How many mechanical engineers do you know who have become industry-leading chocolatiers? If you’ve met Chairman’s Club member Ray Bitzel, you know at least one.
Bitzel, along with his wife and business partner, cofounded Bitzel’s Chocolate in Suwanee, and in less than two years, it has grown into the largest custom artisan chocolate company in the Southeast. Today, they produce a quarter of a million pieces of chocolate daily in a 7,000-square-foot factory and storefront.
Better by Design
Bitzel’s rapid success is driven by the same thing that keeps customers coming back: uncompromising quality. “We want our chocolate to delight our customers and make a lasting impression,” Bitzel says.
That begins with healthier recipes and carefully sourced ingredients, including fine European chocolate varieties like Ruby and Gold and top-quality cacao beans from family farms in Ecuador and Uganda. These farms are part of sustainability projects that provide stable livelihoods in areas once clear-cut for survival farming. Bitzel personally knows the farmers and ensures that every step of the process meets stringent standards.
In addition to the top-quality cacao, every ingredient in Bitzel’s Chocolate is selected for authenticity: real fruit fillings, Georgia pecans, natural sweeteners — and never hydrogenated oils or artificial additives. “Consumers are becoming a lot more knowledgeable about what they’re eating and where it comes from,” Bitzel explains. “We create chocolate that not only tastes amazing but is made the right way.”
A Different Kind of Chocolate Company
Ray’s background in engineering and years of leading process improvement in corporate roles gave him the expertise to build a chocolate company where automation meets artistry. “We’re really more of a technology firm that makes chocolate,” he says. “Everything about our business is purpose-built for quality, precision and speed. We can make any custom mold and fulfill your order within three days — whether it’s replicating the Porsche logo in intricate detail, creating 10,000 chocolate tomahawks for the Braves or designing anything you can imagine.”
The company’s 40-plus machines include thermal formers, resin printers, UV printers and specialty Italian equipment that enable unmatched detail in the chocolate and the packaging. Bitzel’s Chocolate serves a wide range of clients. The Suwanee storefront is a popular stop for retail customers, while corporate customers ranging from Fortune 500 firms and airlines to luxury hotels and entertainment venues rely on Bitzel’s for highly customized chocolate. “Many of our customers want chocolate that looks like it cost a fortune but didn’t,” Bitzel says. “We designed our business to give them exactly that.”
The company already ships across the U.S. and to Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas, and will soon expand into Europe — a rare achievement for an American chocolate brand given Europe’s strict quality standards.
Sweet Gifts, Smart Marketing
With the holidays approaching, many corporate customers count on Bitzel’s for customized chocolate gifts that, according to Bitzel, outshine the usual pens or tumblers. “Velvety-smooth chocolate personalized with your logo and distinctive packaging makes people happy and makes them remember you,” he explains. “Many recipients post photos of their chocolate gifts on social media, turning each gift into built-in marketing for the giver.”
Growing in Gwinnett
Bitzel and his partners selected Suwanee for their unique chocolate factory because of the supportive business climate, and they credit Gwinnett Chamber leaders for helping them meet an aggressive timeline. “From city planners to fire marshals, the Gwinnett Chamber connected us with the right people so we could get our factory built in just eight weeks,” says Bitzel. “As we look to expand, we continue to appreciate the pro-business environment and network in this area.”
