Ronnie Roberts, Chocolate Artist

Who: Ronnie Roberts

Age: Late 40’s

Occupation: Owner of Gosanko’s Chocolate Art in Auburn

For starters, are you really busy with Valentine’s Day already? Yes, we have been for a few weeks already. Many people have been coming to us with Valentine’s orders for years and years. We are unique in that you can custom order your box of chocolates with whatever type of chocolates you want included. Other purchased boxes of chocolates have a variety, but there are always some pieces you do not like. With ours, you can pre-order, phone order or come in. We always have a large variety of chocolates and truffles ready for purchase and many types of gift boxes to fit almost any size order. People love the variety and choice and so do the recipients! I think some people might also come in for the free samples.

How did you ever think to start a chocolate company? About 25 years ago, my father-in-law had been making chocolate molds and we decided we could start a business making molds for corporations and making the chocolate to go in the molds as well. We started out in West Seattle and began working with companies such as Eddie Bauer, Starbucks and Nordstrom. We began by brainstorming with our customers as to what they might be interested in and came up with opening a custom chocolate house. We finally hit it big time when we started making the chocolate art we first became famous for – Chocolate Fish. Now we have over 10,000 molds.

What is your favorite? The chocolate dinosaur. I like to say that dinosaurs have been extinct for a long time, but we are still making them. They never go out of style.

What makes this company special? I took over the company 15 years ago, but am so glad I learned from my father-in-law. Together, we were able to bring back the old-world molding technique of making solid chocolate items. We do not ever make hollow chocolates. We spent years working on perfecting our chocolate recipe. As times change, we add items that become popular. We added fudge a few years ago and continue to add flavors. We are up to 20 varieties of fudge. More than our molded chocolate, we are known for our truffles and caramels. All of these items are made here in our shop from scratch. We also added an espresso bar and offer ice cream in the summer. We are a full-service sin place.

As a long-time Bonney Lake resident, why don’t you have a store in Bonney Lake? We moved our company from West Seattle to Auburn before Bonney Lake was very populated. Now I own the building we are in and I have a good following here. People travel from all over to get our chocolate; they seek us out. We are a destination spot and doing well in this location. I want to continue to be completely involved with every aspect of my business, so keeping it the right size is important. We make everything here in this facility. This way, I can be totally involved in production. Quality is very important to me.

Why do you think people seek you out? Again, the product is high quality. Everything is hand done, no matter what the numbers are; we wrap each item by hand. We use real ingredients and the most expensive chocolate you can buy. Everything is created from scratch to create some of the most unique, confectionary products you will find.  We can make anything with chocolate: logos, symbols, shapes, anything. We wrap our products in colorful foil and press it down so you are able to read a logo through the foil. Branding a business is becoming increasingly important these days and people are looking for creative ways to this. We assist many businesses with this. We can customize packaging to meet the needs of our business customers. It is truly a wonderful way to market a company.

With the troubles in our economy and chocolate confections being and "extra," why do you feel your business has continued to be successful? I am hands on every step of the way. We will not compromise our quality or our service. Customer service equals success. Something as simple as a torn piece of foil will not pass inspection. We pride ourselves on that type of quality product. I love what I do and it comes across to my co-workers and customers. This is a happy business and I am like a kid in a candy store. I have a lot of fun with our employees and customers alike.

What are your future plans for Gosanko’s? This has always been a family business. My daughter is planning to take over some day. Currently, she is 24 and has her accounting degree. I wanted my daughter to see outside our business model and get more experience with how other businesses run. Therefore, she is working for another company, using her accounting degree. She had been making chocolate with me here at work since she was four years old and she still enjoys it. As for me, I plan to make chocolate forever. I still love to make it and I still love to eat it.