Alexandria's Kingsbury Chocolates Vies for Mission Main Street Grant

Want to help a local business in Alexandria?

Kingsbury Chocolates, a local chocolatier, has applied for a $150,000 grant from Chase as part of a newly launched program, Mission Main StreetSM Grants.

Here’s how it works: Kingsbury Chocolates must submit a questionnaire outlining a business plan that will result in growth of the business and receive at least 250 votes to be eligible for a grant. Customers, fans and community members can show support for Kingsbury Chocolates by voting at https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/vote using Facebook Connect.

The voting deadline is Oct. 17 and expert panelists will select the grant recipients.

“I have had the pleasure to work with Rob for over a year,” says Robert Peck, co-founder of Commonwealth Joe, a Virginia coffee company. “His products are excellent, service is outstanding, and his business is growing fast. This grant money will help Rob meet his rapidly increasing demands by hiring necessary employees, buying better equipment, and procuring materials in volumes to realize economies of scale without sacrificing the quality of his products.”

If you haven’t had the pleasure of sampling the wares of Kingsbury Chocolates, here’s a little more about the business, from the owner, Robert Kingsbury: “At Kingsbury Chocolates & Confections we create whimsically enticing masterpieces one at a time using nothing less than premium couverture grade chocolate. By keeping creative, delicious, and unique flavors & textures as our standard, we create everything by hand and produce a chocolate experience that is addictively memorable.” (See here where you can purchase the chocolates locally.)

Chase’s Mission Main Street Grants will award 20 grants of $150,000 to small businesses across America. By completing a business profile, a grant questionnaire, and meeting relevant eligibility requirements, small businesses will have access to special offers from the Premier Sponsor, Google.

Through Mission Main Street Grants, Chase will award $3 million to small business across America. All businesses that apply for a grant and meet the eligibility requirements will receive a special offer from Premier Sponsor, Google. In addition, the 20 grant recipients will be eligible to receive a trip to Google for an exclusive small business marketing workshop with Google experts and a Google Chromebook laptop.

PHOTO: Milk chocolate bars from Kingsbury; photo courtesy of Kingsbury