The best part of Valentine's Day is the license to eat chocolate, way past the point of sexiness.Too much chocolate to be cute.

Beyond the obvious benefits of chocolate, it turns out that candy offers fantastic opportunities to support businesses near you! Don't settle for the boxes from the drug store- candy made cheaply comes at a big environmental price and ones made in Mexico (where Hershey's sent much of their manufacturing) has been showing traces of mercury. So unless you really hate your Valentine...

More importantly, how often are those boxes actually good? How many chocolates from those plastic-wrapped boxes get thrown away? No chocolate deserves that fate! It's chocolate, for goodness sake!

This isn't about eco-friendliness, it is chocolate friendliness. Could there be anything more important?

So this is the list I have so far of chocolate and other candy companies that still manufacture locally. Some of my favorites, like Daffin's in Western Pennsylvania really don't reach nationally, so I know there are tons of treasures I am missing. Please tell me what should make an appearance, and I will keep updating the list.

The main point is that you have so many options, and the good old internet makes them very simple to discover and access. Also, even small towns have candy stores. Shop there.

Buying from companies like these supports the community where you live, cuts down on shipping and packaging, and can make for a fun challenge. Can you find something just as romantic as those drug store candies? Let's hope so! Focus on buying smaller quantities of better product, so it can both be good and do good.

Now, let's get to the list. It's epic and incomplete.

Alabama
Birmingham Chocolates- Birmingham

Alaska
The Alaska Fudge Company- Juneau
Alaska Gold Mine Candy Company- Talkeetna
Alaska Wild Berry Products- Anchorage
Ketchicandies- Ketchikan

Arizona
The Arizona Chocolate Company- Flagstaff
Cerreta Candy Company- Glendale

Arkansas
Izard Chocolates- Little Rock
Juanita's Candy Kitchen- Arkadelphia
Kopper Kettle Candies- Van Buren
Kyya Chocolate- Elm Springs
Lambrecht Gourmet- Heder Springs
Martin Greer's Candies- Gateway

California
Chuau Chocolate- San Diego
Dagoba Chocolate- San Francisco
Guittard Chocolate- San Francisco
Mother Fudger- Los Angles
Richard Donnelly- Santa Cruz
Rosebud Chocolates- Oxnard
Scharffen Berger- Berkeley
See's Candies- Los Angeles and San Francisco
TCHO- San Francisco (Previously Berkeley)
XOX Truffles- San Francisco

Colorado
Chocolove- Boulder
Elbrus Fine Chocolates- Parker
Enstrum Chocolates- Grand Junction
Hammond's- Denver
Justin's- Boulder

Conneticut
This state has its own chocolate trail. That's how many chocolate choices there are. What a wonderful world.
Bridgewater Chocolate- Bridgewater
Munson's Chocolate- Bolton

Delaware
Govatos Chocolates- Wilmington

Florida
Norman Love Chocolates- Fort Myers

Georgia
Cacao- Atlanta
Chocolate Ooh La Las- Marietta

Hawaii
Aloha Candy Company- Volcano Village, Big Island

Idaho
The Chocolat Bar- Boise
Idaho Candy Company- Boise
Sandpoint Chocolate Bear- Sandpoint

Illinois
Ferrarra- Lemonheads, Red Hots- Oakbrook Terrace
Illinois Nut and Candy- Skokie
Vosges-Haut Chocolate- Chicago

Indiana
DeBrand Fine Chocolates- Fort Wayne
Ghyslain Chocolates- Union City
Schrimpff's Confectionary- Jeffersonville
The South Bend Chocolate Company- South Bend

Iowa
The Sugar Barn- Polk City

Kentucky
Ruth Hunt Candy Company- Sterling

Louisiana
Bayou Chocolate- Monroe

Maine
Dean's Sweets- Portland
Ella's Chocolates- Lewiston
The Harbor Candy Shop- Ogunquit
Haven's Candies-Westbrook
Monica's Chocolates- Lubec
R and R Chocolates- Wells
Wilbur's of Maine- Freeport

Maryland
Glarus Chocolatier- Baltimore
Goetze Candy- Cow Tales and Caramels- Baltimore
Wockenfuss Candies- Baltimore

Massachusets
EH Chocolatier- Boston
Herbert Candies- Shrewsbury
Necco- Revere
Unreal- Boston (this looks kind of awesome)

Michigan
Chocolates by Grimaldi- Grand Haven
The Chocolate Garden- Coloma
Gilbert Chocolates- Jackson
Hanover's Michigan Mints- St. John's
Schakolad- Birmingham

Minnesota
Pearson's- St. Paul

Mississippi
Margaretes Fine Chocolates- Tupelo

Missouri
Chocolate Chocolate Company- St. Louis
Christopher Elbow- Kansas City
Bissinger's- St Louis
Kakao- St Louis

Montana
Big Sky Candy- Hamilton
Martinson's Ranch Chocolates- Huntley
Montana Chocolate Company- Missoula
Posh Chocolat- Missoula

Nebraska
Baker's Candies- Greenwood

Nevada
Kimmie Candy- Reno
Sierra Nevada Chocolate- Reno

New Hampshire
Bryne and Carlson- Portsmouth
LA Burdick- Walpole

New Jersey
2 Chicks with Chocolate- East Brunswick
Brummer's- Westfield
Chocodiem- Clinton
Enjou- Morristown
Lepore's- Hoboken
Matisse Chocolatier- Engelwood
Mrs Hanna Krause Candy- Paramus
The Nut Shop- Woodbury

New Mexico
Kakawa Chocolate House- Santa Fe

New York
Garrison Confections- New York City
Jaques Torres- New York City
Whimsy and Spice- Brooklyn
Xocolatti- New York City

North Carolina
Azurelise Chocolate- Raleigh
Carolina Chocolate Company- Charlotte
Dillsboro Chocolate Company- Dillsboro

North Dakota
Carol Widman's Candy Company- Fargo
Mikey's Country Candy- Burlington
Widman's Candy Company- Grand Forks

Ohio
Buckeye Chocolate Company- Canton
Spangler- Dum Dum's (NOT their candy canes)- Bryan

Oklahoma
Bedre Fine Chocolate- Ada

Oregon
The Candy Apothecary- Tigard
Caramels for Karson- Eugene
Creek House Patisserie- Ashland

Pennsylvania
Daffin's Chocolate- Sharon
Just Born Candy- Peeps, Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike- Bethlehem
Palmer Candy- Multiple Pennsylvania factories
Wolfgang Candy- York

Rhode Island
Hauser Chocolates- Westerly
Sweenor's Chocolates- Wakefield

South Carolina
Chocolate Tree- Beaufort

South Dakota
Mostly Chocolates- Rapid City
Watertown Confectionary- Watertown

Tennessee
Colt's Chocolates- Nashville
Dinstuhl's- Memphis
Nashville Chocolate and Nuts- Nashville
Olive and Sinclair- Nashvillle
Sugar and Spice Truck- Nashville

Texas
Aunt Aggie De's Pralines- Sinton

Utah
Bella Rose Chocolates- Saratoga Springs
Drunken Chocolates- Saratoga Springs
Farmhouse Fudge- Moab
Sweets Candy Company- Salt Lake City

Vermont
Lake Champlain Chocolates- Burlington
Mount Mansfield Maple- Winooski

Virginia
Potomac Chocolate- Woodbridge
Royal Chocolate- Virginia Beach

Washington
Frans Chocolate- Seattle
Northwest Fudge and Confections- Port Angeles
Spokandy- Spokane
Seattle Chocolates- Seattle
Theo Chocolates- Seattle

West Viriginia
Holls- Charleston

Wisconsin
Candinas Chocolates- Verona

Wyoming
Donell's Candies- Casper
Perr Bear Chocolates- Cheyenne
Petit Secret- Jackson Hole

In the words of one of these wonderful stores- Save the Planet- It's the Only Place with Chocolate! If you have been looking for a place to make a switch, this is a perfect opportunity to change your approach from quick and easy to local, special, and doing all sorts of good!And there are so many more! So please comment with your suggestions!

If you are more interested in fair-trade chocolate (and for good reason, chocolate can have major environmental AND labor problems, and child labor is NOT romantic), I have a few options for that too- Equal Exchange (they have chocolate chips and more on their website), Divine (this store has a great selection), Green and Black's, and my favorite Endangered Species (which donates 10% of your purchase to protect wildlife and habitats- romantic for your animal lover? This is the best list I could find- there is so much out there, no excuse to get crappy chocolate anymore.

Be sure to research what you have nearby, they might surprise you- Theo Chocolate, and Chocolove are fair trade too.



Now you know better than I do- what candy stores or chocolatiers are around your neighborhood? It may be time to try them. More expensive? Try something small! Bigger doesn't mean better, and it might be fun to have a taste of something new.