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One man’s dream becomes
a recipe for success for others
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 Twenty years ago, Frank Crail had a dream - to move his family from populated Southern California and raise them in the more family-friendly environment of a small town in Colorado.
Not having a plan to support his dream in Durango, the quaint Victorian-era town they had chosen to settle, he began surveying the town's local residents and merchants. "It came down to either a car wash or a chocolate shop," recalls the father of seven. "I think I made the right choice."
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 Today, the shop still stands on Main Street, with it's sights and smells tempting tourists and locals alike to experience a cornucopia of chocolatey treats before a breath-taking ride on the scenic Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad or after a half-day white water rafting trip through town.From that tiny shop downtown emerged the need for a 53,000 square foot chocolate factory located on the town's outskirts, built to supply the more than 200 franchised chocolate shops throughout the United States, Canada, Guam and most recently, the Middle East. |
 What is the recipe that has driven the company to this success in just 20 years? "The number one factor is the quality of the product," says President and CEO Crail. "Without that customers aren't going to stay around long." As a testament, Crail proudly points to a page from Money magazine mounted on his office wall which features Rocky Mountain Chocolate winning the coveted 3-heart rating in a 30-member panel blind taste test. The candy maker's chocolate beat out See's Candies, Perugina, Teuscher, Godiva and Fanny May for the "richest chocolate, with intense natural flavor."
"We also have a great marketing advantage with our unique in-store candy making demonstrations," Crail adds. "Customers can watch the cook spin a skewered apple in hot caramel or watch fudge being made before their eyes. Of course, everyone gets a sample!"
Another trademark is the unusually large portions of chocolate on display. "This was a fortunate mistake," Crail recalls. "In the early days, my partnersand I did not know how to make chocolate and had to literally learn on a ping pong table.
From the start we made the candy centers too big, not compensating for the added size and weight when coating the pieces in chocolate. And if they didn't look quite right we would dip them again." But the huge pieces instantly caught on and have remained the Rocky Mountain benchmark ever since.
Crail also gives credit to the more than 200 independent franchise operators that bought in to his concept. "They are the ones that really make this company a success," he remarks. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory continues to claim high marks in surveys that rate various franchise opportunities.
Much like the original old-town Durango chocolate shop with its traditional oak and brass fixtures, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory shops exude nostalgic charm. With the use of traditional candy making methods, fudge is made fresh every day in large copper kettles. The huge 500-pound marble slab literally "sucks" the heat out of the favorite confection while the cook shapes it with paddles into a giant 22-pound "loaf". A variety of fruits, nuts, pretzels and cookies are also dipped by hand in pots of melted milk, dark and even "white" chocolate; all this in full view of the customer.
Fine hand made chocolates such as truffles, nut clusters, butter creams and caramels, are shipped to the shops from the Company's Durango facility on one of many refrigerated trucks. Recently, the Company developed a new line of sugar-free and no-sugar-added candies. Results have been "spectacular", filling a need for those with special dietary requirements.
"A great deal has happened over the years," recounts Crail with a twinkle in his eye. "I never imagined that in my search for a place to raise a family things would turn out so sweet!"
For franchise information contact: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 265 Turner Drive, Durango, Colorado 81303. Call 1-800-438-7623 or visit www.sweetfranchise.com.
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