JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The holidays are considered the peak season for chocolatiers like Peterbrooke Chocolatier, but this year there are some concerns with global issues like worker shortages.
When you walk inside a Peterbrooke Chocolatier there’s still plenty of delicious treats you can pick up for gifts or stocking stuffers. Jolly the Snowman and everyone’s favorite chocolate-covered popcorn are all available on store shelves.
Peterbrooke Chocolatier has been a staple in the Jacksonville community for nearly 40 years. The first location opened in San Marco and now there are more than two dozen spread out throughout the state.
Bianca Torres is the head chocolatier and the general manager of the Avondale location. She said her store has been busy keeping up with the holiday rush.
“My team has definitely been putting in that overtime and making sure that our store is stocked with all the favorite items,” Torres said.
Torres took us behind the scenes this morning making Jolly the Snowman Chocolates. Last year the stores dealt with changes due to the pandemic.
This year there’s a new challenge impacting these chocolatier supply chain issues and worker shortages.
“Making sure that we can keep our hours going and we’re flexible. We’ve also had to deal with not getting all the packaging we need. We’ve had to pivot and find other places where we can and other baskets and things like that we can substitute and use,” Torres said.
Despite those issues, Torres assures her customers. They’ll still have plenty of everyone’s favorite treats available just in time for Christmas.
“Salty sweet combination is big here at Peterbrooke, we have the potato chips, we have the pretzels, We have the popcorn,” Torres said.