Formerly in IT, Bob Hohenadel, owner and chef at Honadle’s Fine Chocolates in Hartville, has a passion for chocolate. It’s in his genes.
His grandfather opened Honadle’s in 1928. The chocolate factory was closed for years until young Hohenadel reopened the business in 2005. Until 2019, Hohenadel worked part-time in the chocolate business while continuing to work in IT.
Hohenadel opened the retail store at 1138 W. Maple St. in Hartville in 2019. His wife and three children also work at the store.
“A timeless tradition…taste the difference” is the motto followed by the Honadle team, and it shows in the care they take when making the chocolate.
While in the shop on a cool fall morning, Hohenadel was excited to show off the shop. He mentioned his love of chocolate and how it grew over the years. Excitement showed on his face as he talked about reworking recipes over the years and the exciting things he had in the works.
I caught up with owner Bob Hohenadel to learn more about his love of chocolate making and retail and wholesale management.
Q. How has business been since you opened the retail store?
A. “We are extremely blessed with the acceptance of our retail store by the community. It has been exciting to make new friends and reconnect with permanent customers. In addition, our online and wholesale businesses continued to grow.
Q. I see the company spelling is different, but similar, to your last name. Why the difference?
A. “When my grandfather started the business, he opted for a more phonetic spelling of our name for the store. Also, in the 1920s and 30s, signs were priced by the letter, so the repulsion allowed for ‘to save money.
Q&A with Yoder’s Bulk Foods:Five years later, business is better than ever for Yoder’s Bulk Foods & Deli
Q. I see there is quite a long history of chocolate making in your family. Why is it important for you to pursue it?
A. “Even after our retail stores closed in the 1980s, my father continued to make chocolate for his close friends and family every Christmas. Over time, it has become important to ensure that the tradition continues. I hated the idea that our family heritage would fade, so I started learning, using the original recipes and techniques. This ignited a passion for chocolate making in me, and since then I have put my own spin on chocolate recipes while staying true to who we are.
Q. What do you suggest? What are some of your most popular items?
A. “We offer quite a variety! Many of the basics you’d expect at a chocolate shop, like Pecan Snappers and Peanut Butter Meltaways. But we also offer some of our own spins, like our Fine Rockin’ Energy Bar (which has peanut butter, granola, flax seeds, and chocolate covered cocoa nibs) named after my son-in-law, Chris Finefrock, or the David Delight (which has homemade marshmallow between graham crackers and whipped chocolate) named after my son. All of our named family pieces are big sellers. Brittany Bars, Kristy Krunch, Casey Crunch and KaRaspberry Creams, to name but a few!
Q. I see you have a family recipe. Can you tell me more?
A. “Honadle recipes have been created over the years and stored in multiple binders, folders, notepads. I got all the original recipes. Using them as a guide, we began to make each recipe new and improved.
“I created a new cookbook a few years ago reflecting this effort. Here are some examples of our changes: All margins have been replaced with pure whole butter. Vegetable oils have been replaced with coconut oil. pure coconut.Food colorings have been removed.Flavors, such as Orange and Lemon Custard, are made with pure flavor oils, and we hand shave the fruit zest for added flavor and I have developed a method by which powdered whole fruit is used to make raspberry and blueberry custards.The method makes these custards pop with authentic, rich flavor and color.
“We are currently in the process of replacing all the corn syrup in the original recipes with pure tapioca syrup.”
Q. I see that you sell to other places. Can you tell me more?
A. “We wholesale to many local stores in the area including Hartville Kitchen and Bakery, Krieger’s, Wolf Creek Winery, Nauti Vine Winery, Trail Mix Peninsula in Boston Township, Buckeye Meats and Ohio Tea Company, to name a few. to name a few! Our complete list, which is the most up-to-date, can be viewed on our website: honadles.com.
Restaurant review:Spicy street tacos, delicious chimichanga at Canton’s newest Mexican restaurant
Q. Your site says that you (Bob) still make every candy by hand. Why is this so important for your business?
A. “We believe that freshly made chocolate in small batches is the only solution! We keep a very small inventory of finished products. This puts a stress on operations, especially during the holidays, but we believe it is worth it to ensure our customers receive absolutely fresh confections from Honadle’s.
Q. Do you have anything else to share?
A. “I could not have achieved this dream of reviving our family legacy without my faith and the incredible support of my wife, Sheryl, who is currently our designer and runs our day-to-day operations.
“Our children and their spouses have also been a vital support to Honadle’s success. They represent the fourth generation of the family legacy, and all bring very strong talents and vision.
Restaurant review:The best Reuben I’ve ever had, at Rack It Up! Arcade in Plain Township
“Currently, my daughter, Brittany, is our Managing Director and manages the front of the house, as well as our social media. My daughter Kristen manages the web business and is our copywriter for all marketing and general communications. My son David is our favorite chef to help fine-tune the recipes to bring out an incredible balance in our confections.
“Chris, Kristen’s husband, built our display counters, laid our retail floors and brings unbridled energy to help us get any job done. Casey, Brittany’s husband, offered his talents in many paint jobs and in very important maintenance works. Kara, David’s wife, is our artist who offers beautiful hand drawn signs and finishing touches on gift boxes.”
Honadle’s Fine Chocolates is at 1138 W. Maple St. in Hartville and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit honadles.com.
