast General Store opening up next year and a distillery opening in the warehouse, so I think this will become a destination for folks, while fitting in to the overall feel of this Arts District,” says Joines.

The owners of Black Mountain Chocolate say the new venue will allow them more opportunities to distribute their products throughout the Carolinas.  The company currently employs twelve people in Winston-Salem.

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