It’s finally fall in Raleigh. I have mixed feelings because I sure do love the warm weather.
Mike’s parents are in town from Massachusetts so of course we had to show them around Raleigh. First stop, the State Farmer’s Market! We found tons of goodies including a mint plant for my kitchen, veggies for dinner and some local wine from Chatham Hill in Cary.
All about the chocolate
After the Farmer’s Market, we made our way to Raleigh’s well-known Videri Chocolate Factory.
This place is so unique. As soon as you walk in – actually before you walk in, you can smell the magical smell of chocolate.
A little backstory on the locally owned business…..the owners moved here from California and opened the shop in 2011. As a Nutrition major, I really appreciate their approach to the creation and presentation of their product. Their aim is to preserve the natural flavor and purity of the cacao bean. In their facility, they even go so far as to present the history, geographic origin and nutrition information of the cacao bean. It’s fascinating. You can even see how they make the chocolate.
The Customer Experience
Their store is beautiful and it really shows how passionate they are about chocolate and creating a positive customer experience. Their staff is always so friendly. They have staff at the register where they also help you choose your specialty truffles. Another person is available to let you sample the chocolate and they go into detail about each flavor. Then, there’s the coffee bar. They serve mocha coffee, hot chocolate and frozen got chocolate – all using their house-made chocolate. Every time I order from the coffee bar, the staff always makes a point to put a smile on my face. What’s more, they are exceptionally aware of food allergies.
Videri’s facility is allergy friendly; our chocolates are free from all known tree nuts, and many common legumes, as well as soy, gluten, corn, and egg products. We also offer many vegan options.
They have oat milk for the coffee and hot chocolate and the majority of their chocolate bars are vegan/dairy-free. They usually have different truffles available each time I visit, but yesterday they had two.
I enjoyed the muscadine ganache. It was slightly tart and so creamy despite not having dairy. It was the perfect amount of sweetness for me. I don’t really like a ton of sweets at once. The truffle was honestly too pretty to eat!
Other Fun Facts
Something else really cool about Videri is that they supply chocolate to a lot of businesses in the community! Local breweries use their chocolate for their chocolate flavored beers and local Raleigh restaurants use their chocolate in for their desserts. I think it’s genius and such a great way to make their brand a house-hold name. They also sell hats, shirts, beanies and recipe books!
I just love that Videri takes that extra step to make their customers aware of how they cater to food allergies. They have also made a point to do as little processing to the chocolate as possible. I hope to meet the owners one day to let them know how much I appreciate them.
If you live in Raleigh-Durham or intend to travel here at some pint, you HAVE to stop in to Videri!
Have you experienced Videri Chocolate? Please share your experience with me!
Don’t live in Raleigh? Guess what, THEY SHIP! Here’s a link to their website – http://www.viderichocolatefactory.com
As always, thanks for reading
-Your Food Allergy Guide