Life by Chocolate’s Mark LaPolla – An Interview

I recently had the opportunity to interview Mark LaPolla, owner of Life by Chocolate.

Life by Chocolate is not your average Chocolate store.  Mark takes great pride in their handmade artisan chocolates and confections.  They sell molded chocolates, dipped chocolates, truffles (my absolute favorite) as well as other candies.  They also make vegan organic fair trade chocolate bars. And if you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can always request it.

Mark was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions below:

1. How long have your been making your chocolate delicacies?

Our company has been making and selling them for about 3 years. Wholesale we have been selling them for only 2 years.

2. Where do you get your inspiration for your chocolate flavors and designs?

Many of our chocolate flavors come from our ice creams. We make ice cream for our diners at the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops, where I am the chef. Some of our flavors I just make up. I love trying new flavors. Some of the flavors I recreate from my childhood favorites or from other candies and desserts that I have eaten in the past. 

With respect to the designs, well, we have two art schools so design ideas abound and my wife, Kim, is an artist. The designs on our bars are taken from the art quilts she makes.

3. What is your most challenging chocolate to make?

They are all challenging. I’d say some of the biggest headaches have come from the bars. Getting our bars right has been a challenge. Some of the most difficult confections I have made were our nut butter cups. They were very difficult. But to be fair, all of the chocolates, whether molded or enrobed are difficult to make.

Each confection brings a unique challenge. The vegan confections, for example, use nontraditional methods to produce our tea and fruit truffles. The novelty figures take a lot of time because we have to hand turn the molds to get even chocolate distribution. The enrobed chocolates are multistep and difficult. Some of our molded chocolates are very hard to make because we take great care in making them and they are all made by hand.

4. Do you have a large staff or are a one-man show?

We have a staff of 5 part and full-time employees. We used to have 7 working for us on the chocolates but we are getting more and more efficient. We are constantly expanding so pretty soon we’ll be back up to 7 again.

5. How many hours do your spend a week making your chocolates? Do you ever get a break?

That’s hard to calculate. We don’t get many breaks because when the chocolate season ends our art schools are in full swing. I think I probably spend about 40 hours a week making chocolates. My other employees spend a varying amount of time. It depends on the season and the orders. Most work around 30 hours a week.

6. What is your current best selling chocolate?

I’d say the Bee’s Knees bar or the Cherry Cordials.

7. I think I gained 5 lbs. looking at all your delicious chocolates on your website www.lifebychocolates.com! What is your healthiest chocolate?

That’s very hard to say. What people forget is that chocolates are a treat, a dessert, if you will. They are all healthy in moderation. Perhaps the Bee’s Knees because that’s just chocolate and honey with some bee pollen. Or the vegan chocolates.

8. How many pounds of chocolate would you guess you make in a year?

That’s very hard to say. Lots and lots.

9. Do you have any new and exciting chocolates in the works?

Yes, I’m working on a very dark, 99%, bar for people that can’t eat sugar and we also have some milk chocolate bars in the design stage.

To get more information about Mark LaPolla’s delicious chocolates as well as his other business ventures, be sure to check out Life by Chocolate.